Middle Tennessee State University Athletics
Middle Tennessee
Rice
Raiders receiving votes, preparing for Rice
2/7/2018 2:45:00 PM | Men's Basketball
GAME INFORMATION
[Game Notes]
Hashtag: #TrueBlue, #BlueRaiders, #CUSAMBK
Twitter: @MT_MBB
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Date: Thursday, February 8
Time: 6:30 p.m.
Match-up: Rice (5-18, 2-8) at Middle Tennessee (18-5, 10-1)
Location: Murfreesboro, Tenn. | Murphy Center
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – Middle Tennessee returns to Murphy Center this week for a two-game home stand against a pair of Texas-based opponents. Rice travels to Murfreesboro on Thursday to take on the Blue Raiders, who try to remain undefeated at home in conference play.
Middle Tennessee currently ranks 21st in the most recent NCAA Ratings Percentage Index (RPI), which is used by the committee on Selection Sunday. The Blue Raiders also sit 43rd in the Ken Pom college basketball rankings.
In the most recent release of the USA Today Coaches Poll, Middle Tennessee received 15 votes, 29th most in the country. Last season, the Blue Raiders entered the Top 25 in the Coaches Poll for the first time in school history. MT also received six votes in the AP Poll Top 25 after defeating Old Dominion and Charlotte on the road. Strong performances over the weekend could see the Blue Raiders continue to rise among the nation's best teams.
Although the Blue Raiders (18-5, 10-1) hold the all-time series lead over Rice, 5-2, two out of the last three games have been decided by three points, including last season's nail-biting 80-77 win in Houston.
Against the Owls (5-18, 2-8), Middle Tennessee is hoping for more scoring from junior guard Antwain Johnson, who is coming off 41 combined points in MT's road wins over Old Dominion (18 points) and Charlotte (23 points) and continues to emerge as a dangerous scoring threat for the Blue Raiders.
Although head coach Kermit Davis wasn't fully satisfied with MT's defensive effort at Charlotte, he praised his team's ability to find a way to gut it out down the stretch.
"What our team has done to secure a nation-leading 10th road win is great," said Davis. "We've really found a way to make plays late in games and we did it again (against Charlotte)."
Fortunately for the Blue Raiders, the matchup against the Owls presents an opportunity to get their defense back on track. Rice currently sits in last place in Conference USA in scoring offense, only posting 67.7 points per contest.
In order to limit Rice, they'll have to start with junior guard Connor Cashaw, who ranks 10th in Conference USA in scoring at 16 points per game. While he's only shooting 40 percent from the field, Cashaw has been successful at getting to the free throw line at a high rate, averaging five free throw attempts per game.
To see where the Blue Raiders stand in comparison to the rest of the country, the complete rankings for both the AP Top 25 and Coaches Poll are below.
Tip-off against the Owls in the Murphy Center is scheduled for 6:30 PM on Thursday. The game will be streamed on Facebook via Stadium and will also be broadcast on the Blue Raider Network (94.9 FM).
· AP Top 25 USA Today Coaches Poll
1) Villanova 22-1 1) Villanova 22-1
2) Virginia 22-1 2) Virginia 22-1
3) Purdue 23-2 3) Purdue 23-2
4) Michigan St. 22-3 4) Michigan St. 22-3
5) Xavier 21-3 5) Xavier 21-3
6) Cincinnati 21-2 6) Cincinnati 21-2
7) Texas Tech 19-4 7) Texas Tech 19-4
8) Auburn 21-2 8) Duke 19-4
9) Duke 19-4 9) Auburn 21-2
10) Kansas 18-5 10) Kansas 18-5
11) Saint Mary's 23-2 11) Gonzaga 21-4
12) Gonzaga 21-4 12) Saint Mary's 23-2
13) Arizona 19-5 13) Arizona 19-5
14) Ohio State 20-5 14) Tennessee 17-5
15) Tennessee 17-5 15) Clemson 19-4
16) Clemson 19-4 16) Ohio State 20-5
17) Oklahoma 16-6 17) West Virginia 17-6
18) Rhode Island 19-3 18) Oklahoma 16-6
19) West Virginia 17-6 19) Rhode Island 19-3
20) Michigan 19-6 20) Michigan 19-6
21) North Carolina 17-7 21) Wichita State 17-5
22) Wichita State 17-5 22) North Carolina 17-7
23) Nevada 20-4 23) Nevada 20-4
24) Kentucky 17-6 24) Kentucky 17-6
25) Miami 17-5 25) Miami 17-5
Others receiving votes: Butler 65, Others receiving votes: Creighton 45, Arizona State 42,
Washington 54, Florida State 27, Seton Hall 25, Middle Tennessee 15, NC State 13, Florida
New Mexico State 23, Seton Hall 20, State 11, New Mexico State 10, Washington 10, Boise State
Creighton 18, Arizona State 17, 9, Florida 8, Butler 6, Louisiana 5, Houston 5, USC 3, Alabama 3
Texas 15, NC State 12, Louisville 2, Kansas State 2, Texas 2, Loyola-Chicago 1
Alabama 8, Middle Tennessee 6,
Nebraska 4, Florida 3, Houston 3,
TCU 3, Oklahoma State 2,
East Tennessee State 1, Vermont 1
