MT faces C-USA preseason favorite on the road

Saturday, January 17

Ruston, La.

3:00 p.m.

Middle Tennessee

LA Tech

1/16/2015 11:21:00 AM | Men's Basketball

Blue Raiders take on LA Tech

By: @MTAthletics

RUSTON, La. - Middle Tennessee (10-7, 3-1 C-USA) looks to continue its three-game win streak as the Blue Raiders travel to Conference USA preseason favorite, LA Tech, on Saturday for a game that will be nationally televised on FSN.

Tip-off is slated for 3 p.m. with the Bulldogs riding a 21-game home court winning streak at Thomas Assembly Center. LA Tech sits on top of the C-USA standings with a 4-0 record in league play.

The Blue Raiders solid defense will be tested by the Bulldogs high-powered offense with MT only allowing 59.3 points per game but LA Tech scoring 75.6 points per game.

GAME INFORMATION
(FULL GAME NOTES)

Date: Saturday, Jan. 17
Time: 3 p.m. CT
Teams: Middle Tennessee at LA Tech
Location: Ruston, La.
Arena: Thomas Assembly Center (8,000)
TV: FSN
Commentators: Mark Followill and Mike Jarvis
Radio: WMOT (89.5), The Game (97.5/102.5), WGNS (1450/100.5/101.9)
Play-by-Play: Chip Walters

| Live Audio | Live Stats

BLUE RAIDER BULLETS

• The Blue Raiders have NOT ALLOWED an opponent to score 70 POINTS on them this season.

• MT is one oF THREE teams in the nation to not allow an opponent to score 70 points this year; Cincinnati and New Mexico.

• The Blue Raiders are 10-0 this season when SCORING 60 OR MORE POINTS.

• MT ranks SECOND IN C-USA AND 32nd NATIONALLY IN SCORING DEFENSE.

• DAVIS IS EIGHT WINS FROM HIS 250TH CAREER WIN at Middle Tennessee. He is the only coach in program history to earn 200+ wins.

• The 2015 CONFERENCE USA MEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP will be held in Birmingham from March 11-14.

• The Middle Tennessee BENCH has AVERAGED 26.9 POINTS PER GAME this season and 44.5 PERCENT OF THE TEAM'S POINTS.

• The MT BENCH is OUTSCORING ITS OPPONENTS BENCH'S BY +10.8 so far this season and have a +3.7 REBOUNDING MARGIN.

• Reggie UPSHAW AVERAGES 11.6 points per game when coming OFF THE BENCH compared to 7.7 points per game when starting.

• UPSHAW tied his CAREER-HIGH in scoring with 18 POINTS at Southern Miss.

• Under Coach Kermit DAVIS the Blue Raiders are 70-38 IN THE MONTH OF JANUARY.

• MT's FRESHMEN HAVE 233 POINTS this season with 123 of those points coming from three-point buckets; accounting for 39 PERCENT OF THE BLUE RAIDERS' THREE-POINT FIELD GOALS.

• A FRESHMAN HAS STARTED in every game except one this season for Middle Tennessee

• MT's FOUR VETERAN RETURNERS Reggie Upshaw (9.5 ppg), Jacquez Rozier (8.8 ppg), Jaqawn Raymond (7.0 ppg) and Marcus Tarrance (6.6 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.

• ROZIER, the team's lone four-year senior has recorded 89 WINS with the Blue Raiders.

• 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.

• During that time the Blue Raiders have made a trip to the NCAA TOURNAMENT (2013) AND THE NIT (2012).

• The Blue Raiders have been dominant at home as they went 14-2 last season and hold a record of 52-6 AT THE MURPHY CENTER IN THE LAST FOUR SEASONS; including this season's 7-2 start at home.