Middle Tennessee State University Athletics
Blue Raiders reopen conference play at Charlotte, vs. WKU
12/28/2022 12:00:00 PM | Men's Basketball
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – Middle Tennessee men's basketball resumes Conference USA play this weekend, heading to Charlotte on Thursday before returning home to take on Western Kentucky on New Year's Eve. The Blue Raiders banked an early 1-0 start in league play on Nov. 15 with a home win over Rice and will reenter the conference schedule fresh off an 83-67 home win over Murray State.
Thursday's game will tip off at 5:00 p.m. CT, streaming on ESPN+. It will also be broadcast on 94.9 The Fan, 95.1 in Murfreesboro. GoBlueRaiders.com and the Varsity Network App will also carry the audio.
Saturday's game tips off at 3 p.m. CT on CBS Sports Network.
Game 12: Middle Tennessee (8-4, 1-0 C-USA) at Charlotte (9-3, 0-1 C-USA)
» Thursday, Dec. 29, 2022 – 5:00 p.m. CT
» Halton Arena
» Charlotte, N.C.
All-Time vs. Charlotte
» MTSU leads the all-time series, 12-3.
» The Blue Raiders saw a four-game win streak against Charlotte snapped in its last meeting with the 49ers, a 60-56 decision at Charlotte on March 2.
» MTSU is 8-2 in its past 10 matchups with Charlotte.
Game 13: Middle Tennessee (8-4, 1-0 C-USA) vs. Western Kentucky (8-3, 0-0)
» Saturday, Dec. 31, 2022 – 3:00 p.m. CT
» Murphy Center
» Murfreesboro, Tenn.
All-Time vs. WKU
» WKU leads the series 97-45.
» The Blue Raiders swept the Hilltoppers in 2021-22 and have won six of the last 10 meetings.
Promotions
» New Year's Eve Celebration
» Champagne Flute giveaway
Blue Raider Notes
» Middle Tennessee has had four or more players score in double figures in three straight games and five times in its last six games.
» Head coach Nick McDevitt's team joins Miami (FL) and Navy as the only teams in the country to neither lose a player to the transfer portal nor add a player from it during the 2022 offseason.
» Teafale Lenard, Jr., had a career game at Belmont in which he set personal bests in points (20), rebounds (8) and blocks (6) while adding three assists and three steals. His six blocks are tied for the fourth most in a game in program history, and MTSU's 13 blocks in the game established a new program record.
» Lenard started the week 26th in the country in blocks per game at 2.08. He is fifth in career blocks with 83.
» DeAndre Dishman is one of just seven seventh-year players in Division I men's basketball this season. His 16 points and 10 rebounds at Belmont marked his second double-double of the season and the fifth of his college career.
» Through Monday, Dishman is 54th in the nation in field goal percentage. He has shot better than 50 percent from the floor in all but one game. That one game was a 2-4 performance in reduced minutes against DIII Maryville (TN).
» Eli Lawrence enters Thursday's game with 821 career points. If he averages 9.4 points per game the rest of the way, he will reach the 1,000-point mark by the end of the regular season.
» Elias King last Wednesday against Murray State recorded the 10th double-digit scoring performance of his college career. Nine of those games have come in his last 15 appearances, dating back to the 2022 CBI. He is shooting .444 (8-18) from 3-point range over his last four games.
Scouting the 49ers
» Charlotte is coming off a 76-68 loss at UAB in its C-USA opener last Thursday. The 49ers entered the game on a five-game winning streak.
» Two players average over 10 points per game for Charlotte. Sophomore forward and Croatia native Igor Milicic Jr. paces the team with 10.5 points each matchup. Aly Khalifa, the defending C-USA freshman of the year, follows with 10.3 points per game and team highs of 7.2 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game.
» The 49ers are 17th in the nation and second in C-USA in scoring defense, limiting opponents to 59.6 points per game.
» Head coach Ron Sanchez is 59-67 at Charlotte, currently in his 5th year at the helm.
Scouting the Hilltoppers
» Western Kentucky opens C-USA play Thursday against Rice having lost back-to-back games to 2-11 Louisville and 6-6 South Carolina.
» The Hilltoppers feature the tallest player in Division I men's basketball in Jamarion Sharp, who leads the nation in blocked shots with 49.
» Luke Frampton is third in the country in 3-point percentage at .542.
» Dayvion McKnight leads WKU and is sixth in C-USA in scoring at 16.5 points per game.
