Reggie Upshaw

67+33 2015-16 MIDDLE TENNESSEE MEN’S BASKETBALL Eric Beovich, Primary Contact • Cell: (850) 723-8134 • Office: (615) 904-8115 • E-mail: [email protected] www.GoBlueRaiders.com • Twitter: @MTAthletics / @MT_MBB • Facebook: Facebook.com/BlueRaiderAthletics AP: NR, COACHES: NR AP: NR, COACHES: NR MIDDLE TENNESSEE VS CHARLOTTE or RICE BLUE RAIDERS, 21-9, 13-5 C-USA 49ERS, 13-18, 9-9 or OWLS, 12-19, 7-11 March 10 • Birmingham, Ala. / Legacy Arena (17,654) • WGNS (1450/100.5/101.9), WPRT (97.5/102.5) • TV: ASN 2015-16 SCHEDULE/RESULTS OVERALL: 21-9 / C-USA: 13-5 five keys to the game HOME: 11-3 / AWAY: 8-5 / NEUTRAL: 2-1 Coming through in the clutch Teams with winning records NOVEMBER games decided by 3 pts or less (Min. 3 Games) } The Blue Raiders are the best in Conference USA in close games, going 12 FAULKNER UNIVERSITY (EXH.) W, 84-63 100+100+100+100+45 17 AT MURRAY STATE L, 65-76 8-1 in contests decided by three points or less in 2015-16. Middle Tennes- 8-1 .889 21 AT TENNESSEE STATE W, 69-66 see’s potential quarterfinal opponenents lack the experience and success of 26 AT ALASKA ANCHORAGE^ W, 75-72 the Raiders in such games with Charlotte going 1-5 and Rice going 2-1. In 6-1 .857 100+100+100+100+29 27 UNC ASHEVILLE^ W, 63-61 fact, not only does Middle Tennessee have the best record in C-USA in games 28 TOLEDO^ W, 78-70 100+100+100+33 DECEMBER decided by three or less, it is the only team to play in more than seven such 2-1 .667 games, all experiences that could prove to be invaluable in the tournament. 2 VCU L, 56-62 100+100+100 5 SOUTH ALABAMA W, 68-55 3-2 .600 12 AUBURN % Wot, 88-81 Raiders ‘role’ing Down the stretch } Middle Tennessee’s role players have stepped it up the last few weeks of 100+100+100 17 BELMONT W, 83-62 3-2 .600 22 AT GEORGIA STATE L, 62-64 conference play, giving the Raiders some added momentum and a three- 27 SOUTH DAKOTA STATE& L, 61-65 game winning streak heading into the tournament. JaQawn Raymond has 30 TREVECCA UNIVERSITY W, 82-67 filled the void at point guard with Jacob Ivory out, averaging 7.8 points with JANUARY a 3.0 assist-to-turnover ratio in the last five games. Xavier Habersham has 3 AT UAB* L, 67-78 7 UTEP* W, 78-72 also pitched in 5.5 points and 3.3 rebounds the last four contests while Aldo- >Team Potts? 9 UTSA* W, 79-71 nis Foote is contributing 6.7 points and 5.7 rebounds in the last three outings. 36.4% 40.2% 14 at CHARLOTTE* W, 73-72 16 at OLD DOMINION* W, 64-61 Downtown raiders 21 NORTH TEXAS* W, 86-64 } MT has been deadly from long range this season, ranking 27th among D-I 48.9% 49.4% 23 RICE* W, 87-73 teams in three-point percentage (38.7%). Giddy Potts is currently second 52+3fg % 48+D 52+3FG % 48+D 28 at MARSHALL* L, 66-82 nationally in three-point percentage, converting 49.3 percent from deep, 30 at WKU* W, 66-64 7.3 8.6 FEBRUARY and will be a welcome addition in the tournament after missing three games 4 FLORIDA ATLANTIC* W, 85-73 due to a concussion. The Raiders have been even better lately, shooting 40.2 percent from deep and making 8.6 threes per game in conference play 6 FIU* W, 67-66 2.6 3.1 11 AT LA TECH* L, 63-73 compared to 36.4 percent and 7.3 threes per game in non-conference play. 54+46+D 54+46+D 13 AT SOUTHERN MISS* W, 76-54 3FGM 3FGM 21 UAB* L, 67-77 Protecting the Rock per game per game - Conference Games 25 WKU* L, 72-78 } Middle Tennessee’s offense strives on decision-making and tak- 27 MARSHALL* W, 83-74 - Non-Conference Games MARCH ing good care of the basketball. As the season has gone on the Blue 3 at FLORIDA ATLANTIC* W, 76-59 Raiders have constantly decreased their amount of turnovers. MT is 5 at FIU* W, 61-58 averaging 12.0 turnovers on the season but have dropped that num- reggie giddy Darnell perrin 10 vs. No. 7 Charlotte/No. 10 Rice 6:00 p.m. upshaw potts ber to 10.8 in conference play and just 10.3 in their last 10 contests. Harris buford 11 C-USA Tournament Semi-finals 6:00 p.m. 12 C-USA Tournament Finals 1:30 p.m. fantastic four * - C-USA Conference game } Just last season, Middle Tennessee did not have a single player av- ^ - CGI GREAT ALASKA SHOOTOUT erage over 10 points per game. Reggie Upshaw was close at 9.9, but % - BRIDGESTONE ARENA & - SANFORD PENTAGON this season MT has four players in double-figures in Upshaw (13.5), Home games in BOLD Giddy