Murray State Already Thinking Final Four?
Sweat beads still dotted Isaiah Canaan’s forehead Saturday when someone asked the nation’s best point guard a simple question: What message did Murray State send to the rest of the country by whipping 16th-ranked Saint Mary’s on national television?
Canaan smirked.
Message? To him, the Racers’ 65-51 victory was more like a warning.
“Watch out,” Canaan said. “Whether it’s Duke or North Carolina or whoever, we’re going to compete.”
Not far away, in the CFSB Center stands, a gaggle of fans shouted for Canaan and began a “Final Four!” chant. No one rolled their eyes. Just three weeks before Selection Sunday, maybe it’s time to begin thinking of the No. 14 Racers in that vein.
Murray State in New Orleans sounds cuckoo, right? Well, so did the thought of Butler and VCU in last year’s Final Four, but both of those squads made it — and neither had a player as good as Canaan, a first-team All-America candidate who entered Saturday’s game averaging 19.2 points.
