BASKETBALL Middle Tennessee (8-15, 2-6) @ FIU (8-15, 3-5), 1PM, Saturday, February 10, 2024

[SpaceRaider]

FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL

Location: Miami, FL
Enrollment: 46,079
Arena: Ocean Bank Convovation Center (5,000)
Website: fiusports.com Twitter: @FIUHoops
Colors: Blue & Gold Nickname: Panthers
Head Coach: Jeremy Ballard
Record at School: 77-79 (6th Season) Career: 77-79 (6th Season)
2022-23 Record: 14-18, 8-12 22-23 Finish: 8th CUSA 22-23 Postseason: CUSA First Round
Starters R/L: 3/2 Lettermen R/L: 9/5
Roster: Panthers


Classic Hits 93.3 - 95.1 - WGNS 101.9 FM/1450 AM/100.5FM

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[SpaceRaider]

28.3%

 

[SpaceRaider]

Men’s Basketball Hosts Middle Tennessee on Saturday for Alumni Day - FIU Athletics

MIAMI, Fla. — FIU's men's basketball program looks to continue its success at home in Conference USA (CUSA) play with a matchup against Middle Tennessee on Saturday

fiusports.com

 

[MTFAN61]

Is that a 28.3% chance or a 2.83% chance?

 

[SpaceRaider]

28.3%

Line: FIU -3.5
Over/Under: 140.5

 

[SpaceRaider]

Blue Raiders start back half of CUSA schedule at FIU - Middle Tennessee State University Athletics

MIAMI, Fla. – Halfway through its Conference USA schedule, Middle Tennessee wraps up an east coast road trip at FIU on Saturday. Tipoff is set for 1 p.m. CT from

goblueraiders.com

 

[FranklinRaider315]

Anyone else gonna watch? I have my ESPN+ teed up and ready. If things get ugly early, I’ll switch over to BC vs, Duke. Then Belmont and Valpo.

 

[FranklinRaider315]

 

[FranklinRaider315]

Blue Raiders win!!

 

[Hop45]

Was at the Lady Raiders game. Forgot the men played early. Good win.

 

[SpaceRaider]

Yeah, the Lady Raiders are killing it in conference and I would rather watch a winner.

Surprising win for the men. Ninth on the season - can they get to double figures in the win column?

 

[SpaceRaider]

Blue Raiders come back for road win at FIU - Middle Tennessee State University Athletics

MIAMI — Middle Tennessee trailed by as many as 12 points in the second half at FIU but battled back for a 68-66 victory Saturday. Jestin Porter's driving layup gave

goblueraiders.com

 

[GMClemson33]

Really good road W.

 

[MTFAN61]

Hypothetical question to everyone. Where do you think the state of Middle Tennessee men's basketball program would be at today if Kermit had accepted a raise to stay in Murfreesboro & never left for a higher profile position?

 

[SpaceRaider]

2023-24 CUSA Standings​

TEAM	CONF	GB	OVR
Louisiana Tech	6-3	-	16-8
Sam Houston	6-3	-	13-11
Western Kentucky	6-4	0.5	17-7
New Mexico State	5-4	1	11-13
Liberty	5-5	1.5	16-9
UTEP	4-5	2	13-11
Jacksonville State	4-6	2.5	12-13
Middle Tennessee	3-6	3	9-15
Florida International	3-6	3	8-16

 

[SpaceRaider]

Hypothetical question to everyone. Where do you think the state of Middle Tennessee men's basketball program would be at today if Kermit had accepted a raise to stay in Murfreesboro & never left for a higher profile position?

I just barely remember that highly touted recruiting class that ended up going elsewhere and not amounting to all that much. I think we were due some down seasons but nothing like the last six years totaled. Some may long for Kermit to return, but how often do encores happen at all, what amount of those turn out to be good as the first run?

 

[altshauf]

KJ Buffen, Carlos Curry, Tye Fagan. KJ ended up having the best career, Tye and Carlos bother averaged 7ppg in their junior years. Antwan Johnson and Tyrik Dixon were both gone the year CNM arrived. That group is tough if they stay in a system together with Johnson leading the way.

Don’t forget the one guy that stayed through everything (Donovan Sims). Who knows who would have come in the next recruiting class… or transferred in with that group. Don’t forget David got guys like Jacorey Williams, Nick King, and many others.

Instead, and no offense to CNM on this, he had a horrible class replace them. Nobody from that class stayed all 4 years. Best player out of the group for MT was Jayce Johnson… but he was more of a football player. Role guy who was a good athlete.

Where would we be? Who knows… Davis kept most of his staff intact even at Ole Miss which would have meant consistency and toughness. So I would imagine we stay right near the top of the conference and making NCAA tourney every 2-3 years. All just a guess though. Guys don’t have loyalty anymore. If we kept Eli and T Leonard from last year, this is a completely different season… probably an NCAA tourney team. Take them with Cam and Coleman Jones, you have some real problems scoring the ball against us. Shooting of Eli with King would have helped on offense.

College basketball the margins are so thin with the transfer portal. You just never know.

 

[FranklinRaider315]

Hypothetical question to everyone. Where do you think the state of Middle Tennessee men's basketball program would be at today if Kermit had accepted a raise to stay in Murfreesboro & never left for a higher profile position?

Kermit can coach and recruit circles around the guy we have now.

 

[MTFAN61]

I'm not sure of how successful Kermit's continued tenure would have been if he had remained at MT these past 6 years. But I do remember the defensive tenacity all of Kermit's teams played with during his first struggling 9 years or so. Even his earlier less skilled teams when losing played with defensive grit to stay in a game.
Just looking at CNM's teams I've counted 20 games in less than 6 years which have been blow out losses of 20-35 points. Cumulatively CNM's losses by 15 points or more could account for one entire season itself.
Rarely do I remember any of Kermit's teams that when suffering a loss to have been by such embarrassing margins. Not that I am saying we need Kermit back for a second run, but at least he wasn't smiling jovially through his post game interview losses.

 

[Brew_Raider]

Hypothetical question to everyone. Where do you think the state of Middle Tennessee men's basketball program would be at today if Kermit had accepted a raise to stay in Murfreesboro & never left for a higher profile position?

It’s hard to say.

It’s extremely difficult for smaller programs to maintain the level CKD had us at when we left.

Plus, much of CKD’s late tenure success was based on getting quality transfers. Do we get those transfers and continue getting that quality during the NIL era?

That said, I doubt we would be a bottom feeder like CNM’s been most of his tenure. We would not have endured the worst 3 year stretch in program history and we wouldn’t be in last/near bottom 66% of the time. We wouldn’t have gotten blown out like we do with CNM.

I think CKD could have had down years, but at worst, the rolling average is probably back down to slightly above .500 in conference and overall.

 

[MTLynn]

Kermit's teams had the best results with junior and senior transfers. I believe he would have continued doing so, and the program would now be in the top 25.

 

[SpaceRaider]

 

[ewglenn]

Kermit's teams had the best results with junior and senior transfers. I believe he would have continued doing so, and the program would now be in the top 25.

It’s almost like using the transfer portal should be a good thing for someone like us.

 

[JohnDavidBlue]

Most definitely. Kermit found a sweet spot with players like King, Williams (JaCory) as a precursor to the portal. Good guys finishing out their career at Middle.

I think followers need to also expect some equally down years when you bank on the portal as well.

Kermit "woulda coulda" talk is kinda irrelevant though. At the time, Kermit's interviews with the media showed his displeasure of how easy it was for mid major schools to get passed up on selection sunday. I knew he was on the way out just by listening to the differences of his demeanor from the year prior.