Blue Raiders back in Murfreesboro to face Belmont

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — Middle Tennessee men's basketball is back in Murfreesboro and will look to put an end to the four-game skid when the Blue Raiders take on Belmont at the Murphy Center on Saturday night.

Game 8: Middle Tennessee (3-4, 0-0 C-USA) vs. Belmont (4-3, 0-0 OVC)
» Saturday, Nov. 30, 2019 – 7:30 p.m. CST
» Murphy Center (11,520) – Murfreesboro, Tenn.
» Season Ticket Holder Gift: One hat per account (not ticket). Pick up will be behind section P from doors open until halftime.
» Student Giveaway: First 100 students get a $10 Sam's Sports Grill gift card.

About the Blue Raiders
» Middle Tennessee is looking to get back in the win column after losing four straight at Conway, South Carolina's HTC Center last week.
» 3-point shooting continues to be a strong point of the Blue Raider offense, though it is a weak point for the Blue Raider defense. MT is shooting at 37.2% from behind the arc, while opponents have a mark of 41.1%.
» In MT's last game in Murfreesboro, the Blue Raiders notched their 500th win inside the Murphy Center with a 96-82 win over Mars Hill.
» Donovan Sims is second in all of Conference USA in assists so far this season, dishing out 32 helpers through seven games.
» Antonio Green leads C-USA in 3-point field goals made (21) and 3-point field goals per game (3.0), while C.J. Jones leads C-USA in 3-point field goal percentage (52.6%).

Scouting the Bruins
» Belmont is 3-4 and riding a two-game skid early in the 2019-20 season, the first coached by former Bruin point guard Casey Alexander. The two most recent losses came at the hands of Saint Louis and Eastern Washington, both on the road.
» The Bruins won an NCAA Tournament game last year under the direction of Rick Byrd, who retired in the off-season after 33 years as Belmont's leader.
» New coach Casey Alexander led Lipscomb to the NIT Finals last season.
» Belmont takes 45% of its shots from beyond the 3-point arc this season, while MT takes 38% of its shots from deep. The Bruins lead the nation in 3-point field goals made since entering NCAA Division I in 1997.
» The Bruins boast road wins over Boston College and Lipscomb already this season.
» 6-foot-3 guard Adam Kunkel leads the charge for the Bruins from behind the 3-point line, shooting 44% and making 24 of his long-range shots to average 19.2 points per game.
» 6-foot-2 guard Grayson Murphy does it all for his team, averaging 10.6 points, 9.0 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game.

All-Time vs. Belmont
» Saturday's contest with Belmont will be the 40th between the two programs. MT holds a 22-17 lead in the series.
» MT Head Coach Nick McDevitt is 0-1 all-time against the Bruins following last year's 92-73 Belmont win in Nashville.
» The Blue Raiders are 13-6 all-time against Belmont in Murfreesboro.

Last Time Out
» MT participated in the Myrtle Beach Invitational, falling to No. 17 Villanova, Tulane and Ohio.
» The Raiders were forced to try to dig out of early deficits after falling behind in all three games.
» MT outscored Tulane and Ohio in the second half and only scored four fewer points than Villanova in the final 20 minutes.
» Despite the week's record, Donovan Sims played arguably his best basketball this season to date. The Murfreesboro native nearly led the Myrtle Beach Invitational field in assists and scored in double figures in each of the team's three MBI games.

Next Time Out
» MT will stay in Murfreesboro to take on Columbia International on Tuesday.
» Tipoff against Columbia International is at 6:30 and can be streamed on CUSA.tv.

For all the latest information on Middle Tennessee Men's Basketball, follow the #BlueRaiders on Facebook (@MTMensBasketball), Twitter (@MT_MBB) and Instagram (MT_MBB).

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Players Mentioned

Antonio Green

C.J. Jones

Donovan Sims

Middle Tennessee State University Athletics