Wichita State men's basketball will host Murray State in a $20 charity exhibition at 6:30 p.m. Oct. 7 at Koch Arena. The game gives Shocker fans their first look at the team nearly a month before the regular season opens Nov. 4.
The Shockers announced the game Thursday, Sept. 17. Proceeds will be split between the Wichita Children's Home and UJUMP, the Wichita nonprofit founded by former Shocker All-American Lynbert "Cheese" Johnson. Parking at Koch Arena will be free on a first-come, first-served basis.
It will be only the second time the programs have met. WSU won the only previous matchup 87-77 on Feb. 18, 1953, according to the school's official opponent history.
Murray State should provide a Division I test. The Racers finished 20-13 last season, including a 12-8 mark and a third-place finish in the Missouri Valley Conference during head coach Ryan Miller's first year, and sit at No. 103 in Bart Torvik's preseason rankings, the Wichita Eagle reported.
There is also a front-office tie. WSU athletic director Kevin Saal held the same position at Murray State from 2019 to 2022 before returning to Kansas to lead the Shockers.
The exhibition adds to what is shaping up as the busiest home slate in program history. WSU is scheduled for 19 regular-season home games at Koch Arena this season, the most ever excluding postseason and Intrust Bank Arena contests. The regular season opens Nov. 4 against Cal State Northridge.
The Murray State game follows Shocker Madness, the program's annual preseason event, set for Saturday, Oct. 3.
Coach Paul Mills has added several home-and-home nonconference series since arriving at WSU. As we reported Sept. 17, CBS Sports reporter Jon Rothstein said WSU and Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) are finalizing a home-and-home agreement that would send the Shockers to Richmond in 2027-28, with VCU visiting Koch Arena in 2028-29. Dates for those games have not been set.
Mills has also arranged home-and-homes with Boise State, Loyola Chicago and New Mexico. The Shockers host Boise State this season after traveling there last year. New Mexico visits Koch Arena on Saturday, Nov. 21 before WSU heads to Albuquerque next season.
Tickets for the Oct. 7 exhibition are general admission at $20 per seat.
