Middle Tennesee State University Athletics
CBS Analyst Jon Rothstein breaks down Blue Raiders
10/20/2017 12:00:00 PM | Men's Basketball
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – CBS Sports college basketball insider Jon Rothstein paid a visit to Middle Tennessee Thursday to take in a Blue Raider practice and share his thoughts on the upcoming college basketball season.
Rothstein, who's been with CBS Sports since 2010 and is also the lead college basketball columnist for the FanRag Sports Network, gave words of encouragement to the team before practice, then sat down with the media to answer some questions about MT, Conference USA and basketball in general.
Here were some of the talking points:
Who's stepping up for the Blue Raiders?
Middle Tennessee has plenty of production to replace from last season, most notably in the front court with the loss of graduates Reggie Upshaw and JaCorey Williams.
Upshaw departed as possibly the best four-year player in program history. He leads MT all-time in wins (99), games played (140) and games started (115) and ranks in the top-10 in most other statistical categories.
Williams, while only on the court for one year with the Blue Raiders, made the most of his time. He was the sixth player in MT history named conference player of the year, averaging 17.3 points and 7.3 rebounds per game to lead the team in both categories. His 621 total points scored were two shy of the program's single-season record.
Even though starters Giddy Potts, Tyrik Dixon and Edward Simpson return and forward Nick King figures to slot into the starting four spot, Middle Tennessee will need a big man to step up to anchor the inside.
Rothstein thinks the Raiders may have that guy in Brandon Walters.
The redshirt senior played in 34 of 36 games last season in his first season with the Raiders after transferring from Walters State Community College. He only averaged 11 minutes per outing, but was efficient in his playing time, pouring in 4.9 points and 3.3 rebounds per game while shooting a team-high 60.3 percent from the floor. He also converted over 75 percent of his free throws.
It was in the NCAA Tournament where Walters shined. He averaged 10.5 points and 5.5 rebounds in 15.5 minutes and tied a career high with 11 points against Butler in the Round of 32.
If he can find a way to stay out of foul trouble and expand that production with increased minutes, Rothstein likes the way Walters projects.
JR: "I think the big difference right now [for MT] is Brandon Walters. I think the million-dollar question for Middle Tennessee fans is, who is going to replace JaCorey Williams? But, if you step into Middle Tennessee's practice and look at Brandon Walters, you look at a guy physically that could go into a Power 5 league right now and have an impact up front."
What should fans expect from transfer Nick King?
Williams showed what impact a talented transfer can do for Middle Tennessee last season, and the Blue Raiders may have a similar player this year in Nick King.
The senior originally started his college career at Memphis before transferring to Alabama last season. But, a lung infection caused him to miss all but seven games, making the season basically a wash.
The former top-50 high school recruit transferred a second time over the summer to Middle Tennessee, and has turned heads in practice so far.
At 6-foot-7, 225 pounds, King figures to slot into the starting four spot for the Blue Raiders. Rothstein thinks playing at a more natural position than the one he played at Memphis and briefly at Alabama will help amplify his output.
JR: "It's interesting, I think the one thing that we've seen in college basketball the past couple of years is that the small-ball four is the new 'in position.' Oregon used Dillion Brooks at it perfectly, and look what happened the past couple seasons: Oregon went to an Elite 8 and went to a Final Four.
"Nick King is going to play the Dillion Brooks role for Middle Tennessee, and if you look at really the past steps of his career at Alabama and Memphis, he didn't play that position. Now, he's a mismatch. I think Nick King is going to have a memorable 2017-18."
How is Conference USA shaping up this season?
Middle Tennessee breezed through Conference USA in 2016-17 to a 17-1 regular-season record and 3-0 sweep in the C-USA Tournament.
This season, the conference could be more competitive with no clear-cut dominant team like the Blue Raiders were last season.
However, Rothstein thinks the league will again struggle to be relevant nationally.
JR: "Conference USA is continuing to struggle for relevancy nationally, and the only way to really change that is by winning games in the non-conference portion of the schedule. Middle Tennessee has a couple against some SEC teams, obviously notably in December and then they'll play in the Diamondhead Classic. But, winning those games, not just by Middle Tennessee but other teams in the league, is ultimately what will move the needle."
How will Middle Tennessee replace the impact of Reggie Upshaw and JaCorey Williams on and off the court?
As already mentioned, Middle Tennessee is tasked this year with replacing the possible best four-year player in program history in Upshaw and the player with maybe the best single season in program history in Williams.
