MT tips-off 2015 with UAB in C-USA play

Sunday, January 4

Murfreesboro, Tenn.

2:00 p.m.

Middle Tennessee

UAB

1/2/2015 3:50:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Blue Raiders host Blazers in conference play

By: @MTAthletics

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. - Year two of Middle Tennessee in Conference USA is set to begin on Sunday as the Blue Raiders (7-6) host UAB (4-9) in the league opener. The Blue Raiders are 9-3 in league openers under Head Coach Kermit Davis and have won their last three openers in conference action.

The Blazers hold a 5-3 advange against MT all-time but the Blue Raiders have won the last three match-ups.

The 20th season of C-USA action tipped-off on Friday with UTEP at North Texas and UTSA at Rice.

GAME INFORMATION
(FULL GAME NOTES)

Date: Sunday, Jan. 4
Time: 2 p.m. CT
Teams: UAB at Middle Tennessee
Location: Murfreesboro, Tenn.
Arena: Murphy Center (11,520)
TV: Webstream
Radio: Game 2 (97.5, 102.5), WGNS (1450, 100.5, 101.9)
Play-by-Play: Chip Walters
Color: Kyle Turnham

Video | Live Audio | Live Stats

BLUE RAIDER BULLETS

• The Blue Raiders have WON FOUR OF THEIR LAST SIX GAMES going 2-2 on the road and 2-0 at home.

• MT has WON THE LAST THREE GAMES AGAINST UAB including a sweep last season in the first year of C-USA play.

• FIVE OF THE EIGHT GAMES between these two teams have been DECIDED BY FIVE POINTS OR LESS.

• DAVIS IS 11 WINS FROM HIS 250TH CAREER WIN at Middle Tennessee. He is the only coach in program history to earn 200+ wins.

• The Blue Raiders have been dominant at home as they went 14-2 last season and hold a record of 50-5 AT THE MURPHY CENTER IN THE LAST FOUR SEASONS; including this season's 5-1 start at home.

• 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 (2013) AND THE NIT (2012).

• 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.

• The Blue Raiders are 7-0 this season when SCORING 60 OR MORE POINTS.

• MT has put out NINE DIFFERENT STARTING LINEUPS through the first 13 contests, while 12 different Blue Raiders have notched at least one start.

• Under Coach Kermit Davis the Blue Raiders are 67-37 in the month of January.

• The Middle Tennessee BENCH has AVERAGED 26.2 POINTS PER GAME this season and 44.3 PERCENT OF THE TEAM'S POINTS.

• The MT BENCH is OUTSCORING ITS OPPONENTS BENCHES +7.2 so far this season and have a +2.8 REBOUNDING MARGIN.

• MT's FRESHMEN HAVE 160 POINTS this season with 87 of those points coming from three-point buckets; accounting for 38 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 Jaquez Rozier (9.3 ppg), Reggie Upshaw (9.2 ppg), Jaqawn Raymond (7.2 ppg) and Marcus Tarrance (7.0 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 86 WINS with the Blue Raiders.

• 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.