Follow the Blue Raiders
Follow Middle Tennessee Men's Basketball on social media on Facebook //MTMensBasketball, Twitter (@MT_MBB) and Instagram (@mt_mbb).
Thursday's game will tip off at 5:00 p.m. CT, streaming on ESPN+. It will also be broadcast on 94.9 The Fan, 95.1 in Murfreesboro. GoBlueRaiders.com and the Varsity Network App will also carry the audio.
Saturday's game tips off at 3 p.m. CT on CBS Sports Network.
Game 12: Middle Tennessee (8-4, 1-0 C-USA) at Charlotte (9-3, 0-1 C-USA)
» Thursday, Dec. 29, 2022 – 5:00 p.m. CT
» Halton Arena
» Charlotte, N.C.
All-Time vs. Charlotte
» MTSU leads the all-time series, 12-3.
» The Blue Raiders saw a four-game win streak against Charlotte snapped in its last meeting with the 49ers, a 60-56 decision at Charlotte on March 2.
» MTSU is 8-2 in its past 10 matchups with Charlotte.
Game 13: Middle Tennessee (8-4, 1-0 C-USA) vs. Western Kentucky (8-3, 0-0)
» Saturday, Dec. 31, 2022 – 3:00 p.m. CT
» Murphy Center
» Murfreesboro, Tenn.
All-Time vs. WKU
» WKU leads the series 97-45.
» The Blue Raiders swept the Hilltoppers in 2021-22 and have won six of the last 10 meetings.
Promotions
» New Year's Eve Celebration
» Champagne Flute giveaway
Blue Raider Notes
» Middle Tennessee has had four or more players score in double figures in three straight games and five times in its last six games.
» Head coach Nick McDevitt's team joins Miami (FL) and Navy as the only teams in the country to neither lose a player to the transfer portal nor add a player from it during the 2022 offseason.
» Teafale Lenard, Jr., had a career game at Belmont in which he set personal bests in points (20), rebounds (8) and blocks (6) while adding three assists and three steals. His six blocks are tied for the fourth most in a game in program history, and MTSU's 13 blocks in the game established a new program record.
» Lenard started the week 26th in the country in blocks per game at 2.08. He is fifth in career blocks with 83.
» DeAndre Dishman is one of just seven seventh-year players in Division I men's basketball this season. His 16 points and 10 rebounds at Belmont marked his second double-double of the season and the fifth of his college career.
» Through Monday, Dishman is 54th in the nation in field goal percentage. He has shot better than 50 percent from the floor in all but one game. That one game was a 2-4 performance in reduced minutes against DIII Maryville (TN).
» Eli Lawrence enters Thursday's game with 821 career points. If he averages 9.4 points per game the rest of the way, he will reach the 1,000-point mark by the end of the regular season.
» Elias King last Wednesday against Murray State recorded the 10th double-digit scoring performance of his college career. Nine of those games have come in his last 15 appearances, dating back to the 2022 CBI. He is shooting .444 (8-18) from 3-point range over his last four games.
Scouting the 49ers
» Charlotte is coming off a 76-68 loss at UAB in its C-USA opener last Thursday. The 49ers entered the game on a five-game winning streak.
» Two players average over 10 points per game for Charlotte. Sophomore forward and Croatia native Igor Milicic Jr. paces the team with 10.5 points each matchup. Aly Khalifa, the defending C-USA freshman of the year, follows with 10.3 points per game and team highs of 7.2 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game.
» The 49ers are 17th in the nation and second in C-USA in scoring defense, limiting opponents to 59.6 points per game.
» Head coach Ron Sanchez is 59-67 at Charlotte, currently in his 5th year at the helm.
Scouting the Hilltoppers
» Western Kentucky opens C-USA play Thursday against Rice having lost back-to-back games to 2-11 Louisville and 6-6 South Carolina.
» The Hilltoppers feature the tallest player in Division I men's basketball in Jamarion Sharp, who leads the nation in blocked shots with 49.
» Luke Frampton is third in the country in 3-point percentage at .542.
» Dayvion McKnight leads WKU and is sixth in C-USA in scoring at 16.5 points per game.
Follow the Blue Raiders
Follow Middle Tennessee Men's Basketball on social media on Facebook //MTMensBasketball, Twitter (@MT_MBB) and Instagram (@mt_mbb).
Players Mentioned
F
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's BasketballSeason Preview – MTSU Men's Basketball 2025
Wednesday, October 29
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
