excerpt:
...The Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders will travel to the Cam Henderson Center to take on the Marshall Thundering Herd this Saturday afternoon in College Basketball action.
The Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders lost their 2nd straight game and dropped to 8-18 (5-8 C-USA) on the season after being defeated by the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers, 71-63, this past Thursday night. Middle Tennessee held a 32-28 halftime lead, however, struggled defensively in the 2nd half and couldn’t fight back after the Hilltoppers took a 60-51 lead with 7:29 left in regulation. Middle Tennessee shot just 34.4% from the field and 29.6% from beyond the arc in the loss. Leading the way for the Blue Raiders was Reggie Scurry who had 16 points, 8 rebounds, 1 block, and a steal.
On the season, Middle Tennessee is averaging 66.3 ppg on 41.5% shooting from the field. The Blue Raiders are averaging 6.5 three-pointers per game on 32.8% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Middle Tennessee has been led by Antonio Green (17.8 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 1.2 apg, 1.0 spg), Donovan Sims (11.2 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 3.0 apg, 1.7 spg), Reggie Scurry (11.2 ppg, 6.1 rpg), and Karl Gamble (7.3 ppg, 6.0 rpg).
Defensively, Middle Tennessee is allowing their opponents to average 73.5 ppg on 43.8% shooting from the field. The Blue Raiders have a rebound margin of 2.6 and a turnover margin of -4.2.
The Marshall Thundering Herd lost their 4th straight game and dropped to 13-13 (6-7 C-USA) on the season after being defeated by the UAB Blazers, 77-68, this past Thursday. Marshall struggled offensively against the tough UAB defense and couldn’t fight back after the Blazers took a 61-44 lead midway through the 2nd half. Marshall shot just 40.4% from the field and 33.3% from beyond the arc in the loss. Leading the way for the Thundering Herd was Jon Elmore who had 20 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists, and 2 steals.
On the season, Marshall is averaging 78.8 ppg on 43.4% shooting from the field. The Thundering Herd is averaging 9.3 three-pointers per game on 32.5% shooting from beyond the arc. Offensively, Marshall has been led by Jon Elmore (19.6 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 5.0 apg, 1.6 spg), C.J. Burks (18.0 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 2.7 apg, 1.7 spg), Taevion Kinsey (9.0 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 1.3 apg), and Jannson Williams (9.0 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 2.2 bpg).
Defensively, Marshall is allowing their opponents to average 82.8 ppg on 47.4% shooting from the field. The Thundering Herd have a rebound margin of -9.8 and a turnover margin of 4.0.
The Blue Raiders are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 games following an ATS win and 5-0 ATS in their last 5 games vs. C-USA opponents. The Thundering Herd are 7-19-1 ATS in their last 27 games overall and are 1-11 ATS in their last 12 games vs. C-USA opponents.
Middle Tennessee has won 5 of their last 9 games despite coming into this game ranked just 319th in scoring offense, 308th in FG%, and 233rd in scoring defense.
Marshall has lost 7 of their last 8 games and although they rank 52nd in scoring offense, the Thundering Herd has really struggled defensively this season as they rank just 348th in scoring defense & 332nd in defensive FG%.
Marshall has a great scoring duo in Jon Elmore & C.J. Burks, however, it’s been a disappointing season for the Thundering Herd as their defense has been one of the worst in all of College Basketball. Middle Tennessee has had a long season, however, they have some solid wins as of late, including back to back wins agianst UAB.....
