Raiders Turn Focus to Rival WKU

Saturday, January 30

Bowling Green, KY

7:00 p.m.

Middle Tennessee

WKU (FCS)

1/29/2016 6:30:00 PM | Men's Basketball

By: @MTAthletics

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – After a tough 82-66 setback at Marshall, the Blue Raiders look to bounce back at rival WKU on Saturday in a 7:00 p.m. contest at E.A. Diddle Arena.

GAME INFORMATION
(Full Game Notes)

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Date: Saturday, Jan. 30
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Teams: Middle Tennessee (14-6, 6-2 C-USA) vs. WKU (11-10, 3-5 C-USA)
Location: Bowling Green, Ky.
Arena: E.A. Diddle Arena (7,326)
Radio: WMOT-FM (89.5), WGNS (1450 AM/100.5 FM/101.9 FM), Game 2 (102.5/94.9/95.1)
Play-by-Play: Chip Walters
Analysis: Kyle Turnham

Live Audio | Live Stats

GAME NOTES
Crashing the Boards
Over the last nine games, the Blue Raiders have crashed the offensive glass to the tune of 12.9 offensive rebounds per game, up from just 8.4 through the first 11 games. The additional 4.5 offensive boards per game has led to an increase in second chance points from 8.3 to 15.9 per game. Reggie Upshaw has led the way with 3.7 offensive boards per game in that stretch while Perrin Buford has nearly tripled his offensive rebounding from 1.0 in the first 11 games to 2.8 in the last nine games.

Heating Up
Throughout the recent six-game winning streak, the Blue Raiders were lighting it up from both inside and outside of the arc. Middle shot 48.2 percent from the field and 38.8 percent from three over the course of the streak. Perrin Buford's mid-range game took off as he was shooting 58.2 percent from the field during the streak, while Giddy Potts hit an astonishing 53.7 percent (22-41) from three in that span. However, in the loss to Marshall, MT shot 38.5 percent from the field and just 18.8 percent from three.

Protecting the Rock
Since Jacob Ivory's return against Belmont on Dec. 17, Middle Tennessee has taken better care of the ball, leading to more scoring. The Blue Raiders have dropped from 14.4 turnovers per game while Ivory was out to only 11.5 since his return. The emphasis on protecting the ball has helped the Blue Raiders increase their offensive output from 70.2 points per game to 74.0.

Depth Chart
Middle Tennessee boasts one of the deepest rosters in Conference USA this season. Head coach Kermit Davis has played each of the 12 scholarship players in at least 75 percent of this season's contests, with the exception of Jacob Ivory who sat out the first eight games due to injury. Of those 12, 11 are averaging over five minutes per game while eight are averaging over 15 minutes per game. With that kind of depth, Davis was able to try eight different starting lineups in the first 13 games to find his best combination.

Fantastic Four
Just last season, Middle Tennessee did not have a single player average over 10 points per game. Reggie Upshaw was close at 9.9, but this season MT has four players in double-figures in Upshaw (13.1), Giddy Potts (15.9), Darnell Harris (12.5) and Perrin Buford (11.3).

And Your Point Is…?
Through 20 games, head coach Kermit Davis has started all three point guards at least six times each. The Blue Raiders are 4-2 in Copeland's starts, 3-3 in Raymond's and 7-1 in Ivory's. MT is averaging over seven more points per game when Ivory starts.

Series History
On Saturday, the Blue Raiders take on WKU for the 131st time in program history. WKU, Middle Tennessee's fourth-most frequent opponent, leads the all-time series 92-38. Head coach Kermit Davis is 12-16 against the Hilltoppers but has owned them lately, winning three straight and eight out of the last nine. Last year's meeting is the only contest between the teams in Conference USA. Davis is 3-10 at E.A. Diddle Arena with two of those wins coming in the last three meetings at WKU.

Last Time Out
Quavius Copeland led the way for the Blue Raiders with a career-high 16 points on an 8-of-12 shooting performance from the field off the bench.

Perrin Buford scored 14 points and came up one rebound shy of his second double-double in a week with nine. The senior added two blocks, two steals and one assist.

Middle Tennessee (14-6, 6-2) struggled from all parts of the floor, shooting just 38.5 percent from the field and 18.8 percent from three. The Raiders also committed 14 turnovers while only having three assists.

Marshall (11-10, 7-1) shot 45.2 percent from the field and 33.3 percent from three, but moved the ball well with 19 assists in the contest.