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    The Dagger

    T-shirt jinx condemns Murray State to its first loss

    By Jeff Eisenberg | The Dagger – Thu, Feb 9, 2012 11:22 PM EST

    Isaiah Canaan (3) reacts to a play as Donte Poole (11) walks past (AP)

    The next time a college basketball team makes a run at an unbeaten regular season, it'd be wise not to tempt fate by printing T-shirts celebrating the accomplishment.

    First Syracuse suffered its first loss of the season Jan. 21 at Notre Dame just days after it began selling T-shirts commemorating its 20-0 start. Then Murray State met the same fate less than three weeks later after releasing similar T-shirts proclaiming itself the "last of the unbeaten."

    Three games shy of its BracketBusters showdown with Saint Mary's and six games short of the end of the regular season, Murray State cracked under the pressure of maintaining its historic streak. It squandered a 13-point second-half lead and fell 72-68 to visiting Tennessee State, watching its dream of an undefeated season crumble amid a hail of costly turnovers, missed blockouts and mental mistakes.

    Trailing by one with 10 seconds to go in the game, Murray State wasted a chance to win at the buzzer when Jewuan Long's inbound pass intended for star Isaiah Canaan was stolen by Tennessee State's Patrick Miller. Two missed free throws from Miller gave Murray State a second opportunity to win it, but Canaan lost control of his dribble as he zoomed up court and committed a loose-ball foul diving after the ball.

    The way Murray State survived close calls against Southern Miss and San Francisco in nonleague play and against Southeastern Missouri State and Morehead State in the OVC, it seemed a glimmer of hope remained even after Tennessee State sank two foul shots. Instead, Ed Daniel's baseball pass with 3.5 seconds left sailed over everyone and out of bounds, sealing Murray State's first loss after 23 straight victories.

    Even though not having the burden of maintaining an undefeated season will surely ease some of the pressure on Murray State, there's no way the Racers can spin this first loss as being a good thing.

    First of all, losing to a Tennessee State team ranked 186th in the RPI will likely drop Murray State from a No. 5 or 6 seed to a No. 7 or 8 seed in next week's NCAA tournament projections. Secondly, it calls into question whether the Racers can be secure of their spot in the NCAA tournament at all if they lose their home game against Saint Mary's a week from Saturday and fall again in the OVC tournament.

    Murray State boasts a gaudy record, an elite guard in Canaan and nonconference wins over Memphis, Southern Mississippi and Dayton, but the weakness of the OVC had its RPI hovering around No. 50 even before Thursday's loss. A three-loss Murray State would be the most debated bubble team in the nation heading into Selection Sunday.

    It would be an absolute shame to see Murray State get left out of the NCAA tournament because of a few late slip-ups. It would behoove the Racers to bounce back from this loss and finish strong so they eradicate any possibility of that happening.