So, how do the Blue Raiders fill those shoes on the court and in the locker room and get back to the NCAA Tournament?
Rothstein thinks the team should lean on its head coach. After all, he's built a program that expects to be playing in March, no matter who's on the court.
Kermit Davis is entering his 16th season at Middle Tennessee, and on his way to becoming the school's all-time wins leader (currently 307 at MT and 444 total in Division I), he's led the team to three NCAA Tournaments in five seasons, winning first-round games in the last two.
On his blog on FanRag Sports, Rothstein recently placed Davis in his "10 coaches on the rise entering 2017-18 CBB season" article. It's clear he thinks highly of the MT front man and believes he'll guide the Blue Raiders skillfully through the season after Upshaw and Williams.
JR: "Great programs always find a way to replenish talent because of their culture. I think the expectation here is not just get to the NCAA Tournament, but to have a chance to win a game. That's the bar that's been set by Kermit Davis."
Is Middle Tennessee the best program in the state of Tennessee?
Over the past few seasons, Middle Tennessee has taken ahold of the wins lead amongst the 12 Division I programs in Tennessee to coincide with its success in the NCAA Tournament.
Since the 2011-12 season, the Blue Raiders' 154 victories are 11 more than the next-best program (Belmont), 16 more than Memphis and 39 more than Vanderbilt.
However, does the Blue Raiders' recent success make them the best program in Tennessee? Rothstein isn't so sure.
JR: "I don't think it's fair to say that just based on the last few years. Memphis obviously has a great tradition, and Memphis, a lot of people in that city have told me that it's a harder job than Kentucky. So, I don't think it's fair to say that yet. I think that's a conversation more for five, 10 years down the road if this continues."
How do the Blue Raiders avoid an NCAA Tournament hangover?
It's often said having a successful season or couple of seasons is the easy part for up-and-coming basketball programs. Sustaining that success over a long period of time, however, is the hard part.
With the recent success Middle Tennessee has had, it could be easy for the Raiders to rest on their laurels and look at the past while patting themselves on the back.
But, if they want to keep going to NCAA Tournaments and winning C-USA championships, Rothstein thinks they need to look forward, not backward.
JR: "Every day when we get up, regardless of what we're doing, we have a choice. We're either going to get better, or we're going to get worse. For Middle Tennessee, the last thing they should do is focus on Michigan State and Minnesota and what happened in the NCAA Tournament in the Round of 64 the past few years. It's a new season, and they need to be forward thinking moving forward. No pun intended."
Rothstein, who's been with CBS Sports since 2010 and is also the lead college basketball columnist for the FanRag Sports Network, gave words of encouragement to the team before practice, then sat down with the media to answer some questions about MT, Conference USA and basketball in general.
Here were some of the talking points:
Who's stepping up for the Blue Raiders?
Middle Tennessee has plenty of production to replace from last season, most notably in the front court with the loss of graduates Reggie Upshaw and JaCorey Williams.
Upshaw departed as possibly the best four-year player in program history. He leads MT all-time in wins (99), games played (140) and games started (115) and ranks in the top-10 in most other statistical categories.
Williams, while only on the court for one year with the Blue Raiders, made the most of his time. He was the sixth player in MT history named conference player of the year, averaging 17.3 points and 7.3 rebounds per game to lead the team in both categories. His 621 total points scored were two shy of the program's single-season record.
Even though starters Giddy Potts, Tyrik Dixon and Edward Simpson return and forward Nick King figures to slot into the starting four spot, Middle Tennessee will need a big man to step up to anchor the inside.
Rothstein thinks the Raiders may have that guy in Brandon Walters.
The redshirt senior played in 34 of 36 games last season in his first season with the Raiders after transferring from Walters State Community College. He only averaged 11 minutes per outing, but was efficient in his playing time, pouring in 4.9 points and 3.3 rebounds per game while shooting a team-high 60.3 percent from the floor. He also converted over 75 percent of his free throws.
It was in the NCAA Tournament where Walters shined. He averaged 10.5 points and 5.5 rebounds in 15.5 minutes and tied a career high with 11 points against Butler in the Round of 32.
If he can find a way to stay out of foul trouble and expand that production with increased minutes, Rothstein likes the way Walters projects.
JR: "I think the big difference right now [for MT] is Brandon Walters. I think the million-dollar question for Middle Tennessee fans is, who is going to replace JaCorey Williams? But, if you step into Middle Tennessee's practice and look at Brandon Walters, you look at a guy physically that could go into a Power 5 league right now and have an impact up front."
What should fans expect from transfer Nick King?
