The Racer basketball team came away with a 73-54 win over the reigning Horizon League champions in Wright State University. Here are the biggest takeaways from the Racers’ win:
Racers want to push
It seemed like most of Saturday’s game was spent in transition, as each teams looked to push the ball with every rebound. They ended with 11 fast-break points, though transition was often plagued with turnovers. This up-tempo offense was certainly employed last season with Jonathan Stark quarterbacking the offense, but with sophomore guard Ja Morant as his successor, Racer fans can expect that tendency to increase exponentially given Morant’s unrivaled athleticism. With electric guards like senior Shaq Buchanan playing alongside him, the high-flying antics the Racers came to expect last year will remain constant this year.
High octane = High turnover?
Maybe it was an aberration; maybe it’s just the cost of playing fast. Whatever the reason, the fact still remains that Murray State was incredibly sloppy with the ball in its season-opening win. The Racers committed 21 turnovers in Saturday’s game after averaging just 12 turnovers per game last season. Sure, some of that can be attributed to play style, as transition basketball can naturally yield some mistakes. Nevertheless, the Racers will need to clean up their play as they venture into the rest of their non-conference, although the win does serve as a testament to this team’s ability to overcome mistakes.
Morant’s increased assertiveness
Morant has stepped into the role as the primary ball handler, and through one game, he’s embraced it. The sophomore commanded the ball throughout, and managed to create his looks off the dribble in the paint and on the perimeter. Morant constantly scoped for his shot, shooting 2-for-10 from three and recording 26 points on 10-of-17 shooting. He even quietly skied for 11 rebounds and dished out five assists. In short, when Morant’s on the floor, expect good things to happen.