Middle Tennesee State University Athletics
Saturday, December 9
Murfreesboro, TN
5 PM
Middle Tennessee
7-1
77
vs
58
Ole Miss
4-4
1
2
F
Ole Miss
34
24
58
Middle Tennessee
33
44
77
Team Stats
OM
MT
FG%
.400
.500
3FG%
.278
.318
FT%
.867
.889
RB
28
35
TO
11
6
STL
3
6
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
20
FGM
8
3FGM
0
FTM
4
Pts
14
FGM
5
3FGM
3
FTM
1
Pts
5
FGM
2
3FGM
1
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's BasketballF
/ Men's BasketballRaiders beat Ole Miss for fifth straight SEC win
12/9/2017 7:45:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Kings scores 25, Walters adds career-high 20
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – The Southeastern Conference may not want to put Middle Tennessee on its basketball schedule in the future.
With a 77-58 win over Ole Miss (4-4) Saturday at the Murphy Center, the Blue Raiders (7-1) pushed their winning streak against SEC opponents to five games over the past three seasons. It was the second SEC victory of the season for MT, with the first coming Wednesday at Vanderbilt, and pushed its all-time series advantage against the Rebels to 6-4.
"The score really wasn't indicative of what the game was, it just kind of broke open in the last three or four minutes," Middle Tennessee head coach Kermit Davis said. "What a great fan turnout for our team, over 8,000 fans. It was a big game for us, for our town and our campus. When our team has that kind of home court, it means a lot to those guys in that locker room."
The Blue Raiders led a majority of the first half, but a late run gave Ole Miss a 34-33 advantage at the break.
That run didn't last after the intermission.
Middle Tennessee came out in the second half on a mission defensively, causing the Rebels to hit just two of their first nine shots as the Blue and White built a 10-point lead seven minutes into the half.
The defensive pressure never faltered, as Ole Miss managed to shoot just 40 percent (8-of-20) in the second half and 40 percent for the game. The Rebels also had 10 turnovers after halftime and 11 total.
"I thought the key was really the first four minutes of the second half," Davis said. "We kept Ole Miss off the offensive boards, and I thought the officials kind of let the game flow and let them play."
Senior Brandon Walters was the anchor defensively.
The big man finished with four blocks and four steals to lead the team, adding to a career-high 20 points (8-of-11 shooting). He also had five rebounds.
"I know that defense leads to offense, so if I play good defense, the offense will come," Walters said. "I know that they have big, physical posts, so I just had to be more physical than them in the paint.
Ole Miss tried to get back into the game with just under five minutes remaining, cutting MT's advantage to just four with 4:44 left.
Then, Middle Tennessee senior Nick King took over.
He went on a personal 7-0 run to balloon the lead back to 11 with 2:33 left, and from there the Blue Raiders cruised.
King, who went into the game fifth in the country scoring 24.1 points per game, had only two points on 1-of-6 shooting in the first half but exploded for 23 in the second, shooting 10-of-16 after halftime. It was his seventh straight game with 20 or more points, and he also had a team-high six rebounds.
"Today was all my teammates, for sure," King said. "Seeing [Walters] getting going, that gives me a lot of confidence … and opens the lane up for me. I think that's great for him and great for the whole team."
Senior Giddy Potts was the third man in double-figure scoring with 14. Sophomore Tyrik Dixon, who played just six minutes against Vanderbilt because of an injury, finished with five points, five rebounds and a career-high nine assists against zero turnovers. In total, the Blue Raiders had 22 assists on 31 made baskets against six turnovers.
Middle Tennessee isn't done with the SEC yet this season. It will travel to Birmingham, Alabama, on Dec. 16 to take on Auburn on a neutral court. The game is scheduled for a 5 p.m. tipoff and can be viewed on the SEC Network.
"Coach always preaches to us about being a national team, and that we have to have the opportunity to show it and take advantage," King said. "We have the opportunity now, and we're taking advantage. We're practicing absolutely as hard as we can each and every practice. Not a lot of teams do that during the season … but we have to have that edge every single day."
With a 77-58 win over Ole Miss (4-4) Saturday at the Murphy Center, the Blue Raiders (7-1) pushed their winning streak against SEC opponents to five games over the past three seasons. It was the second SEC victory of the season for MT, with the first coming Wednesday at Vanderbilt, and pushed its all-time series advantage against the Rebels to 6-4.
"The score really wasn't indicative of what the game was, it just kind of broke open in the last three or four minutes," Middle Tennessee head coach Kermit Davis said. "What a great fan turnout for our team, over 8,000 fans. It was a big game for us, for our town and our campus. When our team has that kind of home court, it means a lot to those guys in that locker room."
The Blue Raiders led a majority of the first half, but a late run gave Ole Miss a 34-33 advantage at the break.
That run didn't last after the intermission.
Middle Tennessee came out in the second half on a mission defensively, causing the Rebels to hit just two of their first nine shots as the Blue and White built a 10-point lead seven minutes into the half.
The defensive pressure never faltered, as Ole Miss managed to shoot just 40 percent (8-of-20) in the second half and 40 percent for the game. The Rebels also had 10 turnovers after halftime and 11 total.
"I thought the key was really the first four minutes of the second half," Davis said. "We kept Ole Miss off the offensive boards, and I thought the officials kind of let the game flow and let them play."
Senior Brandon Walters was the anchor defensively.
The big man finished with four blocks and four steals to lead the team, adding to a career-high 20 points (8-of-11 shooting). He also had five rebounds.
"I know that defense leads to offense, so if I play good defense, the offense will come," Walters said. "I know that they have big, physical posts, so I just had to be more physical than them in the paint.
Ole Miss tried to get back into the game with just under five minutes remaining, cutting MT's advantage to just four with 4:44 left.
Then, Middle Tennessee senior Nick King took over.
He went on a personal 7-0 run to balloon the lead back to 11 with 2:33 left, and from there the Blue Raiders cruised.
King, who went into the game fifth in the country scoring 24.1 points per game, had only two points on 1-of-6 shooting in the first half but exploded for 23 in the second, shooting 10-of-16 after halftime. It was his seventh straight game with 20 or more points, and he also had a team-high six rebounds.
"Today was all my teammates, for sure," King said. "Seeing [Walters] getting going, that gives me a lot of confidence … and opens the lane up for me. I think that's great for him and great for the whole team."
Senior Giddy Potts was the third man in double-figure scoring with 14. Sophomore Tyrik Dixon, who played just six minutes against Vanderbilt because of an injury, finished with five points, five rebounds and a career-high nine assists against zero turnovers. In total, the Blue Raiders had 22 assists on 31 made baskets against six turnovers.
Middle Tennessee isn't done with the SEC yet this season. It will travel to Birmingham, Alabama, on Dec. 16 to take on Auburn on a neutral court. The game is scheduled for a 5 p.m. tipoff and can be viewed on the SEC Network.
"Coach always preaches to us about being a national team, and that we have to have the opportunity to show it and take advantage," King said. "We have the opportunity now, and we're taking advantage. We're practicing absolutely as hard as we can each and every practice. Not a lot of teams do that during the season … but we have to have that edge every single day."
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
