Blue Raiders' 100th season starts Monday

Monday, November 7

Murfreesboro, Tenn.

11 AM

Middle Tennessee

Brescia

11/6/2022 9:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball

Game Notes

MTSU will host Brescia for Education Day game

By: Thomas Donley, MT Athletics

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – Middle Tennessee (0-0, 0-0 Conference USA) gets ready to extend its 17-game home winning streak Monday as it opens its season against Brescia at 11 a.m. at the Murphy Center. The Blue Raiders are anticipating over 4,700 students from Rutherford County schools to be in attendance for MTSU men's basketball's first Education Day since 2019.

Monday's game marks the start of the 100th season of Blue Raider basketball, as well as the 50th playing at the Murphy Center.

Both games will be broadcast on ESPN+. Fans can tune into the radio broadcast WGNS 1450AM/100.5 FM/101.9 FM; The Game 2 94.9 FM/95.1 FM with Chip Walters on the call. General admission tickets are available for $8.

The Blue Raiders return six of seven players who played in a program record 37 games in 2021-22 as MTSU increased its win total by 21 games from the prior season, tying with Towson to set a new NCAA record.

Game 1: Middle Tennessee (0-0, 0-0 C-USA) vs. Brescia (1-0, 0-0 RSC)
» Monday, November 7, 2022 – 11 a.m. CT
» Murphy Center
» Murfreesboro, TN

All-Time vs. Brescia
» MT leads the all-time series 1-0.
» The Blue Raiders defeated the Bearcats in last season's opening game.

Blue Raiders Notes
» Middle Tennessee enters the season with Conference USA's longest active home winning streak at 17 games, the fourth-longest such streak in program history. At 15-0 at the Murphy Center last year, the Blue Raiders recorded their fifth-ever undefeated record at home.
» The Blue Raiders made the largest year-over-year turnaround in the country in 2021-22, improving upon the previous season's win total by 21, tying with Towson for a new NCAA record.
» DeAndre Dishman is one of just five seventh-year players in Division I men's basketball this season. The Lexington, Ky., native reached the 1,000-point mark for his career on March 22, 2022, against Abilene Christian in the CBI semifinals.
» Middle Tennessee limited opponents to 60 points or fewer 15 times in 2021-22, the second-most in C-USA.
» With 50 dunks last season, freshman Teafale Lenard broke the MT single-season record of 49 set by Reggie Scurry in 2018-19. His 58 blocks are fourth-most in a season in program history and the most since Shawn Jones swatted 63 shots in 2013-14. He is also 10th in career blocks after one season.
» Nick McDevitt added both C-USA Coach of the Year and NABC District 11 Coach of the Year honors to his mantle in 2021-22.
» The first season of Middle Tennessee men's basketball was played in 1913-14. Due to a combined nine years of hiatus due to World Wars I and II, the 2022-23 season will mark the 100th in program history.

Scouting the Bearcats
» Brescia won its season-opener against Lindsey Wilson 85-71 on Oct. 31.
» The Bearcats have six Division I opponents on the schedule for 2022-23.
» Sarah Gayler is in her second year as head coach and athletic director at Brescia.
» The Bearcats return three of five starters from the 2021-22 squad that finished 7-22.

Follow the Blue Raiders

Follow Middle Tennessee Men's Basketball on social media on Facebook //MTMensBasketball Twitter (@MT_MBB) and Instagram (@mt_mbb).