Middle Tennesee State University Athletics
Thursday, February 9
Murfreesboro, TN
7 PM
Middle Tennessee
21-4, 11-1
64
vs
51
Old Dominion
14-10, 7-5
1
2
F
Old Dominion
21
30
51
Middle Tennessee
32
32
64
Team Stats
ODU
MT
FG%
.408
.423
3FG%
.200
.409
FT%
.727
.917
RB
30
30
TO
16
12
STL
7
8
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
18
FGM
7
3FGM
2
FTM
2
Pts
14
FGM
5
3FGM
2
FTM
2
Pts
9
FGM
3
3FGM
3
FTM
0
Pts
6
FGM
1
3FGM
1
FTM
3
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's BasketballF
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's BasketballDefense leads Raiders past ODU
2/9/2017 10:00:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Upshaw bounces back with game-high 18 points
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – The long-awaited rematch of the 2016 Conference USA championship game between Middle Tennessee and Old Dominion ended just like the first version – with a Blue Raider victory.
With the 64-51 win Thursday, the Raiders (21-4, 11-1) pushed their all-time record against the Monarchs (14-10, 7-5) to a perfect 8-0.
"I thought the game was about what we expected," MT head coach Kermit Davis said. "I thought we executed really well down the stretch. It was a good win against a quality team."
The two teams had defensive battles in their two meetings in 2016, in which Middle Tennessee won both by a combined five points.
Thursday's contest appeared to be heading in the same direction, with the top two defensive teams in C-USA represented, but it was only one team that truly had a dominant defense.
ODU went into the game allowing a conference-low 61.1 points per game, but it was Middle Tennessee, the second-best defensive team in C-USA at 63.4 points per game allowed, that was superior. They held the Monarchs to just 40.8 percent (20-49) shooting from the floor and forced 16 turnovers, eight of which were steals.
"We keep a chart of 50-50 balls for both teams … and we won that 21-9 tonight," Davis said. "We got loose balls and we converted some of those in transition. Especially in the first half, I thought our 1-3-1 was really good."
The defensive effort was there from the start for the Blue Raiders. They limited ODU to 29 percent shooting in the first half and built a 32-21 lead by the time the halftime buzzer sounded.
While they were doing their thing defensively, Reggie Upshaw led the charge offensively in the first 20 minutes with nine points.
The senior was coming off a rough night in MT's first conference loss to UTEP on Saturday, but turned things around in a big way Thursday. He finished with a game-high 18 points on 7-of-13 shooting in his 129th career game at Middle Tennessee, setting a new school record. His 104 starts are now just one behind tying Kevin Kanaskie for the most all-time.
"It's a great feeling to know I've been able to stay healthy and play through that many games and have an impact on the teams I've been a part of since I've been here," Upshaw said. "I take it as a compliment – it kind of means I'm durable. It's definitely a great accomplishment."
Coming out in the second half, the Blue Raiders had trouble putting ODU away early on. The Monarchs cut the lead to as few as six points, but a 16-4 run over a 5-minute stretch by the home team effectively put the game away.
The close was a welcomed sight for Davis after his team gave up a 17-point second-half lead to UTEP on Saturday.
"We rebounded the ball better … and when it got to six, I don't know if we had another turnover," he said. "I thought we really ran good half-court offense down the stretch of the game."
Junior Giddy Potts added 14 points on 5-of-15 shooting for the Blue Raiders, while redshirt senior Xavier Habersham had nine on 3-of-4 shooting from 3-point range. Tyrik Dixon, Brandon Walters and Antwain Johnson each had six points.
Middle Tennessee stays at home for its next contest, which is scheduled for 5 p.m. on Saturday against Charlotte. The Raiders are anticipating a quicker-paced game than they saw Thursday against the third-highest scoring team in the conference.
"We just have to take care of the ball on the break," Potts said. "We have to come out and do what we do, and just play our game."
With the 64-51 win Thursday, the Raiders (21-4, 11-1) pushed their all-time record against the Monarchs (14-10, 7-5) to a perfect 8-0.
"I thought the game was about what we expected," MT head coach Kermit Davis said. "I thought we executed really well down the stretch. It was a good win against a quality team."
The two teams had defensive battles in their two meetings in 2016, in which Middle Tennessee won both by a combined five points.
Thursday's contest appeared to be heading in the same direction, with the top two defensive teams in C-USA represented, but it was only one team that truly had a dominant defense.
ODU went into the game allowing a conference-low 61.1 points per game, but it was Middle Tennessee, the second-best defensive team in C-USA at 63.4 points per game allowed, that was superior. They held the Monarchs to just 40.8 percent (20-49) shooting from the floor and forced 16 turnovers, eight of which were steals.
"We keep a chart of 50-50 balls for both teams … and we won that 21-9 tonight," Davis said. "We got loose balls and we converted some of those in transition. Especially in the first half, I thought our 1-3-1 was really good."
The defensive effort was there from the start for the Blue Raiders. They limited ODU to 29 percent shooting in the first half and built a 32-21 lead by the time the halftime buzzer sounded.
While they were doing their thing defensively, Reggie Upshaw led the charge offensively in the first 20 minutes with nine points.
The senior was coming off a rough night in MT's first conference loss to UTEP on Saturday, but turned things around in a big way Thursday. He finished with a game-high 18 points on 7-of-13 shooting in his 129th career game at Middle Tennessee, setting a new school record. His 104 starts are now just one behind tying Kevin Kanaskie for the most all-time.
"It's a great feeling to know I've been able to stay healthy and play through that many games and have an impact on the teams I've been a part of since I've been here," Upshaw said. "I take it as a compliment – it kind of means I'm durable. It's definitely a great accomplishment."
Coming out in the second half, the Blue Raiders had trouble putting ODU away early on. The Monarchs cut the lead to as few as six points, but a 16-4 run over a 5-minute stretch by the home team effectively put the game away.
The close was a welcomed sight for Davis after his team gave up a 17-point second-half lead to UTEP on Saturday.
"We rebounded the ball better … and when it got to six, I don't know if we had another turnover," he said. "I thought we really ran good half-court offense down the stretch of the game."
Junior Giddy Potts added 14 points on 5-of-15 shooting for the Blue Raiders, while redshirt senior Xavier Habersham had nine on 3-of-4 shooting from 3-point range. Tyrik Dixon, Brandon Walters and Antwain Johnson each had six points.
Middle Tennessee stays at home for its next contest, which is scheduled for 5 p.m. on Saturday against Charlotte. The Raiders are anticipating a quicker-paced game than they saw Thursday against the third-highest scoring team in the conference.
"We just have to take care of the ball on the break," Potts said. "We have to come out and do what we do, and just play our game."
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
