The Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders play the Old Dominion Monarchs in the fifth round of the CUSA tournament at Legacy Arena. Action begins at 2:30 pm ET on Saturday, Mar. 12 and can be seen on FS1.
The Blue Raiders come into this game hoping to repeat their last performance, topping Marshall 99-90 in the 4. Perrin Buford was a key piece with 18 points, eight rebounds, and five assists. The Monarchs, meanwhile, are coming off an 89-77 win against Western Kentucky in the 4. Trey Freeman was the game’s top scorer, registering 42 points on 15-for-25 shooting.
Buford and Reggie Upshaw have been better than usual over the last five games for the Blue Raiders. During that stretch, Buford has averaged 18.0 points, 6.6 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.6 blocks, and 0.6 three-pointers, while Upshaw has recorded 18.8 points, 9.8 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.8 steals, 2.0 blocks, and 0.8 three-pointers a game. Freeman has been hot for the Monarchs. In the same five-game span, he is averaging 29.8 points, 5.2 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 0.8 steals, and 3.4 three-pointers.
Baskets could be hard to come by as Middle Tennessee ranks 34th in the nation, allowing just 99.3 points per 100 possessions, while Old Dominion is 31st (98.9). Also, the Monarchs commit the fourth-fewest errors in the nation (TO% of 14.5%), while the disruptive defense of the Blue Raiders causes the 22nd-most (opponents’ TO% of 19.6%).
This is the second game of the year between these two teams, with the Blue Raiders winning the first matchup 99-90. In the victory, Freeman led all scorers with 42 points.
Notes
The Old Dominion Monarchs have a defensive rating of 98.9 (ranked 31st), while the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders have an offensive rating of 106.5 (ranked 163rd).
The Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders average 68.8 possessions per game and 1.065 points per possession, while the Old Dominion Monarchs earn fewer possessions (62.7) but more points per possession (1.100).
Old Dominion has an average effective field goal percentage of 48.0%. Middle Tennessee is a winning 13-7 when opponents have a similar or higher effective field goal percentage.
On average, the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders attempt 20.0 three point field goals per game and the Old Dominion Monarchs attempt 13.0. In games where they attempt at least 20 threes, Middle Tennessee has a solid 13-6 record, while Old Dominion is 3-2.
Old Dominion, the 88th-ranked team in blocked shots, registers an average of 4.1 per game. Middle Tennessee does worse, ranked 162nd with 3.5.
Middle Tennessee ranks 76th in defensive rebounding. When it comes to offensive rebounds, Old Dominion ranks 27th.
Though Middle Tennessee is one of the best in the country in forcing turnovers with opponents averaging a TO% of 19.6% (ranked 22nd), Old Dominion has a winning 3-1 record SU when its TO% is 19.6% or greater.
