Men's Basketball continues league play against LA Tech and Missouri State

Wednesday, January 14

Ruston, LA

6:30 p.m.

Middle Tennessee

LA Tech

1/13/2026 6:29:00 PM | Men's Basketball

By: Logan Hasselbach

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – The Middle Tennessee men's basketball team will split its games this week on the road and at home, facing Louisiana Tech in Ruston, La. on Wednesday before returning to the Murphy Center to host Missouri State Saturday. Tip off is set for 6:30 p.m. and 5 p.m. against the Bulldogs and the Bears, respectively. Both games will be streamed on ESPN+ and Blue Raider Network.

Blue Raider Notes

MTSU earned another tally in the road win column with the 59-55 victory in Las Cruces, N.M. against New Mexico State, just the seventh win for an away team this conference season.
The Blue Raiders held the Aggies to just 55 points, their lowest scoring total this season, and 34.6 percent from the field, their worst field goal percentage of the campaign.
With a 16-point deficit turning into a victory, it marks the largest comeback for Middle Tennessee this season.
Chris Loofe shot 100 percent from the floor (6-6), from three (1-1) and from the free throw line (3-3) against UTEP. The mark is the best Blue Raider shooting performance since Tyson Jackson went 7-7 at Ole Miss in December 2019.
MTSU's three-point percentage continues to thrive, ranking 14^th in the nation at just 28.4%.
With a 2.59 assist-to-turnover ratio, Jahvin Carter ranks second in the conference, with Sean Smith right behind him at 2.55 to sit fourth.
The Blue Raiders rank 52^nd in the country, averaging 4.6 blocks per game.
The last time MTSU played LA Tech, the team held the Bulldogs to just 51 points, marking the lowest allowed to a conference foe since January 15, 2022, and the second-fewest LA Tech has scored all season.
With 22 three-pointers made against LA Tech in the Murphy Center, the Blue Raiders shattered their previous record for most threes in a single game, also ranking third all-time in Conference USA history.

Series History
LA Tech owns a 17-10 advantage in the all-time series against MTSU and an 11-2 record in Ruston. The last time the two faced off, the Blue Raiders swiftly downed the Bulldogs 88-51 in the Murphy Center for the first game of the new year just two weeks ago.

Bulldog Notes

Louisiana Tech owns a 9-7 overall record and a 3-2 mark in conference play entering Wednesday's contest.
The Bulldogs most recently picked up a 70-68 overtime win against Delaware at home, leading for just one minute and 31 seconds.
DJ Dudley scored a team-high 17 points against Delaware and leads the team with 12.4 points per game while reaching double-digit points in 10 of the last 12 contests.
Louisiana Tech is 8-1 at home this season, dropping to just Liberty by a score of 72-56 on January 8.

Series History
Missouri State and Middle Tennessee are tied at two contests apiece in the all-time series, while MTSU earned the victory in the lone contest in Murfreesboro. The two most recently played in December 2023, a game that the Blue Raiders won 77-73 in overtime.

Bear Notes

Missouri State is 10-6 overall and 4-1 in league contests, but will play Western Kentucky in Bowling Green before traveling to the Glass House.
The Bears are 1-4 this season on the road, picking up their lone away win at Delaware to open conference play. It was a decisive 61-43 victory for Missouri State, who's scoring efforts were led by 16 points rom Zaxton King.
Michael Osei-Bonsu leads the conference in field goal percentage, averaging 59.6 percent, which is good for 30^th in the nation.
MSU is 46^th in Division I with 24.9 free throw attempts per game.