MSU Gamenotes vs. Louisville
Game 4
Morgan State (3-0) vs No. 20 Louisville (2-0)
Sunday, Nov. 21, 2009 - 1:07 p.m.
Freedom Hall - Louisville, Ky.
The Opening Tip
Morgan State, the 2009 MEAC champion, will attempt to win its fourth game of the 2009-10 season when they face Louisville, one of the most successful programs in the history of college basketball, on Sunday at 1:07 p.m. in Freedom Hall. The game is scheduled to air on MASN-TV (chek your local cable listings).
The Last Time Out
Morgan State defeated ETSU 72-61 on Thursday night at Hill Field House in Baltimore. The Bears were led by Reggie Holmes, a 6-foot-4 senior, who posted a career-high 30 points and Rodney Stokes added 12 points and was 6-for-6 from the field. Joe Davis chipped in 8 points with three boards
Series History
Sunday night’s game will mark the first ever match-up between the teams.
Road Swing
Following Louisville, Morgan will continue the next leg of its three-game road swing when it travels to tip-off against Arkansas (Nov. 24; 8 p.m.), and Appala68-41chian State (Nov. 28; 3 p.m.).
Nonconference Note
Morgan State enters the game having won 5 of its last 6 non- conference meetings, including wins against Maryland, Towson, Albany, UMBC and ETSU.
Numbers Game
* Morgan State's win against Albany this season was the Bears first season-opener win since dropping Lincoln (91-50) in 1988.
* Morgan State's win against ETSU gave the Bears its first 3-0 start since 1978 when they started the season by winning its first six games under head coach Gus Guydon.
* Prior to Morgan State’s 82-54 loss to Oklahoma in MSU’s first appearance in the NCAA Tournament last season, the Bears had won six consecutive games and 13 of its last 15.
* Morgan State finished the 2009-10 season ranked as high as No. 23 in the Mid-Major Top 25 Poll and ranked No. 6 in the Washington Post Atlantic 11 Poll poll, and No. 1 in the Sheridan Broadcasting Network Black College Poll.
* The two returning starters are 2009 MEAC tournament MVP and 2008-09 leading scorer Reggie Holmes, and returning leading rebounder and 2009 MEAC All-Rookie Team selection Kevin Thompson.
* Senior guard and 2009-10 Preseason All-MEAC selection Reggie Holmes is averaging 25.3 ppg and 5.7 rpg thru three games so far this season, including a career-high 30 point outing against East Tennessee State on Thursday night in Baltimore.
* Kevin Thompson posted his first double-double of the season (7th career) during the Bears win at UMBC, finishing with 10 points, 10 boards with two blocked shots…He’s averaging 9.7 ppg and 7 rpg so far this season.
* Todd Bozeman, who was named the 2009 Mid Major Coach of the Year, is in his 4th season as MSU’s head coach and currently has a 71-41 record, and a 124-76 career mark.