Jan. 30, 2015
UTEP-Middle Tennessee Game Notes (PDF) 
UTEP (13-7, 5-3 C-USA) and Middle Tennessee (12-9, 5-3 C-USA) square off Saturday in a matchup of teams that are tied for fourth place in Conference USA. Both stand two games behind league-leading Louisiana Tech and Western Kentucky. The game represents the midpoint of UTEP's Conference USA schedule.
Coming off a 71-69 victory over UAB on Thursday, the Miners are trying to sweep a two-game league homestand for the first time in about a year (Jan. 30 & Feb. 1, 2014), when they knocked off Louisiana Tech and Rice in succession.
Middle Tennessee is making its first visit to El Paso. The Miners will also host Old Dominion (Feb. 14) for the first time within league play.
UTEP has won its last six Saturday C-USA home games. The Miners haven't lost a Saturday league home game since Feb. 9, 2013 (to Tulsa 74-70). UTEP is 10-1 in its last 11 C-USA Saturday home games dating back to the 2011-12 season.
Middle Tennessee has six returning lettermen and one starter (sophomore forward Reggie Upshaw Jr.) back from last year's C-USA co-champion that finished 24-9 overall and 13-3 in league play.
The Blue Raiders average 61.6 ppg as a team and have no players with a double-figure scoring average, but rank second in C-USA in scoring defense (60.9 ppg). MTSU is also second in the league in rebound margin (+3.4 rpg) and third in free throw percentage (.707).
Upshaw leads MTSU, averaging 9.5 ppg. Senior forward Jacquez Rozier is averaging 8.4 ppg and junior guard Jaqawn Raymond 7.0 ppg. The highest-scoring newcomer is junior forward Darnell Harris, a transfer from Wisconsin-Whitewater (6.9 ppg).
The Blue Raiders do have two players averaging 10+ ppg in C-USA action, Harris (10.1 ppg) and Upshaw (10.0 ppg).
Middle Tennessee has outrebounded seven of eight Conference USA opponents this season.
Middle Tennessee is 3-5 on the road with wins over South Alabama (68-67 in OT), Akron (62-61) and Southern Miss (62-61), and losses to Belmont (63-59), Oklahoma State (68-44), Auburn (64-48), Louisiana Tech (75-68) and UTSA (69-58).
On Thursday the Blue Raiders led 38-31 at the half, but were outscored 38-20 by UTSA in the final 20 minutes. They made just 7-of-28 shots, 3-of-14 three pointers and 3-of-7 free throws after the break. Harris and junior guard/forward Perrin Buford both scored 15 points to lead MTSU.
UTEP beat Middle Tennessee in Murfreesboro, 63-54, last season in the first meeting between the schools.
UTEP's Tim Floyd and Middle Tennessee's Kermit Davis were on the same coaching staff at Idaho for two seasons (1986-88). Floyd was the head coach and Davis was an assistant at the time.
The Vandals went 35-25 during that time frame and were runner-up in the Big Sky Conference in 1987-88 while finishing 19-11.
When Floyd left to take the New Orleans head job for the 1988-89 season, Davis took over as head coach and orchestrated back-to-back 25-6 campaigns. Idaho appeared in the NCAA Tournament in both 1989 and 1990 under Davis, losing a first-round game each time.
