There's plenty of excitement down at Murray State about the upcoming basketball season.

There's also plenty of excitement about the new addition to the basketball programs.

Murray State's basketball practice facility is under construction and it's starting to take shape. It is set to open in late December.

"You get a lot of questions," Pinnacle Vice President Craig Schewettman said. "What's the status of it? I don't see any walls going up. Are you guys behind schedule? Everything is going good and yes, there's quite a bit of interest not only in Murray but in the whole area."

This is a big step forward for Racer basketball. Will this facility also begin a trend in the Ohio Valley Conference?

"I think that you could expect to see those other programs in the OVC that are really making a commitment to try to fashion something similar," Murray State Associate Athletic Director of External Affairs Paul Bubb said. "I don't know if they will be able to or not...There's teams that are going to have to go a long way to be able to match us with this type of facility."

Even though it's still a construction site, head coach Steve Prohm is using the facility in the recruiting process.

"Yeah, we've been telling them for the last couple of years," Prohm said. "It's something you talk about."

"The kids in our program need to see that we're not content," Prohm said. "We're always going to try and build, always try to get better."

Bubb says this facility shows the University's commitment to the basketball program and this is the next step in Murray State becoming the next Butler or Gonzaga.

A quick Murray State men's basketball ticket update. Bubb says MSU sold more than 500 new season tickets in April. Season ticket renewals have been mailed out. The school will also add a limited number of courtside seats for the upcoming season. For more information, click here.

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