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...The Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders will travel to the UTSA Convocation Center to take on the UT-San Antonio Roadrunners this Thursday night in College Basketball action.
The Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders won their 9th straight game and improved to 19-3 (9-0 C-USA) on the season after defeating the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs, 71-61, this past Saturday. Middle Tennessee went into halftime trailing by a 32-28 margin however, was outstanding defensively in the 2nd half and pulled away from the Bulldogs after finishing the final 3:43 of regulation on a 14-4 run. Middle Tennessee held Louisiana Tech to 36.0% shooting from the field and 26.7% (4-15) from beyond the arc. Leading the way for the Blue Raiders was JaCorey Williams who had a double-double with 19 points, 11 rebounds, and 2 blocks. On the season, Middle Tennessee is averaging 74.5 ppg on 48.8% shooting from the field. The Blue Raiders are averaging 6.5 three-pointers per game on 37.2% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Middle Tennessee has been led by JaCorey Williams (17.3 ppg, 7.3 rpg, 1.9 apg, 1.0 spg), Giddy Potts (15.3 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 2.0 apg, 1.5 spg), Reggie Upshaw (14.7 ppg, 6.7 rpg, 2.8 apg, 1.5 spg), and Tyrik Dixon (5.8 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 2.7 apg, 1.0 spg). Defensively, Middle Tennessee is holding their opponents to an average of 63.9 ppg on 42.3% shooting from the field. The Blue Raiders have a rebound margin of 4.5 and a turnover margin of 3.7.
The UT-San Antonio Roadrunners lost their 3rd straight game and dropped to 9-12 (4-4 C-USA) on the season after being defeated by the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers, 81-66, this past Saturday. UT-San Antonio was down by a 43-25 margin at halftime and couldn’t fight back after Western Kentucky extended their lead to a 61-40 margin with 14:15 left in regulation. UT-San Antonio had no answers for the Western Kentucky offense as they allowed the Hilltoppers to shoot 54.7% from the field and 50.0% (10-20) from beyond the arc in the loss. Leading the way for the Roadrunners was Jeff Beverly who had 20 points, 7 rebounds, and 2 assists. On the season, UT-San Antonio is averaging 65.0 ppg on 38.4% shooting from the field. The Roadrunners are averaging 5.1 three-pointers per game on 26.7% shooting from the field. Offensively, UT-San Antonio has been led by Jeff Beverly (15.6 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 1.0 apg), Giovanni De Nicolao (8.3 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 2.8 apg, 1.5 spg), Byron Frohnen (8.3 ppg, 6.7 rpg, 1.3 apg, 1.0 spg) and Gino Littles (6.3 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 2.4 apg). Defensively, UT-San Antonio is allowing their opponents to average 69.5 ppg on 42.7% shooting from the field. The Roadrunners have a rebound margin of 4.4 and a turnover margin of -1.0.
The Blue Raiders are 7-1 ATS in their last 8 road games and 10-2 ATS in their last 12 games vs. C-USA opponents. The Roadrunners are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 road games however, are 0-4 ATS in their last 4 games overall.
Middle Tennessee clearly looks like the team to beat in the C-USA this season and has been led by their outstanding defense that ranks 30th in scoring defense, 62nd in rebound margin, and 18th in turnover margin. UT-San Antonio has lost 4 of their last 7 games and has really struggled on the offensive end this season as the Roadrunners rank 322nd in scoring offense and 341st in FG%. UT-San Antonio is a perfect 8-0 at home this season, however.....
