Williams Named First OVC Player of The Week
Murray State’s KJ Williams was named the Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Week after a vote of the league’s sports information directors.
The junior from Cleveland, Mississippi, helped the Racers start the season 2-0 in the first week of the 2021-22 season by averaging 22.0 points and 6.0 rebounds while hitting 81.0 percent (17-of-21) from the field, 71.4 percent (5-of-7) from 3-point range and 60 percent (3-of-5) from the free throw line.
In the Racers’ season-opener against Cumberland, Williams had a career-high 32 points on 12-of-13 shooting (5-of-6 3-pointers) while also hitting 3-of-4 free throws. He added five rebounds in just 22 minutes of action. The 32 points are the sixth-most by a Division I player this season. In the team’s win over Bellarmine, Williams hit 5-of-8 shots on his way to 10 points, while also adding seven rebounds, an assist, block and steal.
The Racers play their first road game at Illinois State Tuesday in a 7 p.m. tip at Redbird Arena in Normal, Ill.
Racers Selected For Two Home Games On ESPNU
The Murray State men’s basketball is hosting a pair of televised home games on ESPNU as announced by the Ohio Valley Conference for the 2021-22 season. The Racers will appear on ESPNU (Feb. 17) when they host the Austin Peay Governors at the CFSB Center in a 6 p.m. tip. The second game happens at home (Feb. 24) against the Belmont Bruins in a tip off of 8 p.m. Both of the TV games for the Racers come on Thursday nights. The OVC schedule has a total of nine total men’s basketball televised games (six regular season contests and three OVC Tournament games) to be aired by one of the ESPN networks during the 2021-22 season. This includes three nights of coverage at the OVC Tournament (March 4-5) at the Ford Center in Evansville, Indiana.
Schumaker Returns To Cards As Bench Coach
(St. Louis, MO) — The Cardinals’ coaching staff for next season is finalized. The team officially announced yesterday the return of Skip Schumaker to the organization as its big league bench coach behind new manager Oliver Marmol. Drafted by St. Louis in the fifth round of the 2001 draft, Schumaker played eight seasons with the Cards, including two World Series Championship seasons in 2006 and 2011. He last served as associate manager of the Padres. Turner Ward is also joining the Red Birds as their assistant hitting coach.
Blues Host Coyotes
(St. Louis, MO) — The Blues host the Coyotes tonight. St. Louis fell 5-4 to the Oilers on Sunday. The Blues have dropped three straight.
Preds Play Toronto Tonight
(Toronto, ON) — The Predators are heading across the border. The Preds play the Toronto Maple Leafs in Toronto tonight. Nashville enters tonight’s matchup at 9-5-and-1.
Grizzlies Blow Out Rockets
(Memphis, TN) — It’s always great to play the Rockets, at least this season. The Grizzlies smoked Houston 136-102 in Memphis to end a three-game losing streak. Ja Morant led the Grizzlies with 22 points, Jaren Jackson Jr. added 18 points and Dillon Brooks scored 16 points. The Grizzlies host the Clippers on Thursday night.
MONDAY’S SCOREBOARD
NFL
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San Francisco 49ers 31, Los Angeles Rams 10
NBA
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Boston Celtics 98, Cleveland Cavaliers 92
Sacramento Kings 129, Detroit Pistons 107
Washington Wizards 105, New Orleans Pelicans 100
Atlanta Hawks 129, Orlando Magic 111
New York Knicks 92, Indiana Pacers 84
Dallas Mavericks 111, Denver Nuggets 101
Memphis Grizzlies 136, Houston Rockets 102
Phoenix Suns 99, Minnesota Timberwolves 96
Miami Heat 103, Oklahoma City Thunder 90
Portland Trail Blazers 118, Toronto Raptors 113
Chicago Bulls 121, Los Angeles Lakers 103
NHL
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Tampa Bay Lightning 4, New York Islanders 1
Columbus Blue Jackets 5, Detroit Red Wings 3
NCAA Men’s Basketball (Top-25 Coaches Poll)
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#1 Gonzaga Bulldogs 84, Alcorn State Braves 57
#2 UCLA Bruins 100, Long Beach State 79
#8 Baylor Bears 89, Nicholls Colonels 60
Marquette Golden Eagles 67, #10 Illinois Fighting Illini 66 (Gavitt Tipoff Games at Milwaukee, WI)
#17 Ohio State Buckeyes 89, Bowling Green Falcons 58
