JACKSONVILLE – The Jacksonville State men's basketball team welcomes Ja Morant and Murray State to Pete Mathews Coliseum at 7:15 p.m. Thursday to battle for sole possession of first place in the Ohio Valley Conference.
 
The only meeting of the regular season between the Gamecocks and Racers comes with both teams sporting a 7-1 record in the conference; tied for first place. Both have won four of their last five and eight of their last 10 games, and both are beginning new winning streaks after falling Thursday in OVC play. JSU dropped its first league game to EKU on the road, while Murray State fell to Belmont at home.
 
Jacksonville State enters Thursday's game following a 77-71 win at Morehead State on Saturday. The Gamecocks received 19-point performances from both Jason Burnell and Detrick Mostella in Morehead, Ky. Burnell recorded his ninth double-double of the year while Mostella scored a career-best eight baskets.
 
Murray State is led by the No. 3-projected pick in the NBA Draft in Morant, who is averaging 24.1 points and 5.6 rebounds per game, and leads the Racers in scoring with 457 points this season. While only a sophomore, the Dalzell, S.C., native ranks second among the OVC's active leaders in assists (401), eighth in points scored (862) and 12th in rebounds (315).
 
The Racers are coming off a 100-62 win over Tennessee State following a 79-66 loss to the Bruins; their first league loss of the season. Prior to last Thursday, MSU's last loss was a 93-88 non-conference matchup at Auburn on Dec. 22 – the same date as JSU's last non-conference loss.
 
Murray State holds a 22-2 advantage over JSU in the all-time series. Head coach Ray Harper led the Gamecocks to their second win over the Racers the last time MSU visited Pete Mathews Coliseum; a 76-71 win on Jan. 11, 2018. The win was Harper's second all-time against Murray in seven meetings. Men's Basketball - Game 22
Jacksonville State (15-6, 7-1 OVC) vs. Murray State (16-3, 7-1 OVC)
January 31, 2018 | 7:15 p.m. CT
Jacksonville, Ala. | Pete Mathews Coliseum (3,500)

SERIES HISTORY
Last Meeting: March 2, 2018 (L, 70-63) Evansville, Ind. (OVC Tournament)
All-Time Series Record: Murray State leads series 22-2

FOLLOW LIVE
Listen: Gamecocks Radio Network - 91.9 WLJS & 97.9 WVOK
Watch: ESPN+
Live Stats: Click Here Thursday is Student-Athlete Academic Night. At halftime, student-athletes, cheerleaders, student trainers and student support staff who were named to the Commissioner's Honor Roll, received the Academic Medal of Honor, have a 3.0-or-above cumulative GPA or recorded a 3.0-or-above GPA for the Fall 2018 term will be recognized on the court.
 
In addition, members of the JSU Student-Athlete Advisory Committee will be in attendance collecting money for Hoops for Heroes. Every year, the money collected by JSU SAAC sends a deserving veteran to the semifinals of the Ohio Valley Conference Basketball Championships.
 
Season tickets and single-game tickets are now available for purchase online at JSUGamecocksTickets.com, by phone at (256) 782-8499 and on campus at the JSU Ticket Office at Pete Mathews Coliseum. Children 18-years-old and under and JSU students are admitted free.
 
For more information on the JSU men's basketball team, follow the Gamecocks on Twitter (@JSU_MBB). For more on all Gamecocks sports teams, follow the official social media accounts of JSU Athletics on Twitter (@JSUGamecocks), Facebook (Facebook.com/JSUGamecocks), Instagram (@JSUGamecocks) and Snapchat (@JSUGamecocks).