MT to Clash with #23 Creighton

NICEVILLE, Fla. - Middle Tennessee (3-2) will take on No. 23 Creighton (5-1) in its final game of the Emerald Coast Classic on Saturday, November 29 at 5 p.m. in Niceville, Florida.

Middle Tennessee has never defeated a ranked opponent with Kermit Davis as the head coach. The last time the Blue Raiders defeated a ranked opponent was in 1989 when Bruce Stewart's squad defeated No. 16 Florida State.

This marks the first time in program history the Blue Raiders are meeting the Bluejays.

GAME INFORMATION
(FULL GAME NOTES)

Date: Saturday, Nov. 29
Time: 5 p.m. CT
Teams: Middle Tennessee vs. #23 Creighton
Location: Niceville, Fla.
Arena: Emerald Coast Classic Arena
Tickets to the Emerald Coast Classic
Webstream: http://www.emeraldcoastclassic.com/
Radio: WMOT (89.5 FM), 97.5, 100.5, 101.9, 102.5, 1450 (Stream 1)
Play-by-Play: Dick Palmer
Color Analyst: Kyle Turnham

BLUE RAIDER BULLETS

• The Blue Raiders will face Creighton in the final game of the Emerald Coast Classic on Saturday. The Bluejays are currently ranked No. 23 nationally.
• The Blue Raiders traveled down to Niceville, Florida to conclude the Emerald Coast Classic after hosting their first two games.

• MT grabbed two victories to open the tournament with a 66-48 victory over Southern on Saturday and a 65-53 win against Northern Arizona on Tuesday.
• The Blue Raiders fell, 69-51, to Cincinnati Friday evening in their third contest of the Emerald Coast Classic. MT will play the loser of Ole Miss/Creighton matchup on Saturday to conclude the tournament.
• Darnell Harris paced MT with a career-high 15 points on five 3-pointers. Before Friday's contest, Harris was 0-of-8 from outside the arc in the first four games.
• During the Coach Davis era the Blue Raiders are 18-20 on neutral ground as they are set for two neutral games in Niceville, Fla.
• MT has seen double-double performances from two players this season with Jacquez Rozier grabbing a double-double vs. Murray State and Reggie Upshaw Jr. securing the double-double against Northern Arizona.
• Simpson and Richmond have both garnered starts for the Blue Raiders as Richmond leads the team with 10 assists this season while Simpson has 7 helpers.
• Seven different players average at least five points while three players are averaging at least nine points with Upshaw (9.6 ppg), Rozier (9.6 ppg) and Tarrance (9.2 ppg) leading the way in putting the ball in the bucket.
• Through the first five games of the season, the Blue Raiders have outrebounded their opponents 188-171 while posting a +3.4 rebounding margin thus far, including out hustling their opponents on the offense end with a 69-41 advantage on the offensive boards.
• As the lone four-year senior, Jacquez Rozier is making his presence known this season, averaging 9.2 points and 6.0 rebounds for the Blue Raiders through the first five games of the season.
• The Blue Raiders have recorded three-consecutive 20+ win season; tied for the most consecutive 20-win seasons in Middle Tennessee history.
• In the last two games Tarrance has come off the bench against for dominating performances where he recorded a career-high in points (18) and rebounds (6) against Southern and followed with a 10 point performance against NAU.
• Head Coach Kermit Davis is 15 wins from his 250th career win at Middle Tennessee.
• The Middle Tennesse bench has averaged 24.6 points per game this season, including 38 of the team's 51 points in the loss to Cincinnati. MT's bench has scored just under 40 percent of the team's total points (123/308) with Tarrance spearheading the attack at 9.2 points per game.
• MT has put out three different starting lineups through the first five contests, while seven different Blue Raiders have notched at least one start under their belt.
• MT has done a fantastic job of getting to the foul line this season with 120 free throw attempts through five games, while its opponents have attempted 80 foul shots.
• Buford landed his first start against Southern after transferring here from Southwest Tennessee State. He's averaging 7.2 points per game with 17 rebounds in 85 minutes played to start the year. Buford recorded a career-high 16 points against NAU in his second start for the Blue Raiders.
• After the Emerald Coast Classic neutral site games Middle Tennessee is slated for a four-game road swing starting with Belmont on December 2 followed by South Alabama (Dec. 6), Akron (Dec. 13) and Oklahoma State (Dec. 16).

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Players Mentioned

Darnell Harris

Jacquez Rozier

Reggie Upshaw

Middle Tennesee State University Athletics