The men’s basketball team will return to its home court Thursday for the first time in two weeks, hosting Murray State in Lantz Arena.

After taking three road losses, Eastern picked up a win Saturday at Morehead State, but now will face a bigger task at home.

“A won on the last road game refreshed us,” head coach Rick Samuels said. “We had a few days off and practice has been good,”

Eastern (14-11, 6-5 in the Ohio Valley Conference) took its an 88-86 win at Murray State (13-11, 7-5) Jan. 17, but the Racers have improved throughout the past month, winning their last four games. Murray handed Tennessee Tech its only loss so far this season and currently sits fourth in the Ohio Valley Conference.

“Being home is good, but Murray State is a different team then when we last saw them,” Samuels said. “They may be the hottest team in conference now.”

The big factor between the Jan. 17 game and the Feb. 14 game is one player: junior James Singleton.

“Singleton didn’t play when we played them, and he’s the leading rebounder right now,” Samuels said. “He’s a force for the team and a warrior on the boards.”

The 6-foot-8-inch center is averaging 9.3 rebounds per game, grabbing 13 boards against Tech last week. He also is third in the OVC in shooting with a 60.7 percentage and his intensity on the court has helped boost Murray in the standings.

“They’ve won, and they’re playing better,” Samuels said.