Middle Tennesee State University Athletics
Thursday, January 28
Huntington, WV
6:00 p.m.
Middle Tennessee
at
Marshall
MT Opens Road Swing at Marshall
1/27/2016 3:01:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Raiders look to extend winning streak
HUNTINGTON, W. Va. – With a six-game winning streak in hand, Middle Tennessee opens a challenging road swing Thursday at 6:00 p.m. against Marshall.
GAME INFORMATION
(Full Game Notes)
Hashtag: #TrueFamily, #BlueRaiders
Twitter: MT_MBB
Instagram: @MT_MBB
Facebook: Blue Raider Athletics
Date: Thursday, Jan. 28
Time: 6:00 p.m.
Teams: Middle Tennessee (14-5, 6-1 C-USA) vs. Marshall (10-10, 6-1 C-USA)
Location: Huntington, W. Va.
Arena: Cam Henderson Center (9,043)
Radio: WMOT-FM (89.5), WGNS (1450 AM/100.5 FM/101.9 FM), Game 2 (102.5/94.9/95.1)
Play-by-Play: Chip Walters
Live Audio | Live Stats
GAME NOTES
Crashing the Boards
Over the last eight games, the Blue Raiders have crashed the offensive glass to the tune of 12.6 offensive rebounds per game, up from just 8.4 through the first 11 games. The additional 4.2 offensive boards per game has led to an increase in second chance points from 8.3 to 15.0 per game. Reggie Upshaw has led the way with 3.4 offensive boards per game in that stretch while Perrin Buford has tripled his offensive rebounding from 1.0 in the first 11 games to 3.0 in the last eight games.
Heating Up
Throughout the current six-game winning streak, the Blue Raiders have been lighting it up from both inside and outside of the arc. Middle has shot 48.2 percent from the field and 38.8 percent from three over the course of the streak. Perrin Buford's mid-range game has taken off as of late as he is shooting 58.2 percent from the field during the streak, while Giddy Potts has hit an astonishing 53.7 percent (22-41) from three in the last six games, taking him to 51.1 percent on the season, the fourth best percentage in Division I.
Protecting the Rock
Since Jacob Ivory's return against Belmont on Dec. 17, Middle Tennessee has taken better care of the ball, leading to more scoring. The Blue Raiders have dropped from 14.4 turnovers per game while Ivory was out to only 11.3 since his return. The emphasis on protecting the ball has helped the Blue Raiders increase their offensive output from 70.2 points per game to 74.7.
Depth Chart
Middle Tennessee boasts one of the deepest rosters in Conference USA this season. Head coach Kermit Davis has played each of the 12 scholarship players in at least 75 percent of this season's contests, with the exception of Jacob Ivory who sat out the first eight games due to injury. Of those 12, 11 are averaging over five minutes per game while eight are averaging over 15 minutes per game. With that kind of depth, Davis was able to try eight different starting lineups in the first 13 games to find his best combination.
Fantastic Four
Just last season, Middle Tennessee did not have a single player average over 10 points per game. Reggie Upshaw was close at 9.9, but this season MT has four players in double-figures in Upshaw (13.5), Giddy Potts (16.3), Darnell Harris (12.9) and Perrin Buford (11.1).
And Your Point Is…?
Through 19 games, head coach Kermit Davis has started all three point guards at least six times each. The Blue Raiders are 4-2 in Copeland's starts, 3-3 in Raymond's and 7-0 in Ivory's. MT is averaging nearly nine points more per game when Ivory starts thanks in part to an additional 1.3 assists per game.
Series History
On Thursday, the Blue Raiders take on Marshall for the ninth time in program history. MT leads the all-time series 6-2 with both losses coming in Huntington, where the series record is even at 2-2. In two meetings as members of Conference USA the Blue Raiders are 2-0 against the Herd, while MT head coach Kermit Davis is 3-1 against Marshall. The Raiders have won the last three meetings dating back to 2012, including a whopping 90-51 win a season ago.
Last Time Out
Giddy Potts led the way for the Blue Raiders with 27 points on a 10-of-18 performance from the field while hitting 6-of-10 three point attempts.
Perrin Buford stuffed the box score with 23 points, eight rebounds, three steals, two assists and two blocks, while Reggie Upshaw chimed in with 18 points, eight rebounds, four assists and three steals.
Middle Tennessee (14-5, 6-1) shot a season-high 54.8 percent on the night and connected on 47.4 percent of their three-pointers against Rice (6-14, 1-6). The Raiders outrebounded the Owls 39-25 and held a 14-5 edge on the offensive glass.
