Middle Tennesee State University Athletics
Saturday, December 16
Birmingham, AL
5 PM
Middle Tennessee
vs
Auburn
MT to face Auburn in Birmingham Jam
12/15/2017 2:00:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Raiders hope to extend winning streak against SEC
GAME INFORMATION
[Game Notes]
Hashtag: #TrueBlue, #BlueRaiders
Twitter: @MT_MBB
Instagram: MT_MBB
Facebook: MTSUMBB
Date: Saturday, December 16th
Time: 5:00 PM. CT
Match-up: Middle Tennessee (7-1) vs. Auburn (8-1)
Location: Birmingham, Ala. | Legacy Arena
Live Video | Live Stats
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Coming off their fifth consecutive victory and back-to-back SEC wins against Vanderbilt and Ole Miss, Middle Tennessee turns its focus towards the Birmingham Jam and the Auburn Tigers.
The two teams have not met since 2015, and although Auburn holds an edge in the all-time series, Middle Tennessee won the last matchup, 88-81 in overtime on a neutral floor at Bridgestone Arena.
Against the Tigers in their last meeting, Giddy Potts scored 18 points on 5-of-8 shooting from the field and 6-of-8 from the free throw line. He also added four rebounds and two assists. The Blue Raiders will hope for a similarly efficient output from Potts in this season's matchup.
They'll also rely on their dominant frontcourt duo in reigning C-USA Player of the Week Nick King and fellow senior Brandon Walters. Walters surpassed his career high in scoring in the previous two games (16 against Vanderbilt, 20 against Ole Miss).
His defense has also played a large part in his paint dominance this season. Against the Rebels, Walters recorded four blocks and four steals in addition to his shot-altering presence near the rim.
"Brandon had some great spots for us last year and played really well in the NCAA Tournament," head coach Kermit Davis said. "His conditioning and ability to play through fatigue has really gotten better. He's just maturing ... and is getting a lot better at playing through bad spots and getting coached during the game."
In their previous two matchups against SEC foes, King and Walters are averaging a combined 42 points and 11 rebounds per game on 54 percent shooting from the floor.
Additionally, the Blue Raiders will aim to maintain their consistent assist-to-turnover ratio. Currently, Middle Tennessee is ranked 20th in the NCAA for fewest total turnovers with a 2.8 ratio.
On the other side, Auburn forces quite a few turnovers with their stout defense. Currently, the Tigers lead the SEC in total steals and steals per contest (7.8).
On offense, the Tigers have four players currently averaging in double figures, led by junior guard Bryce Brown who is sixth in the conference with 17.1 points per game.
Coming off their previous game, a close win over Conference USA foe UAB, 85-80, Brown posted 27 points for Auburn to go along with three assists and three rebounds. Brown also led the Tigers in three-point shooting, going 6-of-9, accounting for more than half of his team's makes from behind the line.
"This is the best Auburn team we've seen (Auburn head coach) Bruce (Pearl) have," Davis said. "They can score at every spot and his bigs are really versatile. They're averaging 87 points a game so we have to get back and get our half-court defense set to make them score in their half-court offense."
The 90's themed Birmingham Jam is a double-header that kicks off with UAB versus Alabama A&M at 2:15 p.m. The Blue Raiders and Tigers, scheduled for 5:00 p.m., can be viewed on SEC Network or streamed on ESPN3.
[Game Notes]
Hashtag: #TrueBlue, #BlueRaiders
Twitter: @MT_MBB
Instagram: MT_MBB
Facebook: MTSUMBB
Date: Saturday, December 16th
Time: 5:00 PM. CT
Match-up: Middle Tennessee (7-1) vs. Auburn (8-1)
Location: Birmingham, Ala. | Legacy Arena
Live Video | Live Stats
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Coming off their fifth consecutive victory and back-to-back SEC wins against Vanderbilt and Ole Miss, Middle Tennessee turns its focus towards the Birmingham Jam and the Auburn Tigers.
The two teams have not met since 2015, and although Auburn holds an edge in the all-time series, Middle Tennessee won the last matchup, 88-81 in overtime on a neutral floor at Bridgestone Arena.
Against the Tigers in their last meeting, Giddy Potts scored 18 points on 5-of-8 shooting from the field and 6-of-8 from the free throw line. He also added four rebounds and two assists. The Blue Raiders will hope for a similarly efficient output from Potts in this season's matchup.
They'll also rely on their dominant frontcourt duo in reigning C-USA Player of the Week Nick King and fellow senior Brandon Walters. Walters surpassed his career high in scoring in the previous two games (16 against Vanderbilt, 20 against Ole Miss).
His defense has also played a large part in his paint dominance this season. Against the Rebels, Walters recorded four blocks and four steals in addition to his shot-altering presence near the rim.
"Brandon had some great spots for us last year and played really well in the NCAA Tournament," head coach Kermit Davis said. "His conditioning and ability to play through fatigue has really gotten better. He's just maturing ... and is getting a lot better at playing through bad spots and getting coached during the game."
In their previous two matchups against SEC foes, King and Walters are averaging a combined 42 points and 11 rebounds per game on 54 percent shooting from the floor.
Additionally, the Blue Raiders will aim to maintain their consistent assist-to-turnover ratio. Currently, Middle Tennessee is ranked 20th in the NCAA for fewest total turnovers with a 2.8 ratio.
On the other side, Auburn forces quite a few turnovers with their stout defense. Currently, the Tigers lead the SEC in total steals and steals per contest (7.8).
On offense, the Tigers have four players currently averaging in double figures, led by junior guard Bryce Brown who is sixth in the conference with 17.1 points per game.
Coming off their previous game, a close win over Conference USA foe UAB, 85-80, Brown posted 27 points for Auburn to go along with three assists and three rebounds. Brown also led the Tigers in three-point shooting, going 6-of-9, accounting for more than half of his team's makes from behind the line.
"This is the best Auburn team we've seen (Auburn head coach) Bruce (Pearl) have," Davis said. "They can score at every spot and his bigs are really versatile. They're averaging 87 points a game so we have to get back and get our half-court defense set to make them score in their half-court offense."
The 90's themed Birmingham Jam is a double-header that kicks off with UAB versus Alabama A&M at 2:15 p.m. The Blue Raiders and Tigers, scheduled for 5:00 p.m., can be viewed on SEC Network or streamed on ESPN3.
Players Mentioned
Facility tour – Stephen and Denise Smith Student-Athlete Performance Center
Wednesday, July 30
2025 Blue Raider Blitz Media Panel
Thursday, July 03
MTSU Men's Basketball Coach Nick McDevitt interview at 2025 Blue Raider Blitz
Monday, June 30
MTSU Men's Basketball Post Game Press Conference vs Chattanooga NIT 3/18/25
Tuesday, March 18
