The Murray State Racers concluded their 2025-26 men’s basketball season with a 92-79 defeat to the UIC Flames in the opening round of the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament, known as Arch Madness, at Enterprise Center in St. Louis.
Murray State entered the tournament as the No. 4 seed and finished their season with a record of 20-12. The UIC Flames were seeded fifth for the contest.
Javon Jackson led Murray State’s scoring efforts with 30 points. Mason Miller contributed 12 points, Roman Domon added 11, and Fred King scored 10 points for the Racers.
Murray State struggled on both ends of the court, shooting just 37 percent from the field (26-of-63), while UIC made 54 percent of its shots (34-of-63). The Racers were also outrebounded by UIC, finishing behind by a margin of 42-32.
At halftime, Murray State trailed by an 18-point deficit, down 50-32. In the second half, they were unable to mount a significant comeback and closed to within only 14 points with just over three minutes remaining.
“In four appearances at Arch Madness, the Racers are 2-4,” according to team notes. “The Racers end the season with the bright spots of their first 20-win season in The Valley, top win total in the MVC regular season of 12 and their highest seed in four years at Arch Madness of No. 4.”
Reflecting on Coach Ryan Miller’s first year leading Murray State, team officials noted: “One is left wondering what might’ve been for the Racers in Coach Ryan Miller’s first season as the Racers started 16-3, but finished it 4-9.”
Jackson’s performance was notable for being second-highest among all players at this year’s Arch Madness tournament so far; only Jalen Quinn scored more earlier that day with a total of 31 against Belmont. Jackson was one point shy of his career high—set against Murray State while playing for UIC last year—and also missed tying MSU’s single-game scoring record at Arch Madness by one point.
Fred King recorded three blocked shots during Friday’s game and ended his season with a total of 62 blocks—ranking seventh all-time for a single season at Murray State. He averaged 8.3 rebounds per game and is expected to finish as conference leader in rebounding once official statistics are finalized. This would make him Murray State’s first conference rebounding leader since Ed Daniel achieved that distinction during the Ohio Valley Conference’s 2012-13 campaign.
Friday marked Murray State’s twentieth postseason game played on March 6; following this loss, their all-time record on this date stands at twelve wins and eight losses.
“The Racers defeated Howard (AL) in 1936 under Coach Carlisle Cutchin in Jackson, Tenn.” Team records highlight that “1936 was a big year as the Racers defeated Howard, Louisville, Louisiana Normal and Western Kentucky over five days to win the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association (SIAA) Championship.”
