Middle Tennesee State University Athletics
COLUMN: A Great Day To Be A Blue Raider
1/30/2022 4:41:00 PM | General, Men's Basketball, Women's Basketball
Saturday’s triumphs on the hardwood set the stage for dynamic MT Basketball down the stretch
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — One of the many many things I love about Murfreesboro is the fact that it's in the central time zone, which I've determined is by far the best time zone in the U.S. for watching sports. On weekends, you can start watching games as early as 11 a.m. most days, while weeknights consistently feature 6 p.m. tip-offs, giving one ample time to wind down after the game.
And on Saturdays like yesterday, when my alma mater, UNC, plays early in the afternoon on the East Coast and Middle Tennessee plays mid-afternoon in the central time zone, my Twitter feed, somewhat crazily but mostly delightfully, is a wonderful mix of Tar Heel basketball updates and Blue Raider basketball anticipation.
And on days like yesterday, when both the Blue Raiders and Lady Raiders, as well as the Tar Heels, all get to celebrate wins over fierce conference rivals?
Well, it's a pretty dang good day to be a Blue Raider (or Tar Heel).
You see, around Chapel Hill, we have a hashtag that I'm not quite sure when it started, but I do know it's not likely to ever end. #GDTBATH
At first, it looks like a random amalgamation of letters. Maybe the "BATH" means something? But when the acronym is broken down, the meaning, and why it's caught on so much with so many generations of Tar Heels, becomes clear.
Great Day To Be A Tar Heel.
Saturday surely was a great day to be a Tar Heel, with UNC boat-racing rival NC State 100-80, Hall of Fame Coach getting honored at halftime and the 1982 National Champion men's basketball team (you know, the one with Michael Jeffery Jordan on it) being celebrated as well.
But with due respect to the Dean E. Smith Center, there's no place I would've rather been yesterday afternoon than Charles M. Murphy Athletic Center to watch the Lady Raiders pick up their own rivalry win over Western Kentucky, 71-64. Mostly because simultaneously, just ahead of the Murfreesboro Matinee, the Blue Raiders blitzed back WKU 93-85 in Bowling Green, Ky.
The energy for those in attendance on Saturday was immaculate, in large part due to the timing of when each game started. With the men tipping off at 2 p.m., their 42-37 halftime lead was already secured before the Lady Raiders got underway. That created a palpable buzz in the arena that MT took quick advantage of with an early run of 22-2 between the first and second quarters.
And when the Blue Raiders' win in Diddle Arena, behind a 57 percent shooting clip beyond the arc, was secured in the middle of the third quarter, the cheers got even louder.
And when Kseniya Malashka secured the final rebound and dribbled out the clock on the final win of the weekend, it didn't matter, as Rick Insell said post game, that the Lady Raiders' win didn't look good. The tough last three years across the Murphy Center halls in the men's basketball locker room didn't matter.
In that moment, right there in Western Kentucky and in Middle Tennessee, both MT basketball teams had a case of being the class of the C-USA East this season. And with the C-USA Tournament format heavily rewarding division champions, there's a lot to be excited about on the hardwood in Murfreesboro.
Of course, that also means there's a lot of work still to be done, and with UAB on tap this coming weekend for each team, I know both coaching staffs and teams are already deep into the preparations for the coming week.
But for one more day, I just wanted to share with you all once again how special this school, this athletic department, and these two teams are. I cannot wait to keep watching them as the season goes on.
It was, indeed, a Great Day To Be A Blue Raider.
And on Saturdays like yesterday, when my alma mater, UNC, plays early in the afternoon on the East Coast and Middle Tennessee plays mid-afternoon in the central time zone, my Twitter feed, somewhat crazily but mostly delightfully, is a wonderful mix of Tar Heel basketball updates and Blue Raider basketball anticipation.
And on days like yesterday, when both the Blue Raiders and Lady Raiders, as well as the Tar Heels, all get to celebrate wins over fierce conference rivals?
Well, it's a pretty dang good day to be a Blue Raider (or Tar Heel).
You see, around Chapel Hill, we have a hashtag that I'm not quite sure when it started, but I do know it's not likely to ever end. #GDTBATH
At first, it looks like a random amalgamation of letters. Maybe the "BATH" means something? But when the acronym is broken down, the meaning, and why it's caught on so much with so many generations of Tar Heels, becomes clear.
Great Day To Be A Tar Heel.
Saturday surely was a great day to be a Tar Heel, with UNC boat-racing rival NC State 100-80, Hall of Fame Coach getting honored at halftime and the 1982 National Champion men's basketball team (you know, the one with Michael Jeffery Jordan on it) being celebrated as well.
A very, 𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 successful Roy Williams Day 🥲#GoHeels x #GDTBATH pic.twitter.com/JZW3lZODHD
— UNC Tar Heels (@GoHeels) January 30, 2022
But with due respect to the Dean E. Smith Center, there's no place I would've rather been yesterday afternoon than Charles M. Murphy Athletic Center to watch the Lady Raiders pick up their own rivalry win over Western Kentucky, 71-64. Mostly because simultaneously, just ahead of the Murfreesboro Matinee, the Blue Raiders blitzed back WKU 93-85 in Bowling Green, Ky.
The energy for those in attendance on Saturday was immaculate, in large part due to the timing of when each game started. With the men tipping off at 2 p.m., their 42-37 halftime lead was already secured before the Lady Raiders got underway. That created a palpable buzz in the arena that MT took quick advantage of with an early run of 22-2 between the first and second quarters.
And when the Blue Raiders' win in Diddle Arena, behind a 57 percent shooting clip beyond the arc, was secured in the middle of the third quarter, the cheers got even louder.
BIG Cheer at the Murphy Center when the PA announcer tells the crowd the @MT_MBB score for their 93-85 win over WKU on the road.
— Sam Doughton (@sjdoughton) January 29, 2022
And when Kseniya Malashka secured the final rebound and dribbled out the clock on the final win of the weekend, it didn't matter, as Rick Insell said post game, that the Lady Raiders' win didn't look good. The tough last three years across the Murphy Center halls in the men's basketball locker room didn't matter.
In that moment, right there in Western Kentucky and in Middle Tennessee, both MT basketball teams had a case of being the class of the C-USA East this season. And with the C-USA Tournament format heavily rewarding division champions, there's a lot to be excited about on the hardwood in Murfreesboro.
Of course, that also means there's a lot of work still to be done, and with UAB on tap this coming weekend for each team, I know both coaching staffs and teams are already deep into the preparations for the coming week.
But for one more day, I just wanted to share with you all once again how special this school, this athletic department, and these two teams are. I cannot wait to keep watching them as the season goes on.
It was, indeed, a Great Day To Be A Blue Raider.
🗣 I SAID IT'S GREAT 👏 TO BE 👏 FROM MIDDLE TENNESSEE
— MT Athletics (@MTAthletics) January 29, 2022
Got the job done in Bowling Green.#StickTogether pic.twitter.com/UUDtgLqmzg
— MT Basketball (@MT_MBB) January 30, 2022
A scrappy win to move us up in the standings. pic.twitter.com/RP7Z7khRZV
— MT Women's Basketball (@MT_WBB) January 30, 2022
Players Mentioned
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