No. 24 Middle Tennessee rolls into season finale vs. Marshall (Mar 02, 2018)
Middle Tennessee coach Kermit Davis has been telling anyone who would listen: Since entering the Top 25 last week for the first time in school history, his team is playing even better.
"I've said it ever since we've been ranked -- and I don't say it boastfully, I just say it honestly -- that we look and play and prepare like a Top 25 team. And everybody asks me the question, 'How are your guys going to handle it?' The more success, the more motivation," Davis said after his Blue Raiders turned their showdown with second-place Western Kentucky into a walkover.
The motivation in Thursday's 82-64 rout of the Hilltoppers was a second-straight Conference USA title.
The No. 24 Blue Raiders (24-5, 16-1 Conference USA), who host Marshall on Saturday in Murfreesboro, Tenn., in the regular-season finale for both teams, were aided by a season's-best crowd of 11,307 at the Murphy Center.
"It was electric," Davis said.
Added senior guard Giddy Potts, who was making his 109th start for Middle Tennessee: "I think that was probably the best crowd I've ever played in as far as being in the Murphy Center."
Brandon Walters and Nick King, the Blue Raiders' leading scorer this season, combined for 36 points and 20 rebounds as Middle Tennessee built a nine-point lead by halftime and pulled away after the break.
"I feel like the bigger the crowd we have here, the more amped up we play," King said. "Top 25 team, top 25 crowd. That's a great combination."
The Blue Raiders stopped Western Kentucky's six-game winning streak and beat the Hilltoppers for the 13th time in the past 15 games.
Middle Tennessee, as of Friday, is up to No. 22 in the RPI, making it a strong threat to snag an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament should something go awry in next week's C-USA tournament in Frisco, Texas, where the Blue Raiders will receive a first-round bye.
"I don't know what else a team can do," Davis told the Tennessean after his team won its 11th straight game.
Marshall (20-10, 11-6) blew an opportunity to clinch its own first-round bye in Frisco when it gave up a 23-2 run early in the second half of a 91-77 loss to UAB on Thursday.
"We have to be better and focused," Marshall head coach Dan D'Antoni said after his team's loss.
The Thundering Herd leads UT San Antonio by a game in the standings, but needs a win or a Roadrunners loss (UTSA plays at Rice) on Saturday to clinch fourth place. The Roadrunners hold the tiebreaker based on their 81-77 win over Marshall in the only meeting between the teams on Feb. 1 in San Antonio.
The Thundering Herd maintained its one-game lead thanks to some help from North Texas, which beat UTSA 80-62 on Thursday.
"We have to toughen up if we want to get better," D'Antoni said, according to the Herald-Dispatch of Huntington. "Right now, we'll see what we did and see if we can get more tournament ready."
