Blue Raiders return home to host Chattanooga

Friday, December 19

Murfreesboro, Tenn.

7:00 p.m.

Middle Tennessee

Chattanooga

12/18/2014 11:49:00 AM | Men's Basketball

MT hosts game in Murphy Center after month hiatus

By: @MTAthletics

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. - After nearly a month away from its home court of the Murphy Center, Middle Tennessee returns home to host Chattanooga on Friday night.

The Blue Raiders are 5-5 this season and 3-1 on their home court. MT has been dominant at home as the team went 14-2 last season and hold a record of 48-5 record at the Murphy Center in the last four seasons; including this season's 3-1 start at home.

Chattanooga holds the all-time lead against the Blue Raiders with a sloght 30-26 edge.

Middle Tennessee's sophomore forward Reggie Upshaw Jr. hails from Chattanooga and graduated from Baylor High School as MT hosts the Mocs for the first time since 2005.

GAME INFORMATION
(FULL GAME NOTES)

Date: Friday, Dec. 19
Time: 7 p.m. CT
Teams: Chattanooga at Middle Tennessee
Location: Murfreesboro, Tenn.
Arena: Murphy Center (11,520)
TV: ASN
Play-by-Play: Dave Barnett
Color: Tim Scarborough
Radio: WMOT-FM (89.5), The Game (97.5/102.5), WGNS AM/FM (1450/100.5/101.9)
Play-by-Play: Chip Walters
Color: Kyle Turnham

Video | Live Audio | Live Stats

BLUE RAIDER BULLET

• MT returns home after going nearly a month without a game at the Murphy Center with its last home game dating back to Nov. 25 when the Blue Raiders defeated NAU 65-53.

• Edward Simpson picked up C-USA FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK honors after registering 10 points in Middle Tennessee's victory at Akron on Saturday to match a career-high in scoring.

• Head Coach Kermit DAVIS IS 13 WINS FROM HIS 250TH CAREER win at Middle Tennessee. He is the only coach in program history to earn 200+ wins.

• The Blue Raiders lead C-USA in defensive rebounding percentage at 75.4 percent on the season.

• The Blue Raiders are 5-0 this season when scoring 60 or more points.

• Under Coach Kermit Davis the Blue Raiders are 52-39 IN THE MONTH OF DECEMBER, while improving to 67-37 in the month of January.

• The Middle Tennessee BENCH has AVERAGED 24.5 POINTS PER GAME this season

• MT's FOUR VETERAN RETURNERS Upshaw (9.4 ppg), Jacquez Rozier (9.4 ppg), Jaqawn Raymond (7.5 ppg ) and Marcus Tarrance (7.2 ppg) LEAD THE TEAM IN SCORING this season.

• Coach DAVIS was named to FORBES LIST OF BEST COLLEGE BASKETBALL COACHES FOR THE MONEY AT NO. 4; only behind San Diego State's Steve Fisher, Syracuse's Jim Boheim and Gonzaga's Mark Few.

• Over the last three years the Blue Raiders have AVERAGED 26.3 WINS PER SEASON. Last year's senior class was the most-winningest class to play at Middle Tennessee with 95 wins with the Blue Raiders.

• MT RANKS SECOND NATIONALLY only behind Davidson (48-4) with a record in CONFERENCE PLAY OF 46-6 over the last three years.

• During that time the Blue Raiders have won three regular season titles in (in Sun Belt and C-USA) and have made a trip to the NCAA TOURNAMENT AND THE NIT.

• Middle Tennessee has earned at least a share of the CONFERENCE REGULAR SEASON TITLE THREE YEARS IN A ROW AND FOUR OF THE LAST FIVE YEARS.

• Middle Tennessee has had a player named to a conference "OF THE YEAR" THREE-CONSECUTIVE YEARS including 2014 C-USA Player of the Year Shawn Jones in the program's inaugural season in the conference.

• MT has put out SEVEN DIFFERENT STARTING LINEUPS through the first 10 contests, while 10 different Blue Raiders have notched at least one start.

• Middle Tennessee's senior forward ROZIER has been nominated for the 2015 Allstate GOOD WORKS TEAM®, announced the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC).