GAME NOTES: The third-seeded Murray State Racers have been road warriors all season, and on Monday night they pay a visit to the Reynolds Center to take on the No. 2 seed Tulsa Golden Hurricane in the second round of the NIT.

The winner moves on to face either top-seed Old Dominion or No. 4 seed Illinois State in the quarterfinals. The all-time series is tied, 1-1, although Murray State and Tulsa have not met since 1988.

Murray State blew past UTEP in the first round, 81-66, marking the program's first NIT victory since 1980. The Racers went unbeaten in the Ohio Valley Conference and brought a 25-game winning streak into the OVC Tournament Championship. However, Belmont ended the run with an 88-87 victory on a 3- pointer with 3.2 seconds remaining, denying the Racers the league's automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament.

Tulsa opened its NIT run with a 70-67 win over William & Mary. The Golden Hurricane have won 18 of their last 23 games overall. They went 14-4 during their American Athletic Conference schedule under first-year coach Frank Haith.

Murray State led UTEP by just five points at the half, but then opened the second half with a 13-2 run and took a 50-34 lead on T.J. Sapp's 3-pointer with 16:16 remaining. Jarvis Williams went on to record his 12th double-double of the season with 25 points and 14 rebounds. Sapp scored 21, and Cameron Payne had his second double-double, finishing with 14 points and 10 assists to go with seven rebounds. The Racers shot 57 percent from the floor in the second half and held UTEP to only eight field goals after halftime.

Payne has knocked down 76 3-pointers on the season and averages 20.1 ppg, tops in the OVC. Williams (15.8 ppg, 8.5 rpg) takes care of business down low, while Sapp (12.4 ppg), Jeffery Moss (11.0 ppg) and Justin Seymour (7.2 ppg) are all deadly from the perimeter. MSU has won 11 straight road games since a Nov. 24 loss at Xavier.

The Golden Hurricane have a solid perimeter threat of their own in James Woodard, who has made 88 threes and leads the team in scoring with 14.5 ppg. Shaquille Harrison (13.1 ppg, 5.0 rpg) also averages double figures for the hosts.

Tulsa's first-round win over William & Mary was not for the faint of heart, as the Tribe trimmed a 21-point, second-half deficit all the way down to two points in the final 30 seconds. The Hurricane eventually prevailed, thanks largely to a career-high 21 points from Marquel Curtis. Woodard posted his second double-double of the season with 15 points and 10 rebounds. Tulsa held William & Mary to 33.8-percent shooting from the floor, although the Tribe did connect on 11-of-32 threes (.344).

Murray State's road record is impressive, although beating the Golden Hurricane in a postseason game on their home floor is no small chore. Still, the Racers have the depth to get it done.