Middle Tennesee State University Athletics
Saturday, January 20
Bowling Green, KY
6 PM
Middle Tennessee
14-5 (6-1)
66
at
62
WKU
14-6 (6-1)
1
2
F
Middle Tennessee
29
37
66
WKU
22
40
62
Team Stats
MT
WKU
FG%
.444
.439
3FG%
.235
.111
FT%
.875
.806
RB
29
29
TO
10
15
STL
5
5
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
16
FGM
5
3FGM
2
FTM
4
Pts
8
FGM
2
3FGM
0
FTM
4
Pts
6
FGM
3
3FGM
0
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
Raiders win at rival WKU, reclaim share of top spot
1/20/2018 9:07:00 PM | Men's Basketball
MT rebounds at WKU behind King, strong defense
BOWLING GREEN, Ken. – Just as it's done for most of the season, Middle Tennessee's defense answered the call Saturday when the Blue Raiders most needed it in a 66-62 road win to move back to the top of the Conference USA standings.
The Raiders (14-5, 6-1) went just up the way to take on rival WKU (14-6, 6-1), the lone unbeaten team in C-USA play, fresh off a loss at Marshall, their first league defeat since Feb. 4 of last year.
If there was a hangover after the setback on Thursday, MT didn't show it, moving to 8-1 in true road games this season to stay atop the nation in away victories. The Blue Raiders have now won three in a row over their rivals and 12 out of the last 14 in the 135-game series.
"What a great college basketball environment," MT head coach Kermit Davis said. "That's an NCAA Tournament team we beat today … I thought that was two high-level teams that played.
"There's no question this is by far the best rivalry game in Conference USA … and you saw it tonight."
Sporting the third-best scoring defense in C-USA (66.7 points per game allowed), Davis wanted to see his Blue Raiders buckle down on that end of the floor against one of the hottest offensive teams in the conference.
They answered the call.
WKU went into Saturday averaging 81.3 points and shooting 49.4 percent as a team in six league games, but didn't come close to those numbers against the blue and white.
The Hilltoppers got off to a slow start with just 22 points in the first half, their lowest total in any half this season, and never recovered. They shot just 44 percent (18-of-41) from the floor and 11 percent from 3-point range (1-of-9) while scoring 17 points under their season average.
"Marshall came out and punched us in the mouth, and we didn't come out prepared … we felt like we couldn't do that tonight," senior Nick King said. "We just wanted to put two-and-two together and make stops that turned into transition buckets."
Early on, it looked like the sold-out crowd would be in for a dogfight as neither team could establish much of a lead.
The Hilltoppers held a four-point advantage as the clock ticked under six minutes to play in the first half with both teams searching for someone to step up offensively.
That's when Middle Tennessee's scoring leader flexed his lean muscles.
King went on a personal 6-0 run and scored 10 of his game-high 28 points in the last 5:30 of the first half as MT closed on a 14-3 run.
The senior from Memphis added nine rebounds and three assists, leading the team in both categories, and shot 11-of-21 from the field.
"I just have to give all the credit to my teammates," King said. "Even when I miss a couple of shots, my teammates get in position to make a play on the ball and get a basket. The credit goes to my teammates and Coach Davis."
King, who went into the game second in C-USA and 20th nationally scoring 21.4 points per game, kept things going on the offensive end in the second half, willing Middle Tennessee to stay in the lead as WKU made a late charge.
The Blue Raiders built as much as a 10-point advantage after halftime, but in the closing minutes the Hilltoppers made a last-ditch effort, using a 13-7 run cut MT's lead to just a single point with six seconds remaining.
WKU wouldn't get another point, as senior Giddy Potts and sophomore Tyrik Dixon knocked home a pair of free throws apiece to ice it.
Potts finished with 16 points on 5-of-8 shooting, including 2-of-4 from distance, and had two steals while playing much of the game in foul trouble.
Middle Tennessee will return home for a Thursday matchup with UTSA, following on Saturday against UTEP at the Murphy Center. The starts are scheduled for 6:30 and 6 p.m., respectively, and they can be viewed on Stadium.
The Raiders (14-5, 6-1) went just up the way to take on rival WKU (14-6, 6-1), the lone unbeaten team in C-USA play, fresh off a loss at Marshall, their first league defeat since Feb. 4 of last year.
If there was a hangover after the setback on Thursday, MT didn't show it, moving to 8-1 in true road games this season to stay atop the nation in away victories. The Blue Raiders have now won three in a row over their rivals and 12 out of the last 14 in the 135-game series.
"What a great college basketball environment," MT head coach Kermit Davis said. "That's an NCAA Tournament team we beat today … I thought that was two high-level teams that played.
"There's no question this is by far the best rivalry game in Conference USA … and you saw it tonight."
Sporting the third-best scoring defense in C-USA (66.7 points per game allowed), Davis wanted to see his Blue Raiders buckle down on that end of the floor against one of the hottest offensive teams in the conference.
They answered the call.
WKU went into Saturday averaging 81.3 points and shooting 49.4 percent as a team in six league games, but didn't come close to those numbers against the blue and white.
The Hilltoppers got off to a slow start with just 22 points in the first half, their lowest total in any half this season, and never recovered. They shot just 44 percent (18-of-41) from the floor and 11 percent from 3-point range (1-of-9) while scoring 17 points under their season average.
"Marshall came out and punched us in the mouth, and we didn't come out prepared … we felt like we couldn't do that tonight," senior Nick King said. "We just wanted to put two-and-two together and make stops that turned into transition buckets."
Early on, it looked like the sold-out crowd would be in for a dogfight as neither team could establish much of a lead.
The Hilltoppers held a four-point advantage as the clock ticked under six minutes to play in the first half with both teams searching for someone to step up offensively.
That's when Middle Tennessee's scoring leader flexed his lean muscles.
King went on a personal 6-0 run and scored 10 of his game-high 28 points in the last 5:30 of the first half as MT closed on a 14-3 run.
The senior from Memphis added nine rebounds and three assists, leading the team in both categories, and shot 11-of-21 from the field.
"I just have to give all the credit to my teammates," King said. "Even when I miss a couple of shots, my teammates get in position to make a play on the ball and get a basket. The credit goes to my teammates and Coach Davis."
King, who went into the game second in C-USA and 20th nationally scoring 21.4 points per game, kept things going on the offensive end in the second half, willing Middle Tennessee to stay in the lead as WKU made a late charge.
The Blue Raiders built as much as a 10-point advantage after halftime, but in the closing minutes the Hilltoppers made a last-ditch effort, using a 13-7 run cut MT's lead to just a single point with six seconds remaining.
WKU wouldn't get another point, as senior Giddy Potts and sophomore Tyrik Dixon knocked home a pair of free throws apiece to ice it.
Potts finished with 16 points on 5-of-8 shooting, including 2-of-4 from distance, and had two steals while playing much of the game in foul trouble.
Middle Tennessee will return home for a Thursday matchup with UTSA, following on Saturday against UTEP at the Murphy Center. The starts are scheduled for 6:30 and 6 p.m., respectively, and they can be viewed on Stadium.
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
