The MTSU men?s basketball team may be just a few wins away from locking up an NCAA tournament at-large bid.
With a 25th-ranked RPI and the second-most wins in the nation, the Blue Raiders likely are not that far away from punching their Big Dance ticket.
But tonight that takes a backseat to a Sun Belt Conference championship, which Middle Tennessee State University will earn with a victory over South Alabama.
?After the Little Rock game (last Saturday), we talked about it. One of our goals is to win a regular-season championship, and we can do that (tonight),? MTSU coach Kermit Davis said. ?But we also talked about how difficult this game can be. South Alabama is playing really well, and just because it?s senior week doesn?t mean you just go out there and win the games.?
MTSU (23-4, 15-1) and USA (15-9, 12-4) are both in the East Division, but they tout the best conference records. The Blue Raiders lead by three games in the standings with four games remaining, so a win over the Jaguars would clinch the regular-season title ? a third league crown in the past four seasons for MTSU.
The Blue Raiders have won 12 straight games (fifth-longest streak in the nation), and they have been at their best at Murphy Center. MTSU has won 26 consecutive regular-season home games, and no Sun Belt opponent has finished a game at Murphy Center within single digits of MTSU in more than a year.
But USA is no pushover. The Jaguars have won four straight games and seven of their past eight.
USA is led by Sun Belt player of the year candidate Augustine Rubit, who averages 19.6 points and a league-high 10.7 rebounds per game. Rubit, a junior forward, scored a career-high 34 points in a win over Louisiana-Lafayette on Saturday.
MTSU has mostly held Rubit in check. As a freshman, he had 26 points and 13 rebounds against the Blue Raiders, but in five career games Rubit averages 12 points and 11.4 rebounds versus MTSU. He had 10 points and 14 boards in a 60-56 loss to MTSU on Jan. 5.
?That tells you something right there. He gets 10 points and 14 rebounds, and we?re talking about us doing a great job on him,? Davis said. ?That would be a terrific night for anybody else. But Rubit has really expanded his game, and he?s the got the strongest hands in college basketball.
?I?ve told a lot of NBA guys about him. I really like him, and we?ll have our hands full with him.?
With a 25th-ranked RPI and the second-most wins in the nation, the Blue Raiders likely are not that far away from punching their Big Dance ticket.
But tonight that takes a backseat to a Sun Belt Conference championship, which Middle Tennessee State University will earn with a victory over South Alabama.
?After the Little Rock game (last Saturday), we talked about it. One of our goals is to win a regular-season championship, and we can do that (tonight),? MTSU coach Kermit Davis said. ?But we also talked about how difficult this game can be. South Alabama is playing really well, and just because it?s senior week doesn?t mean you just go out there and win the games.?
MTSU (23-4, 15-1) and USA (15-9, 12-4) are both in the East Division, but they tout the best conference records. The Blue Raiders lead by three games in the standings with four games remaining, so a win over the Jaguars would clinch the regular-season title ? a third league crown in the past four seasons for MTSU.
The Blue Raiders have won 12 straight games (fifth-longest streak in the nation), and they have been at their best at Murphy Center. MTSU has won 26 consecutive regular-season home games, and no Sun Belt opponent has finished a game at Murphy Center within single digits of MTSU in more than a year.
But USA is no pushover. The Jaguars have won four straight games and seven of their past eight.
USA is led by Sun Belt player of the year candidate Augustine Rubit, who averages 19.6 points and a league-high 10.7 rebounds per game. Rubit, a junior forward, scored a career-high 34 points in a win over Louisiana-Lafayette on Saturday.
MTSU has mostly held Rubit in check. As a freshman, he had 26 points and 13 rebounds against the Blue Raiders, but in five career games Rubit averages 12 points and 11.4 rebounds versus MTSU. He had 10 points and 14 boards in a 60-56 loss to MTSU on Jan. 5.
?That tells you something right there. He gets 10 points and 14 rebounds, and we?re talking about us doing a great job on him,? Davis said. ?That would be a terrific night for anybody else. But Rubit has really expanded his game, and he?s the got the strongest hands in college basketball.
?I?ve told a lot of NBA guys about him. I really like him, and we?ll have our hands full with him.?
