Troy University Athletics
Thursday, January 26
Murfreesboro, Tenn.
7:00 p.m.
Troy University
at
Middle Tennessee State University
Troy Set for Rematch
1/25/2012 9:06:00 AM | Basketball (M)
Live Stats | Live Video | Live Audio | Game Notes
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – The Troy men's basketball team will look to build on Saturday's historic performance when they travel to take on Middle Tennessee on Thursday.
The Trojans and Blue Raiders are set to tip at 7:00 p.m. at the Murphy Center in a rematch from early this month. The East Division rivals met back on Jan. 5 at Sartain Hall with Middle Tennessee coming away with a 63-53 victory.
Troy (7-11, 2-5) is coming off of a 91-63 rout of ULM at home on Saturday. It that game the Trojans tied an NCAA record with 11 consecutive 3-point baskets with a miss. The final margin was also the most lopsided win for the Trojans in a conference game since joining the Sun Belt.
Middle Tennessee (19-2, 8-0) comes into Thursday night's game riding an 11-game winning streak, the third longest streak in the nation. The Blue Raiders knocked off South Alabama in Mobile last weekend, 68-47.
When the two sides met earlier this month, the Trojans played possibly their best defensive game of the year in holding the Sun Belt's top offense to just 63 points. Those 63 points are still the fewest scored by the Blue Raiders in Sun Belt action this season.
Tim Owens led the defensive effort with a career-high six blocks while holding Middle Tennessee's leading scorer, forward LaRon Dendy, to just 2-of-10 from the floor.
However, the Trojans also posted a season low 53 points in that contest on just 38.2 percent shooting. R.J. Scott led Troy with 13 points while Daronte Clark had a career-high 12.
Live audio of Thursday's game can be found on TroyTrojans.com by visiting the above link. Fans can also find live video via ESPN3.com and live stats via GoBlueRadiers.com at the above links.
Be sure to check back with TroyTrojans.com on Thursday night for a complete recap and stats from the Murphy Center. Fans can also find Troy on Twitter at @TroyAthletics or become fans on Facebook.
Gameday Storylines
- Troy will look to build on a lopsided, 91-63, win over ULM on Saturday as they travel to take on Sun Belt front runner Middle Tennessee.
- Troy fell to Middle Tennessee at home, 63-53, back on Jan. 5. The 63 points are still the fewest the Blue Raiders have scored in a Sun Belt game this season.
- The Trojans long range shooting was on fire against the Warhawks as Troy tied a 25-year-old NCAA record with 11 straight 3-point baskets without a miss. The streak lasted over 15 minutes and spanned both halfs.
- Troy's 15 triples against ULM pushed the Trojans 3-pointers per game average up to 9.8, the second best mark in the nation (Florida). Troy has hit 25 3-pointers in their last two games.
- The outside shooting also creates long rebounds which allow the undersized Trojans to grab 15.2 offensive boards per game, the second best mark in the Sun Belt (South Alabama) and 10th best in the NCAA.
- Troy doesn't waste the extra possessions they create as they commit just 12.7 turnovers per game, the third best mark in the Sun Belt. That helps the Trojans to a Sun Belt best +2.6 turnover margin and a 1.11 assist-to-turnover ratio, the second best in the league.
- The Troy offense features a balanced attack as five different players have led the team in scoring this season, but Will Weathers is the orchestrator of it all as his 6.5 assists per game lead the Sun Belt and rank eighth in the NCAA.
Looking at Middle Tennessee
- The Blue Raiders come into Thursday night's contest riding an 11-game winning streak, the third longest streak in the nation. Middle Tennessee has won seven straight at the Murphy Center and is off to an 8-0 Sun Belt start.
- The Blue Raiders are receiving votes in both the Associated Press Top 25 and USA Today/ESPN Coaches Top 25 this week.
- Middle Tennessee averages a Sun Belt best 72.4 points per game, just above Troy's 72.3 average, but also allow a Sun Belt best 59.2 per game.
- Their 37.5 field goal percentage defense is tops in the league and eighth in the nation as they haven't allowed an opponent to score over 60 in seven straight games.
- Only three times this season has a team scored 70 or more against the Blue Raiders.
The Series
- The Trojans trail the all-time series with the Blue Raiders, 7-9, but hold a 7-5 advantage in regular season Sun Belt contests. Two of the other meetings came in the Sun Belt Tournament and two came in the 1970s, with the Blue Raiders winning all four of those games.
- Troy is 2-5 all-time in Murfreesboro.
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