MT Hosts UAB in C-USA Showdown

Sunday, February 21

Murfreesboro, TN

5:00 p.m.

Middle Tennessee

UAB (CBSSN)

2/20/2016 12:54:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Raiders look to pull even with league-leading Blazers

By: @MTAthletics

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – With a share of the top spot in Conference USA on the line, Middle Tennessee hosts current league leaders UAB Sunday at 5:00 p.m.

GAME INFORMATION
(Full Game Notes)

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Date: Sunday, Feb. 21
Time: 5:00 p.m.
Teams: Middle Tennessee (18-7, 10-3 C-USA) vs. UAB (21-5, 11-2 C-USA)
Location: Murfreesboro, Tenn.
Arena: Murphy Center (11,520)
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
Takeaways vs. Turnovers
Middle Tennessee has excelled in takeaways (blocks plus steals) this season, helping create more possessions and scoring opportunities, while also limiting turnovers. The Blue Raiders have been especially dominant in takeaway margin in clutch moments down the stretch. In the last five minutes of all competitions, Middle has recorded 30 takeaways to just 29 turnovers, a margin of +1. MT opponents have recorded 27 takeaways to 43 turnovers in the last five minutes, a margin of -16.

There's No Place Like Home
The Blue Raiders have kicked it up a notch at home this season, going 10-1 through their first 11 home games in front of an average crowd of over 5,100 Blue Raider fans. MT is averaging 78.1 ppg at home compared to 67.7 on the road and are holding opponents to just 67.8 ppg at home. The Raiders also collect 6.2 more rebounds, 2.9 more blocks and 1.4 more steals per game at home.

Downtown Raiders
MT has been deadly from beyond the 3-point line this season and are currently ranked 42nd among D-I teams in 3-point percentage (38.0%). Sophomore guard Giddy Potts currently leads all NCAA Division I players in 3-point percentage, converting 50.0 percent of his attempts from deep. The team has even been better lately, shooting 39.4 percent from deep and making 8.6 threes per game in conference play compared to 36.4 percent and 7.3 threes per game in non-conference play

High Percentage Shots
The Blue Raiders rely on running an offense that creates high percentage shots. The magic number for Middle Tennessee this season has been 40 percent. When the Blue Raiders shoot over 40 percent in a game, they are a perfect 17-0. When shooting below 40 percent, the Raiders are just 1-7, with the lone win coming at WKU on January 30.

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 (13.0), Giddy Potts (14.9), Darnell Harris (12.5) and Perrin Buford (11.2).

Upping His Game
Through 25 games, junior forward Reggie Upshaw leads the Blue Raiders in field goal percentage (51.4%), rebounds per game (8.8), defensive rpg (5.8), offensive rpg (3.0), assists per game (2.2) and steals per game (1.5) and ranks in the top six in Conference USA in each of those categories except field goal percentage and assists per game. The Chattanooga, Tenn. native is also tied for second on the team in points per game (13.0). Through 13 conference games this season, Upshaw has increased his numbers in five of those seven categories over his non-conference statistics.

Buford's Best
Through his first 19 games as a Blue Raider, Perrin Buford was averaging just 5.3 points, 2.4 rebounds and 13.3 minutes per game. In his last 41 games stretched over two seasons, Buford is averaging 11.3 points, 5.6 rebounds and 26.4 minutes per contest.

Series History
On Sunday, Middle Tennessee meets with UAB for the 13th time between the two programs. The Blazers lead the series 9-3 and currently have a four-game win streak against the Blue Raiders, but MT carried a three-game streak before that. Of the 12 meetings to date, 10 have come under head coach Kermit Davis, who is 3-7 against UAB. Middle is 2-4 against UAB since joining Conference USA and 1-1 against them in the Murphy Center as C-USA foes.

Last Time Out
It was a Mississippi homecoming Saturday night for sophomore Edward Simpson as the Blue Raiders took down Southern Miss 76-54.

Simpson, a native of Ocean Springs, Miss., led Middle Tennessee with a career-high 19 points and went 5-of-6 from beyond the arc.

Giddy Potts chimed in with 18 points and five 3-pointers of his own while Reggie Upshaw added 15 and Xavier Habersham tied his career-high with nine points on 3-of-4 from three.

Middle Tennessee (18-7, 10-3) shot 49.1 percent on the night and was an astonishing 59.3 percent from three. The Raiders hit a season-high 16 from beyond the arc and held Southern Miss (7-16, 4-8) to 38.6 percent shooting on the night and just 28.6 percent in the second half.