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    16 comments

    • Shane
      Shane  •  Seattle, Washington  •  3 months ago
      Not sure if it's a jinx when it was 3 weeks ago the shirts were printed. They had won games after they were made, this seemed to be more of just a loss rather than a clothing hex.
      • Jim
        Jim 3 months ago
        You're not sure if it was a Jinx? Holy Bat cave. There is no such thing as a REAL jinx. It's just what people say when a streak ends or something similar happens. M0r0ns in this world crack me up with superstitious nonsense.
      • Cliffjam
        Cliffjam 3 months ago
        Read again. Three weeks after Syracuse printed their T-shirts. Not since Murray State printed theirs.
    • aefelds
      aefelds  •  3 months ago
      Good run. It will be a surprise if they make it past the Sweet 16.
    • Rocky
      Rocky  •  Deerfield, Massachusetts  •  3 months ago
      That's not a jinx. Being on the cover of Sports Illustrated is a jinx.
    • Tee
      Tee  •  Atlanta, Georgia  •  3 months ago
      Go Big Blue! Murray State is who we thought they were
    • thekillercarlson
      thekillercarlson  •  East Syracuse, New York  •  3 months ago
      back to earth...
      • K W
        K W 3 months ago
        Back to earth with a 23-1 record, as an alumni and a fan i'll take that.
    • HUH!
      HUH!  •  Louisville, Kentucky  •  3 months ago
      I would be embarrassed to wear that shirt, jinx or not.Like wearing a shirt that says "we are finally kinda good".
    • Tarue
      Tarue  •  3 months ago
      If Murray State loses to Saint Marys, then loses in their conference once more, they should still squeak into the NCAA's as a 14 seed, and might pull an upset or two. If they don't lose any more games, they'll glide into the NCAA's as a 7 seed, and might pull an upset or two. If they miss the NCAA's, they will make the NIT Final Four, but no further than the Sweet 16 if they reach the Big Dance...
    • Dan S
      Dan S  •  Newark, New York  •  3 months ago
      Jinxes? Come on? A team loses because they lose not because they have some shirts made...Seriously, come on now
    • Rags
      Rags  •  Roanoke, Virginia  •  3 months ago
      Poor reporting here. I am not a Murray State fan. I am a basketball fan. Cannon did not lose the ball on that last drive. The replay CLEARLY showed the Tenn St player hit his arm to cause the ball to dislodge. That by definition is a foul. That was key, because they were down 1 & were in the bonus. He would have gone to the line with a chance to tie or win the game. Instead the ball is loose & Cannon is called for a foul. Granted, they lost a big lead & made a ton of mistakes.........it's ashame that call was missed(but it does happen). Probably better they lose now, opposed to later.
    • The Veldt
      The Veldt  •  3 months ago
      T-shirt jinx? Did you see the inbounds pass with 11 seconds left? Murray State is like the Boise State of basketball. Unfortunately in bball you can slip with all of those games. They will not make it through the first round of the tourney.
      • K W
        K W 3 months ago
        That's what haters like you said in 2010 before Murray State knocked off Vanderbilt in the first round and then took Butler to the wire. You're talking out of your behind, the tourney is a crap shoot.
    • K W
      K W  •  Nashville, Tennessee  •  3 months ago
      Murray State set several records this year that most likely won't be challenged for decades to come. I would proudly wear one of those shirts as my alma mater accomplished everything on the shirt and has performed well above expectations for this team coming in. The haters of the Racers who are from the state of Kentucky should be ashamed of themselves, Murray State, UK, UL and Bellermine are all sources of pride for this state.
    • Brad
      Brad  •  3 months ago
      Blame your loss on a shirt...
      • Tom
        Tom 3 months ago
        The writer blamed the loss on a shirt. Not the Racers. Now, back to work. I'd hate to walk into Walmart today and not have you there to greet me.
    • Jim
      Jim  •  3 months ago
      Jesus was upset they hadn't given Him credit for the streak. AIR YUH GO!
    • 5 Run Home Run
      5 Run Home Run  •  Kansas City, Missouri  •  3 months ago
      Obviously, shirts always condemn a team to an immediate loss. Think about all those teams that lost the Super Bowl after the team execs have shirts and hats printed. And the World Series losers as well. Gosh, most sports championship teams likely experience this darned jinx! We should cancel all those title games to avoid future fiascos (go to more of a BCS type format in all sports). Jilted pause as I remove my tongue firmly implanted in my cheek!
    • William
      William  •  3 months ago
      How can Murray be a bubble team if they have three losses? First of all, how many teams do you see that finish with three losses period? Secondly, a run like this should have locked up an at-large bid if they had a few late slip-ups. Honestly, the most debated bubble teams come Selection Sunday would be Arkansas, NC State, Pitt, and Iowa State. Murray State is a lock for me.
    • Mathew White
      Mathew White  •  Houston, Texas  •  3 months ago
      I say is was OVC refereeing that had a big part to play in this game...bad foul call on a loose ball? with only seconds left? seriously?
      • William
        William 3 months ago
        Refs don't give away games. Besides, any of you that do believe so would know that they would give it to the home team, expanding my proof. Murray lost on its own grounds, and it is their fault for losing.
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