Middle Tennessee State University Athletics
Saturday, March 3
Murfreesboro, TN
6 PM
Middle Tennessee
24-6, 16-2
67
vs
76
Marshall
21-10, 11-7
1
2
F
Marshall
36
40
76
Middle Tennessee
33
34
67
Team Stats
MAR
MT
FG%
.472
.417
3FG%
.182
.222
FT%
.815
.500
RB
39
34
TO
13
11
STL
5
4
Game Leaders
Pts
20
FGM
7
3FGM
0
FTM
6
Pts
11
FGM
4
3FGM
1
FTM
2
Pts
6
FGM
2
3FGM
0
FTM
2
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's BasketballF
/ Men's BasketballBlue Raiders fall on Senior Day
3/3/2018 8:58:00 PM | Men's Basketball
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – Middle Tennessee couldn't send its seniors out with a win Saturday, as the No. 24 Blue Raiders hosted Marshall and fell 76-67 to end the regular season.
It was just the second Conference USA loss of the season for MT, which also fell at Marshall 73-63 on Jan. 18. The Raiders, C-USA's regular-season champion for the second year in a row, had won 11 straight since that loss. They now lead the all-time series between the teams 11-5 and 6-1 in the Murphy Center.
The game was more than just a rematch, though. It also served as senior night for Giddy Potts, Edward Simpson, Nick King, Brandon Walters and Jacob Ivory.
"[Our seniors] have been unbelievable," MT head coach Kermit Davis said. "We wouldn't be anywhere close here without them. Sometimes you just get teams in the league that are bad matchups, and right now it looks like Marshall is bad matchup for us for some reason.
"We had a great regular season … and have a lot to be proud of. We'll focus our attention right to that tournament starting tomorrow."
Just as the case was in the Jan. 18 meeting, Middle Tennessee (25-5, 17-1) came out cold offensively against C-USA's worst scoring defense and never recovered.
Marshall (20-11, 11-7) went into the night worst in the conference giving up 80.1 points per outing but gave the Blue Raiders all they could handle. The home team managed to shoot just 42 percent (13-of-31) from the floor in the first half as the Thundering Herd built a slim 36-33 halftime advantage.
The score at the break could have been more lopsided if it weren't for Walters. The Chattanooga native came out aggressive on his senior night and used his big 6-foot-10 frame to bully his way to 14 points on 6-of-8 shooting before the break while grabbing five rebounds, three on the offensive end.
"I was just trying to be physical on the boards," Walters said. "Just trying to get angles to the rim and get offensive boards. I had to match their rebounding skills tonight."
Middle Tennessee went into the game giving up just 65.3 points per game, good for second in C-USA and 29th in the country, while Marshall was first in the league and 13th nationally averaging 84.9 points offensively.
Something had to give, and in the second half it proved to be the Thundering Herd's offense. The problem for the Blue Raiders was their offense also sputtered.
The blue and white limited Marshall to just 41.7 percent shooting in the second half, but on the flipside hit just 41.4 percent to go with a poor night from the free-throw line, finishing 13-of-26 from the stripe.
The score flip-flopped for most of the second half, with neither team leading by more than five points until the Thundering Herd pushed their advantage to eight with just over a minute remaining.
"Marshall twice has out-toughed us," Davis said. "It's disappointing but give Marshall credit.
"We've got to be sick about it for about 10-15 hours, then tomorrow we have to get up and focus our attention on Frisco and the tournament."
Walters finished with 20 points and eight rebounds on 7-of-9 shooting, while Potts had 11 points.
King, who went into the game needing just five points to break MT's single-season scoring record, finished with 18 points and nine rebounds. He now sits at 637 points this season, breaking the record of 623 set by Kim Cooksey in 1985-86.
Middle Tennessee will be the top seed in the Conference USA Tournament, which lasts from March 7-10. The Blue Raiders, who are back-to-back C-USA Tournament champions, will get a bye into the quarterfinals, which will be held on Thursday.
"We just have to lock in," King said. "We just have to keep playing, come out and be ready, and bounce back and play like we've been playing the last couple of games, not tonight."
It was just the second Conference USA loss of the season for MT, which also fell at Marshall 73-63 on Jan. 18. The Raiders, C-USA's regular-season champion for the second year in a row, had won 11 straight since that loss. They now lead the all-time series between the teams 11-5 and 6-1 in the Murphy Center.
The game was more than just a rematch, though. It also served as senior night for Giddy Potts, Edward Simpson, Nick King, Brandon Walters and Jacob Ivory.
"[Our seniors] have been unbelievable," MT head coach Kermit Davis said. "We wouldn't be anywhere close here without them. Sometimes you just get teams in the league that are bad matchups, and right now it looks like Marshall is bad matchup for us for some reason.
"We had a great regular season … and have a lot to be proud of. We'll focus our attention right to that tournament starting tomorrow."
Just as the case was in the Jan. 18 meeting, Middle Tennessee (25-5, 17-1) came out cold offensively against C-USA's worst scoring defense and never recovered.
Marshall (20-11, 11-7) went into the night worst in the conference giving up 80.1 points per outing but gave the Blue Raiders all they could handle. The home team managed to shoot just 42 percent (13-of-31) from the floor in the first half as the Thundering Herd built a slim 36-33 halftime advantage.
The score at the break could have been more lopsided if it weren't for Walters. The Chattanooga native came out aggressive on his senior night and used his big 6-foot-10 frame to bully his way to 14 points on 6-of-8 shooting before the break while grabbing five rebounds, three on the offensive end.
"I was just trying to be physical on the boards," Walters said. "Just trying to get angles to the rim and get offensive boards. I had to match their rebounding skills tonight."
Middle Tennessee went into the game giving up just 65.3 points per game, good for second in C-USA and 29th in the country, while Marshall was first in the league and 13th nationally averaging 84.9 points offensively.
Something had to give, and in the second half it proved to be the Thundering Herd's offense. The problem for the Blue Raiders was their offense also sputtered.
The blue and white limited Marshall to just 41.7 percent shooting in the second half, but on the flipside hit just 41.4 percent to go with a poor night from the free-throw line, finishing 13-of-26 from the stripe.
The score flip-flopped for most of the second half, with neither team leading by more than five points until the Thundering Herd pushed their advantage to eight with just over a minute remaining.
"Marshall twice has out-toughed us," Davis said. "It's disappointing but give Marshall credit.
"We've got to be sick about it for about 10-15 hours, then tomorrow we have to get up and focus our attention on Frisco and the tournament."
Walters finished with 20 points and eight rebounds on 7-of-9 shooting, while Potts had 11 points.
King, who went into the game needing just five points to break MT's single-season scoring record, finished with 18 points and nine rebounds. He now sits at 637 points this season, breaking the record of 623 set by Kim Cooksey in 1985-86.
Middle Tennessee will be the top seed in the Conference USA Tournament, which lasts from March 7-10. The Blue Raiders, who are back-to-back C-USA Tournament champions, will get a bye into the quarterfinals, which will be held on Thursday.
"We just have to lock in," King said. "We just have to keep playing, come out and be ready, and bounce back and play like we've been playing the last couple of games, not tonight."
2025 MTSU Basketball tickets on sale now - October 1st
Wednesday, October 01
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
