Middle Tennesee State University Athletics
Thursday, December 8
Murfreesboro, TN
6:30 PM
Middle Tennessee
9-1
71
vs
48
Vanderbilt
5-5
1
2
F
Vanderbilt
23
25
48
Middle Tennessee
31
40
71
Team Stats
VU
MT
FG%
.321
.459
3FG%
.263
.292
FT%
.692
.615
RB
33
39
TO
13
6
STL
3
10
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
27
FGM
10
3FGM
4
FTM
3
Pts
14
FGM
7
3FGM
0
FTM
0
Pts
13
FGM
6
3FGM
0
FTM
1
Pts
6
FGM
2
3FGM
2
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's BasketballF
/ Men's BasketballF
/ Men's BasketballMiddle Tennessee slams the 'Dores, 71-48
12/8/2016 9:18:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Potts pours in season-high 27 points
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – Middle Tennessee (9-1) got its second win over a Southeastern Conference opponent in eight days Thursday with a 71-48 home victory over cross-town foe Vanderbilt (5-5).
It was the seventh win in a row for the Blue Raiders, who have not lost since their Nov. 19 contest against Tennessee State.
"I want to be complimentary to our crowd; it was a great home court advantage tonight," MT head coach Kermit Davis said. "It was a good win for us."
Middle Tennessee brought its A-game defensively from the start. The Commodores hit just 32 percent of their shots in the first half (9-28), including a 4-13 effort from 3-point range.
The Raiders went into the half with a 31-23 lead and came out after the break with the same defensive intensity. They pushed their advantage to 16 points just four minutes into the second half and elevated it from there, leading by as many as 26. The 48 points the Dores finished with were their lowest of the season.
Vanderbilt, which went into the game fresh off hitting a school-record 19 3-pointers against High Point in its previous contest, made just 5-of-18 attempts from outside against MT, the second-best 3-point defensive team in Conference USA.
"Vanderbilt is a very good rhythm offense," Davis said. "We got them a little bit out of rhythm, then we got some hands on balls and started playing in transition."
While Middle Tennessee's defense made things tough on the Dores, junior Giddy Potts was the main cog in making Vanderbilt's defense uncomfortable.
The guard scored 15 of his team-high 27 points in the first half and finished shooting 10-of-17 from the field and 4-of-9 from three. He also had nine rebounds and three steals.
"I know most of the guards are smaller than me, so I use my power to get to the goal," Potts said. "My mid-range game is coming a lot better than it was in the middle of the season. That's what's helping my game."
While Potts was a one-man wrecking crew in the first half, he got help after halftime, mostly in the form of Reggie Upshaw. The senior scored 10 of his 14 points in the second half and shot 7-12 from the floor in the game. He also had six rebounds, five assists and three steals.
"Coach always says if you're active on the defensive end it will make your offensive game a lot easier, and I think my first points were off of a steal," Upshaw said. "Anytime you can get out in transition with a steal or something easy, it helps not just myself but the whole team."
The Blue Raiders, who came into the game leading C-USA with just 10.7 turnovers per game and a plus-4.9 turnover margin, again had another outstanding game protecting the basketball.
They turned the ball over just six times, compared to 13 cough ups for the Commodores. Middle Tennessee scored 17 points off of Vanderbilt's turnovers and had 16 fast break points and 10 team steals.
"We do it in practice," Potts said. "Our turnovers come off of bad mistakes … and we have to get better at that. We just take care of the ball and know what we have to do with the ball."
Redshirt senior JaCorey Williams rounded out the Raiders with double-digit points with 13, and he also had 10 rebounds for his second double-double of the season.
Middle Tennessee hits the road for its next game, but fans luckily won't have to drive too far. The Raiders will take on their third Nashville-based team on Dec. 14 at Belmont. The game is scheduled to tip off at 7 p.m.
It was the seventh win in a row for the Blue Raiders, who have not lost since their Nov. 19 contest against Tennessee State.
"I want to be complimentary to our crowd; it was a great home court advantage tonight," MT head coach Kermit Davis said. "It was a good win for us."
Middle Tennessee brought its A-game defensively from the start. The Commodores hit just 32 percent of their shots in the first half (9-28), including a 4-13 effort from 3-point range.
The Raiders went into the half with a 31-23 lead and came out after the break with the same defensive intensity. They pushed their advantage to 16 points just four minutes into the second half and elevated it from there, leading by as many as 26. The 48 points the Dores finished with were their lowest of the season.
Vanderbilt, which went into the game fresh off hitting a school-record 19 3-pointers against High Point in its previous contest, made just 5-of-18 attempts from outside against MT, the second-best 3-point defensive team in Conference USA.
"Vanderbilt is a very good rhythm offense," Davis said. "We got them a little bit out of rhythm, then we got some hands on balls and started playing in transition."
While Middle Tennessee's defense made things tough on the Dores, junior Giddy Potts was the main cog in making Vanderbilt's defense uncomfortable.
The guard scored 15 of his team-high 27 points in the first half and finished shooting 10-of-17 from the field and 4-of-9 from three. He also had nine rebounds and three steals.
"I know most of the guards are smaller than me, so I use my power to get to the goal," Potts said. "My mid-range game is coming a lot better than it was in the middle of the season. That's what's helping my game."
While Potts was a one-man wrecking crew in the first half, he got help after halftime, mostly in the form of Reggie Upshaw. The senior scored 10 of his 14 points in the second half and shot 7-12 from the floor in the game. He also had six rebounds, five assists and three steals.
"Coach always says if you're active on the defensive end it will make your offensive game a lot easier, and I think my first points were off of a steal," Upshaw said. "Anytime you can get out in transition with a steal or something easy, it helps not just myself but the whole team."
The Blue Raiders, who came into the game leading C-USA with just 10.7 turnovers per game and a plus-4.9 turnover margin, again had another outstanding game protecting the basketball.
They turned the ball over just six times, compared to 13 cough ups for the Commodores. Middle Tennessee scored 17 points off of Vanderbilt's turnovers and had 16 fast break points and 10 team steals.
"We do it in practice," Potts said. "Our turnovers come off of bad mistakes … and we have to get better at that. We just take care of the ball and know what we have to do with the ball."
Redshirt senior JaCorey Williams rounded out the Raiders with double-digit points with 13, and he also had 10 rebounds for his second double-double of the season.
Middle Tennessee hits the road for its next game, but fans luckily won't have to drive too far. The Raiders will take on their third Nashville-based team on Dec. 14 at Belmont. The game is scheduled to tip off at 7 p.m.
Facility tour – Stephen and Denise Smith Student-Athlete Performance Center
Wednesday, July 30
2025 Blue Raider Blitz Media Panel
Thursday, July 03
MTSU Men's Basketball Coach Nick McDevitt interview at 2025 Blue Raider Blitz
Monday, June 30
MTSU Men's Basketball Post Game Press Conference vs Chattanooga NIT 3/18/25
Tuesday, March 18
