Now that the first championship games have been played and we know a few of the teams that will be filling out the bracket, how about a catch-all thread to learn some more about these sub-Red Liners?

I've been able to see Murray State three times in the past two weeks, once in a loss at Morehead State which ended their 17-game winning streak, and then back-to-back nights this weekend at the OVC Tournament. Here's a quick rundown:

Good Wins- Morehead State (2), @ ETSU, Morgan State
Losses- @ Cal, @ La. Tech, @ WKU, @ Morehead State

PF- 77.5
PA- 60.5 (Top 20 nationally)
FG%- 49.9 (3rd nationally)
FG% Defense- 38.9 (13th nationally)
Offensive Points Per Possession 1.107 (17th nationally)
Defensive PPP- 0.87 (2nd nationally)

Individual Leaders:
Scoring- Tony Easley 10.6 (6 players between 9.3 and 10.6 per game)
Rebounding- Easley 5.9
Assists- Isaac Miles 3.8
Steals- B.J. Jenkins 1.9
Blocks- Easley 2.8

As the numbers indicate, Murray State wins with defense. They pressure the ball extremely well in both the half-court and occasionally the full-court press. I was shocked when I saw they were averaging over 77 ppg, as I've seen them score 65, 55, and 62 in person. Easley is an athletic, wiry forward who handled Faried in the championship game better than anyone probably has all year. The key to their scoring really might be freshman Isiaah Canaan who comes off the bench but hit a bunch of big shots in the 2nd half of the title game to blow it wide open.

I say the following without any affiliation to the OVC. As good as their record is (30-4), I haven't been blown away from what I've seen. In both the semis and final of the OVC Tournament, their opponents best perimeter player (Laser for EIU and Stallworth for MSU) got into early foul trouble and became non-factors. It will be interesting to see how high of a seed Murray is able to secure, as I think they are capable of pulling out a 1st-round win against the right team, but solid guard play and interior size will definitely match up well against them. If they are able to get a 12 or 13, a game with Temple would be the absolute best-case scenario for them as they both are comfortable playing games in the 50's.

If your team is in, write about them! Right now we have Cornell, Murray State, East Tennessee State, Winthrop, and Northern Iowa in the field. More will be coming every day this week. Let's learn some names and things to look out for, and then cheer them on to victory!

Never been happier to be wrong.