Murray State’s 20 wins, an NIT berth, a winning record in MVC play, and a return to relevancy after two losing seasons were good - but it wasn’t quite good enough. Not good enough to satisfy head coach Ryan Miller or the school’s athletic administration.
The program’s basketball secret is out. It expects more than merely being good. It didn’t make one of the most highly-regarded hires of the 2025 head coaching cycle and go all in on him just to be good. It expects to win big, bigger than it did in 2025-26.
Miller calls 2025-26–when Murray State finished third in the MVC, which was its highest finish since joining the league–a “good season,” but downplays it as a foundational year. Murray State plucked him off of Greg McDermott’s Creighton staff to win championships, not to peak at 20 wins. Miller left to do the same.
