Ohio Valley Conference

The Murray State men's basketball team will face 10th-ranked North Carolina in the first round of the 2006 NCAA Tournament on Friday.

The Racers (24-6) are the 14th seed in the Washington D.C. regional, while the Tar Heels are the third seed and carry a 22-7 record into the tournament. Game time will be announced on Monday.

The winner of the Murray State/North Carolina game will face the winner of the Michigan State (sixth seed) and George Mason (11th seed) game on Sunday, March 19.

MSU earned the automatic bid from the Ohio Valley Conference after capturing its 13th OVC Tournament title on Mar. 4 with a 74-57 win over Samford in Nashville, Tenn. Murray State posted a 17-3 conference mark during the regular season on its way to earning its 20th OVC regular season championship.

The Racers are making the school's 13th appearance in the NCAA Tournament and its fourth appearance as the 14th seed. In its last trip to the "Big Dance" MSU, the 12th seed, lost to Illinois in 2004. The last time Murray State entered the tourney as a 14 seed, the Racers fell to Georgia in 2002. MSU's only win in the tournament came in 1988 when the Racers, as a 14 seed, upset North Carolina State, 78-75.

UNC lost to Boston College in the semifinals of the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament on Saturday. UNC went 12-4 in the Atlantic Coast Conference, finishing second behind Duke University.