Williams showed what impact a talented transfer can do for Middle Tennessee last season, and the Blue Raiders may have a similar player this year in Nick King.
The senior originally started his college career at Memphis before transferring to Alabama last season. But, a lung infection caused him to miss all but seven games, making the season basically a wash.
The former top-50 high school recruit transferred a second time over the summer to Middle Tennessee, and has turned heads in practice so far.
At 6-foot-7, 225 pounds, King figures to slot into the starting four spot for the Blue Raiders. Rothstein thinks playing at a more natural position than the one he played at Memphis and briefly at Alabama will help amplify his output.
JR: "It's interesting, I think the one thing that we've seen in college basketball the past couple of years is that the small-ball four is the new 'in position.' Oregon used Dillion Brooks at it perfectly, and look what happened the past couple seasons: Oregon went to an Elite 8 and went to a Final Four.
"Nick King is going to play the Dillion Brooks role for Middle Tennessee, and if you look at really the past steps of his career at Alabama and Memphis, he didn't play that position. Now, he's a mismatch. I think Nick King is going to have a memorable 2017-18."
How is Conference USA shaping up this season?
Middle Tennessee breezed through Conference USA in 2016-17 to a 17-1 regular-season record and 3-0 sweep in the C-USA Tournament.
This season, the conference could be more competitive with no clear-cut dominant team like the Blue Raiders were last season.
However, Rothstein thinks the league will again struggle to be relevant nationally.
JR: "Conference USA is continuing to struggle for relevancy nationally, and the only way to really change that is by winning games in the non-conference portion of the schedule. Middle Tennessee has a couple against some SEC teams, obviously notably in December and then they'll play in the Diamondhead Classic. But, winning those games, not just by Middle Tennessee but other teams in the league, is ultimately what will move the needle."
How will Middle Tennessee replace the impact of Reggie Upshaw and JaCorey Williams on and off the court?
As already mentioned, Middle Tennessee is tasked this year with replacing the possible best four-year player in program history in Upshaw and the player with maybe the best single season in program history in Williams.
So, how do the Blue Raiders fill those shoes on the court and in the locker room and get back to the NCAA Tournament?
Rothstein thinks the team should lean on its head coach. After all, he's built a program that expects to be playing in March, no matter who's on the court.
Kermit Davis is entering his 16th season at Middle Tennessee, and on his way to becoming the school's all-time wins leader (currently 307 at MT and 444 total in Division I), he's led the team to three NCAA Tournaments in five seasons, winning first-round games in the last two.
On his blog on FanRag Sports, Rothstein recently placed Davis in his "10 coaches on the rise entering 2017-18 CBB season" article. It's clear he thinks highly of the MT front man and believes he'll guide the Blue Raiders skillfully through the season after Upshaw and Williams.
JR: "Great programs always find a way to replenish talent because of their culture. I think the expectation here is not just get to the NCAA Tournament, but to have a chance to win a game. That's the bar that's been set by Kermit Davis."
Is Middle Tennessee the best program in the state of Tennessee?
Over the past few seasons, Middle Tennessee has taken ahold of the wins lead amongst the 12 Division I programs in Tennessee to coincide with its success in the NCAA Tournament.
Since the 2011-12 season, the Blue Raiders' 154 victories are 11 more than the next-best program (Belmont), 16 more than Memphis and 39 more than Vanderbilt.
However, does the Blue Raiders' recent success make them the best program in Tennessee? Rothstein isn't so sure.
JR: "I don't think it's fair to say that just based on the last few years. Memphis obviously has a great tradition, and Memphis, a lot of people in that city have told me that it's a harder job than Kentucky. So, I don't think it's fair to say that yet. I think that's a conversation more for five, 10 years down the road if this continues."
How do the Blue Raiders avoid an NCAA Tournament hangover?
It's often said having a successful season or couple of seasons is the easy part for up-and-coming basketball programs. Sustaining that success over a long period of time, however, is the hard part.
With the recent success Middle Tennessee has had, it could be easy for the Raiders to rest on their laurels and look at the past while patting themselves on the back.
But, if they want to keep going to NCAA Tournaments and winning C-USA championships, Rothstein thinks they need to look forward, not backward.
JR: "Every day when we get up, regardless of what we're doing, we have a choice. We're either going to get better, or we're going to get worse. For Middle Tennessee, the last thing they should do is focus on Michigan State and Minnesota and what happened in the NCAA Tournament in the Round of 64 the past few years. It's a new season, and they need to be forward thinking moving forward. No pun intended."
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