Blue Raiders open Sun Belt play at Western Kentucky

Saturday, January 7

Bowling Green, Ky.

7:00 PM

Middle Tennessee

Western Kentucky

1/6/2006 7:46:00 PM | Men's Basketball

By: MT Media Relations

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. - Middle Tennessee played a grueling pre-conference schedule, including games against two Top 10 programs - No. 4 Memphis and No. 10 Louisville - in order to help prepare the team for the Sun Belt Conference race. That's a good thing, too, because when the Blue Raiders (7-5) face long-time rival Western Kentucky (9-4, 1-0) at Diddle Arena Saturday night, they will be stepping into another tough venue against a quality team. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. "I think we have played in some really tough environments and Western Kentucky is another tough environment," Middle Tennessee coach Kermit Davis said. "Not only do they have very good fans, but they also have a very good team. It's a great arch-rival game. We have had great games up there in the past two or three years and I know our players are looking forward to it." The Blue Raiders are 3-0 in Sun Belt openers under Davis and they have the league's second best road record since Davis' hiring in 2002, but they will face a difficult task against the Hilltoppers, who feature the league's best backcourt in guards Anthony Winchester and Courtney Lee. The quality guards represent two of the league's top three scorers with Lee leading the Sun Belt with a 19.8 average, while Winchester is third at 18.6 points per game. The Hilltoppers are averaging 81 points per game. "I think they are the two best wings together in our conference," Davis said of Lee and Winchester. "They are one and three in scoring, they make all the great plays down the stretch, and both have played very well against us in the past. That will be a key to game, getting back defensively and getting to them. They both are going to score points; you just have to hope to limit their percentage." Middle Tennessee, picked third behind Western Kentucky in the East Division in a preseason poll of league coaches, is led in scoring by Fats Cuyler (13.3), Adam Vogelsberg (11.8) and Kyle Young (10.2), while Marcus Morrison is averaging 9.4 points and has been one of the team's best all-around players over the past three weeks. Bud Howard is among league leaders in assists and assist/turnover ratio. Vogelsberg leads the Sun Belt in free throw percentage (91.2), while Young is second in the league in field goal percentage (70.1).