Middle Tennessee State University Athletics
Blue Raiders, Racers renew rivalry
12/29/2023 11:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
MURRAY, Ky. – Middle Tennessee men's basketball meets Murray State for the 146th time Saturday as the Blue Raiders take on the Racers in a nonconference clash. Tipoff is set for 3 p.m. at MSU's CFSB Center.
The Blue Raiders are coming off a 69-63 loss at Southern Utah on December 22 in which Jestin Porter set a new career high with 26 points.
The game will be streamed on ESPN+. WGNS, Classic Hits 93.3 and 95.1 FM will carry the radio broadcast, along with GoBlueRaiders.com and the Varsity Network App.
Game 13: Middle Tennessee (5-8, 0-0 CUSA) vs. Murray State (3-9, 1-1 MVC)
» Saturday, December 30, 3 p.m.
» CFSB Center
» Murray, KY
All-Time Against Murray State
» Middle Tennessee and Murray State have met 145 times on the hardwood with the Racers holding a 106-39 advantage.
» The Blue Raiders won last season's contest 83-76 in Murfreesboro.
Blue Raider Notes
» MTSU over its last 39 home games has limited opponents to 60.2 points per game in regulation, having gone 33-6 in that stretch. Since the start of the 2021-22 season, the Blue Raiders allow 62.7 regulation ppg in neutral site games and 75.4 on the road.
» Elias King leads the Blue Raiders in scoring with 12.3 points per game, earning Conference USA Player of the Week honors for December 11 after back-to-back 20-plus-point games.
» Chris Loofe has been named the Conference USA Freshman of the Week three times. He set a career high with nine rebounds at Southern Utah.
» Justin Bufford is 10th in program history with 61 blocked shots.
» Jalen Jordan's 21-point performance against UMKC was his first 20-point game in 1,016 days, the previous one coming February 13, 2021 at Marshall.
» Jordan was part of MTSU's starting lineup at Southern Utah for the first time since March 10, 2021.
» The Blue Raiders tied with Liberty for the top spot in the CUSA Preseason Poll. Camryn Weston and Elias King were selected to the Preseason All-CUSA team.
» MTSU added six newcomers to the roster to replace its six departing players. The average newcomer is 1.7 inches taller than the player he is replacing (6'8.0" vs. 6'6.3").
» Weston tore his ACL against Stephen F. Austin. He will miss the remainder of the 2023-24 season.
» At 1,344 active square feet, the Murphy Center's new scoreboards are the largest in Conference USA.
Scouting the Racers
» Murray State has lost six straight games since opening Missouri Valley Conference play with a win over Bradley.
» Rob Perry leads the Racers in scoring at 14.1 points per game, one of four players averaging double digits for Steve Prohm.
» Nick Ellington leads Murray State in rebounding with 6.8 rebounds per game and in field goal percentage at .598.
» Since going 12-for-23 (.522) from 3-point range at Mississippi State, the Racers are 17-for-79 (.215) from long range over their past three games.
Follow the Blue Raiders
Follow Middle Tennessee Men's Basketball on social media on Facebook //MTMensBasketball, Twitter (@MT_MBB) and Instagram (@mt_mbb).
The Blue Raiders are coming off a 69-63 loss at Southern Utah on December 22 in which Jestin Porter set a new career high with 26 points.
The game will be streamed on ESPN+. WGNS, Classic Hits 93.3 and 95.1 FM will carry the radio broadcast, along with GoBlueRaiders.com and the Varsity Network App.
Game 13: Middle Tennessee (5-8, 0-0 CUSA) vs. Murray State (3-9, 1-1 MVC)
» Saturday, December 30, 3 p.m.
» CFSB Center
» Murray, KY
All-Time Against Murray State
» Middle Tennessee and Murray State have met 145 times on the hardwood with the Racers holding a 106-39 advantage.
» The Blue Raiders won last season's contest 83-76 in Murfreesboro.
Blue Raider Notes
» MTSU over its last 39 home games has limited opponents to 60.2 points per game in regulation, having gone 33-6 in that stretch. Since the start of the 2021-22 season, the Blue Raiders allow 62.7 regulation ppg in neutral site games and 75.4 on the road.
» Elias King leads the Blue Raiders in scoring with 12.3 points per game, earning Conference USA Player of the Week honors for December 11 after back-to-back 20-plus-point games.
» Chris Loofe has been named the Conference USA Freshman of the Week three times. He set a career high with nine rebounds at Southern Utah.
» Justin Bufford is 10th in program history with 61 blocked shots.
» Jalen Jordan's 21-point performance against UMKC was his first 20-point game in 1,016 days, the previous one coming February 13, 2021 at Marshall.
» Jordan was part of MTSU's starting lineup at Southern Utah for the first time since March 10, 2021.
» The Blue Raiders tied with Liberty for the top spot in the CUSA Preseason Poll. Camryn Weston and Elias King were selected to the Preseason All-CUSA team.
» MTSU added six newcomers to the roster to replace its six departing players. The average newcomer is 1.7 inches taller than the player he is replacing (6'8.0" vs. 6'6.3").
» Weston tore his ACL against Stephen F. Austin. He will miss the remainder of the 2023-24 season.
» At 1,344 active square feet, the Murphy Center's new scoreboards are the largest in Conference USA.
Scouting the Racers
» Murray State has lost six straight games since opening Missouri Valley Conference play with a win over Bradley.
» Rob Perry leads the Racers in scoring at 14.1 points per game, one of four players averaging double digits for Steve Prohm.
» Nick Ellington leads Murray State in rebounding with 6.8 rebounds per game and in field goal percentage at .598.
» Since going 12-for-23 (.522) from 3-point range at Mississippi State, the Racers are 17-for-79 (.215) from long range over their past three games.
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
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