The Blue Raiders 16 assists against Rice marked the seventh consecutive game with 13 or more, after doing so just five times in the first 12 contests.
GAME INFORMATION
(Full Game Notes)
Hashtag: #TrueFamily, #BlueRaiders
Twitter: MT_MBB
Instagram: @MT_MBB
Facebook: Blue Raider Athletics
Date: Thursday, Jan. 28
Time: 6:00 p.m.
Teams: Middle Tennessee (14-5, 6-1 C-USA) vs. Marshall (10-10, 6-1 C-USA)
Location: Huntington, W. Va.
Arena: Cam Henderson Center (9,043)
Radio: WMOT-FM (89.5), WGNS (1450 AM/100.5 FM/101.9 FM), Game 2 (102.5/94.9/95.1)
Play-by-Play: Chip Walters
Live Audio | Live Stats
GAME NOTES
Crashing the Boards
Over the last eight games, the Blue Raiders have crashed the offensive glass to the tune of 12.6 offensive rebounds per game, up from just 8.4 through the first 11 games. The additional 4.2 offensive boards per game has led to an increase in second chance points from 8.3 to 15.0 per game. Reggie Upshaw has led the way with 3.4 offensive boards per game in that stretch while Perrin Buford has tripled his offensive rebounding from 1.0 in the first 11 games to 3.0 in the last eight games.
Heating Up
Throughout the current six-game winning streak, the Blue Raiders have been lighting it up from both inside and outside of the arc. Middle has shot 48.2 percent from the field and 38.8 percent from three over the course of the streak. Perrin Buford's mid-range game has taken off as of late as he is shooting 58.2 percent from the field during the streak, while Giddy Potts has hit an astonishing 53.7 percent (22-41) from three in the last six games, taking him to 51.1 percent on the season, the fourth best percentage in Division I.
Protecting the Rock
Since Jacob Ivory's return against Belmont on Dec. 17, Middle Tennessee has taken better care of the ball, leading to more scoring. The Blue Raiders have dropped from 14.4 turnovers per game while Ivory was out to only 11.3 since his return. The emphasis on protecting the ball has helped the Blue Raiders increase their offensive output from 70.2 points per game to 74.7.
Depth Chart
Middle Tennessee boasts one of the deepest rosters in Conference USA this season. Head coach Kermit Davis has played each of the 12 scholarship players in at least 75 percent of this season's contests, with the exception of Jacob Ivory who sat out the first eight games due to injury. Of those 12, 11 are averaging over five minutes per game while eight are averaging over 15 minutes per game. With that kind of depth, Davis was able to try eight different starting lineups in the first 13 games to find his best combination.
Fantastic Four
Just last season, Middle Tennessee did not have a single player average over 10 points per game. Reggie Upshaw was close at 9.9, but this season MT has four players in double-figures in Upshaw (13.5), Giddy Potts (16.3), Darnell Harris (12.9) and Perrin Buford (11.1).
And Your Point Is…?
Through 19 games, head coach Kermit Davis has started all three point guards at least six times each. The Blue Raiders are 4-2 in Copeland's starts, 3-3 in Raymond's and 7-0 in Ivory's. MT is averaging nearly nine points more per game when Ivory starts thanks in part to an additional 1.3 assists per game.
Series History
On Thursday, the Blue Raiders take on Marshall for the ninth time in program history. MT leads the all-time series 6-2 with both losses coming in Huntington, where the series record is even at 2-2. In two meetings as members of Conference USA the Blue Raiders are 2-0 against the Herd, while MT head coach Kermit Davis is 3-1 against Marshall. The Raiders have won the last three meetings dating back to 2012, including a whopping 90-51 win a season ago.
Last Time Out
Giddy Potts led the way for the Blue Raiders with 27 points on a 10-of-18 performance from the field while hitting 6-of-10 three point attempts.
Perrin Buford stuffed the box score with 23 points, eight rebounds, three steals, two assists and two blocks, while Reggie Upshaw chimed in with 18 points, eight rebounds, four assists and three steals.
Middle Tennessee (14-5, 6-1) shot a season-high 54.8 percent on the night and connected on 47.4 percent of their three-pointers against Rice (6-14, 1-6). The Raiders outrebounded the Owls 39-25 and held a 14-5 edge on the offensive glass.
The Blue Raiders 16 assists against Rice marked the seventh consecutive game with 13 or more, after doing so just five times in the first 12 contests.
Players Mentioned
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