Taylor Barnette hit an improbable three-pointer with three seconds remaining in Saturday’s Ohio Valley Conference tournament championship game to give Belmont the victory and an automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament. The team on the losing end, Murray State, is forced to wait until Selection Sunday to see if they will be part of the big dance as well.
The Racers are 27-5 and went a perfect 16-0 in conference play during the regular season. However, Saturday’s loss could be the one that ends their season.
Justin Seymour is among those who wants Murray State to have a chance to prove themselves in the tournament. On Sunday, the sophomore took to his Twitter account to reflect on the loss to Belmont as well as speak to those who may be doubting their case for inclusion.
hours after suffering the most crushing defeat in my sports career, I woke up with a renewed sense of hope…
— Justin Seymour (@j_seymour23) March 8, 2015
I must say congratulations to Belmont on winning the OVC conference tournament and receiving an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.
— Justin Seymour (@j_seymour23) March 8, 2015
I'm sure that anyone who is a true college basketball fan can appreciate the level at which we both played.
— Justin Seymour (@j_seymour23) March 8, 2015
I'm sure that many will agree that our game vs Belmont was one of the best games this year. we left all we had on the court
— Justin Seymour (@j_seymour23) March 8, 2015
2nd, I'd like to congratulate my teammates on winning the OVC regular season championship.
— Justin Seymour (@j_seymour23) March 8, 2015
and on having the 2nd longest winning streak in men's basketball this season with 25 consecutive wins.
— Justin Seymour (@j_seymour23) March 8, 2015
proud of the fact that we put our heart and soul into accomplishing something that few have EVER done in the history of college basketball
— Justin Seymour (@j_seymour23) March 8, 2015
we will carry that with us for a lifetime and no one can take that away from us (not even the NCAA)
— Justin Seymour (@j_seymour23) March 8, 2015
speaking of the NCAA…..
— Justin Seymour (@j_seymour23) March 8, 2015
I won't use this space to appeal to our almighty governing body as to why we should appear in the NCAA tournament
— Justin Seymour (@j_seymour23) March 8, 2015
I mean, if you've watched us at all, that should be a no brainier
— Justin Seymour (@j_seymour23) March 8, 2015
We actually earned and deserve any opportunity to participate in the NCAA tournament based on merit alone…
— Justin Seymour (@j_seymour23) March 8, 2015
but for some reason most of the national media have already abandoned the concept of merit and accepted the have's vs have not's narrative
— Justin Seymour (@j_seymour23) March 8, 2015
At around 6pm Sunday March 15, The NCAA will be given the perfect opportunity to to stand on America's core values of equality and fairness
— Justin Seymour (@j_seymour23) March 8, 2015
Will the NCAA continue to speak up for the have's while minimizing the have not's?
— Justin Seymour (@j_seymour23) March 8, 2015
I chose to ask these questions and write my closing arguments today, a week before deliberations begin and the verdict is due.
— Justin Seymour (@j_seymour23) March 8, 2015
We’ve seen numerous instances of athletes using social media in ways that would make their coaches cringe. In this case, Justin Seymour delivered a well-written defense of his team’s season and accomplishments that shows the passion of collegiate athletics.
As Seymour stated, we have a week to wait to see if Murray State will be playing for a national championship. Based on the points he made, you can make the argument they deserve to be.
