Middle Tennesee State University Athletics
Saturday, November 18
Nashville, TN
3 PM
Middle Tennessee
3-1
75
at
65
Tennessee State
1-2
1
2
F
Middle Tennessee
40
35
75
Tennessee State
26
39
65
Team Stats
MT
TSUM
FG%
.500
.385
3FG%
.360
.333
FT%
.696
.720
RB
33
34
TO
13
12
STL
4
5
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
14
FGM
5
3FGM
0
FTM
4
Pts
11
FGM
3
3FGM
0
FTM
5
Pts
9
FGM
2
3FGM
0
FTM
5
Raiders win big at Tennessee State
11/18/2017 5:34:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Big men King and Walters lead the way
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – After a tough loss Thursday at home to Belmont, Middle Tennessee hit the road Saturday to take on another Nashville school and found a better outcome.
The Blue Raiders (3-1) made the short drive to Music City's west side to take on Tennessee State (1-2) and returned to Murfreesboro with a 75-65 win.
The victory was a redemptive one for MT, which lost at home to TSU last season 74-63 to break a 10-game winning streak against the Tigers. It now leads the all-time series 39-17.
"The Belmont game was a hard-fought game and we were disappointed, but I thought our preparation was good the last two days," Middle Tennessee head coach Kermit Davis said. "The best thing about college basketball is you don't have to wait seven days like in football. In about 48 hours you can get the taste out of your mouth."
It was all Blue Raiders from early on.
After giving up a game-opening 3-pointer, MT went on a 14-0 run to open an early 11-point lead on the strength of its defense. The Tigers made just one of their first 11 shots, while the Blue Raiders went 5-of-8 to start.
Middle Tennessee's defensive intensity never faltered, as it limited TSU to just 38-percent shooting (20-of-52) for the game and 33 percent from 3-point range (7-of-21).
"I thought we guarded the ball better, and I thought our [1-3-1 zone] was much better," Davis said. "That's been a staple mark of Middle Tennessee basketball … and that was a big part of us guarding better."
Tennessee State made a small run to cut MT's early 11-point advantage to five, but the Blue Raiders quickly put the clamps back down. They led by as many as 16 points before heading into halftime with a 40-26 advantage.
A pair of big men were the catalysts for Middle Tennessee in the opening half. Seniors Nick King and Brandon Walters combined for 23 points on 8-of-12 shooting in the first 20 minutes, proving too much for their big-man counterparts.
King finished with a team-high 20 points on 8-of-13 shooting (3-of-5 from distance) with five rebounds. He's scored at least 17 points in all four games this season, averaging 22.3 and 5.8 rebounds.
"Like coach says every game, the posts are going to try to come at us aggressively, so we have to meet them and punch them in the mouth first, then just keep our foot on the pedal throughout the game," King said.
The Tigers tried to make things interesting late in the second half, using an 18-7 run to cut the lead to nine with 3:20 left, but the Blue Raiders would let them get no closer.
Using crisp ball movement that allowed 18 assists on 25 made baskets, MT took care of the ball when it mattered most and calmly closed out the game.
"That was the first thing we talked about … the ball moved so much better and you saw some better plays," Davis said. "That was the big selling point we talked about the last two days, that we had to get back to how we play. I was proud of that, because that's a great stat."
Walters finished with 14 points and a team-high seven rebounds, and junior Antwain Johnson rounded out the Raiders' double-digit scoring with 11. Sophomore Tyrik Dixon added nine points and five assists to lead the team.
A tiring week of play has one contest left for Middle Tennessee. The Blue and White will host Florida Gulf Coast on Tuesday, Nov. 21, to cap an eight-day stretch with four games.
Tuesday's will be the first of back-to-back matchups with FGCU. The Blue Raiders will travel to Fort Myers, Florida, on Dec. 2.
The Blue Raiders (3-1) made the short drive to Music City's west side to take on Tennessee State (1-2) and returned to Murfreesboro with a 75-65 win.
The victory was a redemptive one for MT, which lost at home to TSU last season 74-63 to break a 10-game winning streak against the Tigers. It now leads the all-time series 39-17.
"The Belmont game was a hard-fought game and we were disappointed, but I thought our preparation was good the last two days," Middle Tennessee head coach Kermit Davis said. "The best thing about college basketball is you don't have to wait seven days like in football. In about 48 hours you can get the taste out of your mouth."
It was all Blue Raiders from early on.
After giving up a game-opening 3-pointer, MT went on a 14-0 run to open an early 11-point lead on the strength of its defense. The Tigers made just one of their first 11 shots, while the Blue Raiders went 5-of-8 to start.
Middle Tennessee's defensive intensity never faltered, as it limited TSU to just 38-percent shooting (20-of-52) for the game and 33 percent from 3-point range (7-of-21).
"I thought we guarded the ball better, and I thought our [1-3-1 zone] was much better," Davis said. "That's been a staple mark of Middle Tennessee basketball … and that was a big part of us guarding better."
Tennessee State made a small run to cut MT's early 11-point advantage to five, but the Blue Raiders quickly put the clamps back down. They led by as many as 16 points before heading into halftime with a 40-26 advantage.
A pair of big men were the catalysts for Middle Tennessee in the opening half. Seniors Nick King and Brandon Walters combined for 23 points on 8-of-12 shooting in the first 20 minutes, proving too much for their big-man counterparts.
King finished with a team-high 20 points on 8-of-13 shooting (3-of-5 from distance) with five rebounds. He's scored at least 17 points in all four games this season, averaging 22.3 and 5.8 rebounds.
"Like coach says every game, the posts are going to try to come at us aggressively, so we have to meet them and punch them in the mouth first, then just keep our foot on the pedal throughout the game," King said.
The Tigers tried to make things interesting late in the second half, using an 18-7 run to cut the lead to nine with 3:20 left, but the Blue Raiders would let them get no closer.
Using crisp ball movement that allowed 18 assists on 25 made baskets, MT took care of the ball when it mattered most and calmly closed out the game.
"That was the first thing we talked about … the ball moved so much better and you saw some better plays," Davis said. "That was the big selling point we talked about the last two days, that we had to get back to how we play. I was proud of that, because that's a great stat."
Walters finished with 14 points and a team-high seven rebounds, and junior Antwain Johnson rounded out the Raiders' double-digit scoring with 11. Sophomore Tyrik Dixon added nine points and five assists to lead the team.
A tiring week of play has one contest left for Middle Tennessee. The Blue and White will host Florida Gulf Coast on Tuesday, Nov. 21, to cap an eight-day stretch with four games.
Tuesday's will be the first of back-to-back matchups with FGCU. The Blue Raiders will travel to Fort Myers, Florida, on Dec. 2.
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