Potts (15.0), Darnell Harris (11.8) and Perrin Buford (11.6). PROBABLE 10 11 2 STARTERS:30 0 JAQAWN RAYMOND ED SIMPSON PERRIN BUFORD REGGIE UPSHAW DARNELL HARRIS Guard • SR. • Statesboro, Ga. GUARD • so. • OCEAN SPRINGS, MISS. G/F • sR. • Decatur, Ala. FORWARD • JR. • CHATTANOOGA, TENN. FORWARD • SR. • Milwaukee, Wis. 4.5 1.7 1.9 5.0 1.8 2.6 11.6 1.8 5.9 13.5 2.1 8.7 11.8 1.3 4.0 PPG aPG RPG PPG aPG RPG PPG aPG RPG PPG aPG RPG PPG aPG RPG 2015-16 middle tennessee men’s basketball C-USA Tournament Notes Conference Superlatives Scouting Potential Quarterfinal Opponent - Charlotte } Junior forward Reggie Upshaw and sophomore guard Giddy Potts were both named to the } Finished the season at 13-18 overall and 9-9 in conference play, earning the No. 7 seed for All-Conference USA Third Team for their performance on the court this season. the Conference USA Tournament in in Birmingham. } Upshaw is averaging 13.5 points and 8.7 rebounds per game, numbers that only two other } Middle escaped Halton Arena with a 73-72 win against Charlotte (Jan. 14) in the only C-USA players have outdone this season. meeting between the two this season. } The versatile forward is also leading the team in rebounds per game, assists (63), steals (44) } Giddy Potts scored a season-high 29 points on 9-of-11 shooting while going 7-of-8 from and minutes per game (30.6) and is second in points per game, field goal percentage (.510) and three when the teams met on Jan. 14. blocks (22). } Middle Tennessee grabbed 42 rebounds in the contest to Charlotte’s 28, including 14 offen- } Upshaw is the only Blue Raider to start all 30 games this season and lands in the top seven in sive boards leading to 17 second chance points. Conference USA in eight different statistical categories. } The Blue Raiders and 49ers met in the first round of last season’s C-USA Tournament with MT } Potts is earning C-USA honors for the second consecutive year after being named to the 2015 getting a 63-60 win behind 14 points from Reggie Upshaw. All-Conference USA freshman team. } Middle Tennessee is 4-1 all-time and 1-0 in the C-USA Tournament against Charlotte. } The Athens, Ala., native leads the team with his 15.0 points per game and is third in } The Raiders have won four straight meetings with Charlotte, all four coming since MT joined rebounding at 5.5 boards per game. Conference USA. } Potts has also been one of the most deadly three-point shooters in the country, leading Di- } The 49ers boast one of the top scoring offenses in the conference, averaging 78.8 points per vision I in three-point field goal percentage for three weeks during conference play and currently game and scorring 100 points in six contests this season. sitting second in the country at 49.3 percent from beyond the arc. } Charlotte’s Joseph Uchebo is the top rebounder in Conference USA at 11.5 boards per game. Exceeding Expectations Scouting Potential Quarterfinal Opponent - Rice } Middle Tennessee was picked to finish third in Conference USA in 2015-16 in a preseason poll } Finished the season at 12-19 overall and 7-11 in conference play, earning the No. 10 seed for voted on by the conference’s head coaches. the Conference USA Tournament in in Birmingham. } The Blue Raiders were able to exceed expectations despite a couple of key players being } The Blue Raiders hosted Rice on Jan. 23, winning by a score of 87-73 behind 27 points from sidelined for large portions of the season. Giddy Potts and a season-high 23 from Perrin Buford. } Sophomore point guard Jacob Ivory missed the first eight games of the season after suffering } MT outrebounded Rice 39-25, shot 54.8 percent from the field and collected 25 points off of a concussion in the exhibition against Faulkner University (Nov. 12). 18 Rice turnovers. } Sophomore shooting guard Giddy Potts missed four games from Dec. 22-Jan. 3 due to an } Middle Tennessee leads the all-time series against Rice 4-2 and is 2-1 against the Owls since academic issue, a stretch in which MT went 1-3 and lost two games by less than four points. joining Conference USA. } Ivory was ruled out due to concussion once again prior to Middle's game at Southern Miss } Rice’s Marcus Evans is second in the conference in scoring (21.2) and was named C-USA (Feb.

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