Blue Raiders close out non-conference slate at #8 Houston

Monday, December 29

Houston, TX

7 p.m.

Middle Tennessee

Houston

12/28/2025 6:58:00 PM | Men's Basketball

MTSU Game Notes Houston Game Notes

By: Logan Hasselbach

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – The Middle Tennessee men's basketball team is set to close out its non-conference slate with a top-10 matchup at Houston. Monday's contest against the No. 8 Cougars will tip off at 7 p.m. from the Fertitta Center and can be streamed on ESPN+ and the Blue Raider Network.

Series History
The two teams have met twice before, with Houston coming out on top of both matchups. The last time the two went head-to-head in Houston was in 2007, with the Blue Raiders falling 83-68.

Blue Raider Notes
Torey Alston continues to shine for the Blue Raiders, earning Conference USA Player of the Week honors for the second time this season. The redshirt sophomore dominated in all aspects of the game against Cumberland, scoring 19 points and bringing in 10 rebounds for his second double-double of the 2025-26 campaign.
Jahvin Carter set a career best with 20 points against Cumberland, knocking down three pivotal threes in the contest to accompany his five rebounds.
Carter is riding a five-game 10+ point scoring streak entering Monday's contest, leading the team with 13.0 points per game.
The Blue Raiders have consistently shared the wealth of the scoring with four players averaging double-digit totals.
Sean Smith, a graduate student, leads the team with a 2.38 assist-to-turnover ratio (5^th in CUSA), with Jahvin Carter just behind him at 2.06 (8^th in CUSA).
MTSU's three-point percentage defense continues to thrive, ranking 9^th in the nation at just 27.3%.
With 17 blocks this season, Chris Loofe tops the conference, with Torey Alston just behind him at 16 to rank 4^th.
The Blue Raiders rank 23^rd in the country, averaging 5.3 blocks per game.
In the conference opener, Middle Tennessee held Kennesaw State to just 67 points in the Glass House, over 30 less than their average scoring output at that time (97.2ppg).

Cougar Notes
Houston enters Monday's contest ranked eighth in the AP poll with an 11-1 overall record on a five-game winning streak.
Senior Emanuel Sharp leads the team in scoring with 17.6 per contest. The guard scored a team-high 22 against the 14^th-ranked Razorbacks in the team's last game.
Freshman point guard Kingston Flemings tallied 21 points, five assists and three steals in the win over Arkansas.
Houston sits fourth in the nation in scoring defense, holding opponents to just an average of just 60.0 points per contest.