Middle Tennesee State University Athletics
Raiders focused solely on the Bulldogs
3/17/2017 5:39:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Sweet 16 appearance on the line
FRIDAY PRESS CONFERENCE QUOTES
FRIDAY LOCKER ROOM QUOTES
MILWAUKEE, Wis. – A good team – that's what Middle Tennessee head coach Kermit Davis wants his players to see when they look at Butler, the Blue Raiders' NCAA Tournament second-round opponent.
The Bulldogs (24-8) have the fourth seed in the South region, but Davis doesn't want his 12th-seeded Raiders (31-4) to see the seed number when they look at BU. He wants them to see a squad that's good enough to have a 15-5 record in games against teams that made the tournament this season, including two victories over the top overall seed, Villanova.
And to his credit, Davis' team is doing just that.
"I wouldn't say that we get caught up in the seeding or anything like that," senior forward Reggie Upshaw said during MT's news conference on Friday. "We're just trying to go out and trying to execute what Coach Davis is calling."
Middle Tennessee has now won four first-round games in its history, including last year's earth-shattering 90-81 upset of second-seeded Michigan State. It hasn't fared well in the Round of 32, though, losing all three of its previous contests by an average of 15 points per game.
What makes this year's Blue Raiders different than their three predecessors who failed to reach the Sweet 16 is a confidence that has come from the best season in school history. They've shattered the school record for wins in a season while setting a new Conference USA record with 17 regular-season league wins. They also have the most wins (21) in NCAA Division 1 since Jan. 1.
It's that confidence that the players carry that allows them to look past seedings, upsets or whatever else is happening outside of the locker room during the tournament.
"It's a team that carries themselves with a lot of confidence," Davis said. "We do feel that we can play with anybody in college basketball. That's not arrogant … we have really good players and a group that has great experience."
The Blue Raiders are one of just four teams ever to win a first-round game in consecutive years as a 12 seed or lower, and the first to win both of those games over major conference teams.
While they are making history and etching a name for themselves on the national level, they know it all stops with a loss. They will do anything to make sure that doesn't happen Saturday against a team that mirrors the style the Raiders like to play.
"I think you'll see two well-coached teams that focus on defense," redshirt senior forward JaCorey Williams said. "It's going to be a tough task, but I think you'll see a physical game with both teams trying to play very good defense and both well-coached teams."
Middle Tennessee will also go against a team that Davis has watched and studied for a long time, though the two teams have never played and he's never coached against Butler head coach Chris Holtmann.
The Bulldogs' success on the national level has been an inspiration for how Davis wants to run his program.
"I've really had such a great respect for Butler from afar, because they do it at our level in such a way with integrity and athletics," the 15-year MT head man said. "To be on the same footing with those guys with what they've done with sustainability, that's what we're striving for."
In order for Middle Tennessee to enter the same national prestige as BU, it has to win games like Saturday's. The players won't be focusing on that, though – they will just be looking at what they have to do to survive and advance.
And if they can come out with a win against a tough, gritty Butler team and get to their first-ever Sweet 16 on Saturday, don't call it an upset. The Blue Raiders certainly won't.
"We don't really pay attention to the seedings and the upsets, what's an upset and what's not an upset," Williams said. "We're just trying to focus on the game and trying to win a game."
FRIDAY LOCKER ROOM QUOTES
MILWAUKEE, Wis. – A good team – that's what Middle Tennessee head coach Kermit Davis wants his players to see when they look at Butler, the Blue Raiders' NCAA Tournament second-round opponent.
The Bulldogs (24-8) have the fourth seed in the South region, but Davis doesn't want his 12th-seeded Raiders (31-4) to see the seed number when they look at BU. He wants them to see a squad that's good enough to have a 15-5 record in games against teams that made the tournament this season, including two victories over the top overall seed, Villanova.
And to his credit, Davis' team is doing just that.
"I wouldn't say that we get caught up in the seeding or anything like that," senior forward Reggie Upshaw said during MT's news conference on Friday. "We're just trying to go out and trying to execute what Coach Davis is calling."
Middle Tennessee has now won four first-round games in its history, including last year's earth-shattering 90-81 upset of second-seeded Michigan State. It hasn't fared well in the Round of 32, though, losing all three of its previous contests by an average of 15 points per game.
What makes this year's Blue Raiders different than their three predecessors who failed to reach the Sweet 16 is a confidence that has come from the best season in school history. They've shattered the school record for wins in a season while setting a new Conference USA record with 17 regular-season league wins. They also have the most wins (21) in NCAA Division 1 since Jan. 1.
It's that confidence that the players carry that allows them to look past seedings, upsets or whatever else is happening outside of the locker room during the tournament.
"It's a team that carries themselves with a lot of confidence," Davis said. "We do feel that we can play with anybody in college basketball. That's not arrogant … we have really good players and a group that has great experience."
The Blue Raiders are one of just four teams ever to win a first-round game in consecutive years as a 12 seed or lower, and the first to win both of those games over major conference teams.
While they are making history and etching a name for themselves on the national level, they know it all stops with a loss. They will do anything to make sure that doesn't happen Saturday against a team that mirrors the style the Raiders like to play.
"I think you'll see two well-coached teams that focus on defense," redshirt senior forward JaCorey Williams said. "It's going to be a tough task, but I think you'll see a physical game with both teams trying to play very good defense and both well-coached teams."
Middle Tennessee will also go against a team that Davis has watched and studied for a long time, though the two teams have never played and he's never coached against Butler head coach Chris Holtmann.
The Bulldogs' success on the national level has been an inspiration for how Davis wants to run his program.
"I've really had such a great respect for Butler from afar, because they do it at our level in such a way with integrity and athletics," the 15-year MT head man said. "To be on the same footing with those guys with what they've done with sustainability, that's what we're striving for."
In order for Middle Tennessee to enter the same national prestige as BU, it has to win games like Saturday's. The players won't be focusing on that, though – they will just be looking at what they have to do to survive and advance.
And if they can come out with a win against a tough, gritty Butler team and get to their first-ever Sweet 16 on Saturday, don't call it an upset. The Blue Raiders certainly won't.
"We don't really pay attention to the seedings and the upsets, what's an upset and what's not an upset," Williams said. "We're just trying to focus on the game and trying to win a game."
Players Mentioned
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