Spaceraider

You have Middle Tennessee too high in my opinion - maybe five or six, but not ready to think any higher. We've got an Offensive line that has not been completely healthy this season, Logan Kilgore doesn't seem to be particularly sharp yet - he did suffer an injury to his throwing shoulder in the first game, and our defense though improved from last season still has depth issues. We did manage to squeak by an improving Memphis two weeks ago (who stomped a mudhole in arky state on Saturday) and we were fortunate to get past FAU in OT. Raiders are a 21 or 22 point dog at BYU on Friday night, and the Cougars seem only slightly more schizophrenic than the Blue Raiders. I don't think even a win would clear up how good or not this team is.

I think we will. Your DRC beat writer has some good comments about it in this article by the DNJ beat writer.

Not a betting man, but if I were, I'd jump on that...The Blue Raiders haven't covered the spread all that often. Plus i think North Texas is close to getting it together, Just way too much talent, regardless of coaching...and it being on television, students out on break, not sure what kind of crowd MT will have for this - obviously hoping for a great turnout...

have a thread on the gomiddle.com board with links to various information about the game...

There were some definitely during the 2-10 season, and I was expecting a 5-7 season at best this past season, and even more heat on the man. After the McNeese State loss I thought for sure we would be hiring a coach at the end of the season, but to his credit and the players, they got things turned around and no one expected the blowout of Gatech in Atlanta, so everyone ate crow after that, beating wku who was heavily favored in Bowling Green and beat Troy who CRS had not beaten in his time at Middle Tennessee. The blowout at ark state was bad, but MT limped into that game. Seemed like every game from the Ga Tech game on, we were losing key players to injuries each game...There were only ten or eleven seniors on that squad so MT should just as good next season. CRS has been extended to 2019, a little longer than I feel comfortable with for any coach. But most of the coaches at MT come and stay, Happy that CRS got things turned around.and hopefully MT will have momentum going in to CUSA next season (I think we're done with the Sun Belt and Karl Benson)

just a small clarification. and fwiw, Sun Sentinel writer and FAU blogger Ted Hutton tweeted after MT won @ FAU: #FAU gets blown out in its own house 67-53. MTSU now 17-2, 6-0 in Belt and has won nine straight. Best team in the Belt, by far

98 total FT attempts in the game, MT was 41 of 49 at the stripe.

I was not there, but someone who was said that there two instances after the game and that either security or police directed or guided Ms Stephens towards her lockerroom after the second...fwiw...

The Blue Raiders are not playing well enough to win, I'd be very surprised if North Texas doesn't win going away. Since this is a double header, you will see the crowd likely drop off from the women's game as fans vote with their feet about what they think about the state of the men's program. I posted on the gomiddle.com board that The score may be as ugly for the MT men as the score will be for the north texas women...

Not any surprise that Blakeney resorts to this tactic. If you base it entirely on results on the field, it has worked for him, but this kind of thing probably will be used against troy which already has a number of drawbacks whenever additional conference realignment becomes a possibility. I'd have to think that if there are any openings in c-usa that the private school presidents would take a dim view of troy as a candidate.

from another dnj article this AM:

c'mon guys, if you're going to dredge up old threads, surely you can do better than this 4 year old thread...

That's pretty much correct. There may be a few MT fans that would want to be in the MAC, but I think they probably have allegiances to a MAC school or ties to the area. I think it would be a very cold day in Hell before you'd see Middle Tennessee in the MAC.

I live near where significant damage occurred and just down the road a couple hundred yards from where the mother and child lost their lives... I had been out on the covered patio comforting my dog during the hail that preceded the tornado and had just gone back in and sat down in the living room when I heard the roaring noise everyone says sounds like a train. I went to the kitchen door and saw the dark cloud moving behind the tree line not 100 yards away. I grabbed my dog and we went into a hallway closet until it had passed. I expected any minute the roof would come off but it didn't and as far as I can tell only lost one piece of vinyl trim on the north side of the house. In the hour or hour and a half after the tornado passed I counted 9 ambulances and probably three dozen or so other emergency repsonse vehicles passed by my house on their way to help those hurt not a half mile or so away. Power just came on just a half hour ago, but some good friends not a mile away still are with out power but they escaped any damage as far as I can tell. There's a lot less fortunate people in the boro tonight.....

I don't see how he stays...

I thought watching it that the Mean Green women were trying to be real physical defending and there were a couple of instances where the MT women got the worse end of some matchups and may have got the MT women even more motivated than usual...

Hudson is still hurt and limited, but the biggest thing holding the Raiders down is an injury our PG Nigel Johnson suffered, Coach Davis is thinking of resting him completely during the upcoming three game tournament at Missouri State. The team really hasn't been healthy at all this season and the out-of conference record is going to be mediocre at best... Gomiddle.com's Randall Thomason has a game article that gives a good sense of where things are at with the Blue Raiders: Belmont 82, MT 69: Inside the box

The Raiders had PG Nigel Johnson back from injury and Center Theryn Hudson back (though he didn't start the game and played 13 minutes, Hudson got 4 points and 6 rebounds). Johnson had missed the last 2 games due to a knee injury. Hudson had missed five out of six games due to a foot injury. When Hudson came in and Johnson was in, the team went on a 18-0 run in the first half. If MT is healthy this is the best team I've seen in 20+ years in Murphy Center. MT beat Troy like a drum, even while Demetrious Green - one of the best players the Raiders have - went scoreless. It's a shame there weren't many folks there to see. Murfreesboro was hit with a fluke snow storm last night an hour or so before the game.

at 1-9, I'm sure it is...

I suspect Green will start although Calvin O'Neil did play well in his place. O'Neil was a starter in 06-07, who got hurt in the first game last year and ended up redshirting. BTW, CBL, GoMiddle.com, MT fans' presence on the rivals.com, did a 40 article series on MT & Sun Belt basketball as a part of a 40 day countdown to tip-off. It may be of some interest to you, Below is the last article which has a link to each of the 40 articles at the bottom of the article: MT hoops opening day memories

It'll be a hard game to compare, returning starters guard Demetrious Green and center Theryn Hudson won't be playing. Green is completing a 4 game suspension for a team rule infraction and Hudson has an ankle injury.

it's at FAU's "stadium"

Jay Strowbridge signed/committed to Jax State this past week. Not sure but I do think Demario Williams is on a basketball scholarship, though FB Coach Stockstill still has scholarships to play with... Below are a couple of pieces on MT's newcomers and Calvin O'Neil's rehab... Blog: MT hoops sharp-shooter making impression O'Neil's recovery right on target

my guess is that this includes the Sun Belt's share as a conference of the BC$ bowl revenue...