Middle Tennessee rides a seven-game straight-up win streak into Sunday’s Blue Raiders vs. Orange betting matchup at Scottrade Center, including four straight against the spread victories, holding opponents to 61 or fewer points in four of its past six outings.
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“We’ve had two great second halves offensively in both these tournament games”, Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim said on TNT after the game. “Mostly, I’m disappointed because we didn’t play the way we’re capable of playing”.
Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo watches during the final moments of a first-round men’s college basketball game against Middle Tennessee in the NCAA Tournament, Friday, March 18, 2016, in St. Louis. However, they proved their worthiness over the weekend, drilling Dayton 70-51 Friday and then following a similar script in this one.
Cheers still went up when Perrin Buford sunk the final 3-pointer of the game, and some of the optimism from the past three days was still in place.
The Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders jumped out to a quick 15-2 lead against the No. 2 seed Michigan State Spartans yesterday afternoon in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
Good company: Northern Iowa might have produced the most dramatic finish of the first-round games, as Paul Jesperson banked in a half-court shot at the buzzer to lift the 11th seeded Panthers past Texas 75-72 on Friday night. Michael Gbinije and Trevor Cooney each scored nine points in the first half, including this slam from Gbinije below. Who could ask for anything more? “Watching them in person, I think the biggest thing was you were just impressed with the talent level of their players”.
“It will obviously be a totally different game”, Davis said. I had a small guy on me, and I was able to elevate and shoot over him. “There are so many good players and good coaches out there now”. The result may have been a lot of busted brackets, but more importantly there were smiles all around the country as again March proved that there is an opportunity in life for the little guy to upset the elite hierarchy.
Harris cut the lead to 10 before Aldonis Foote got back-to-back baskets to make the score 24-18 just inside the six-minute mark.
Middle Tennessee: The Blue Raiders rely on making shots from beyond the arc, but struggled to 2 of 12 from 3-point range.
MSU is led by National Player of the Year candidate Denzel Valentine, who won Big Ten Tournament MVP honors and averaged 19.4 points, 7.6 rebounds and 7.6 assists per game as a senior.
“They outplayed us”, Izzo said. “Their length really bothered us around the goal”.
Let’s take a closer look at MTSU in general to see if we can’t figure out exactly what kind of team they are and what Syracuse basketball will have to do to beat them.
“We just have to take it like men and admit they were the better team today”, he said of Middle Tennessee. “That was the only difference in the game”.
And in an interesting twist, the Blue Raiders’ win for the ages may serve to benefit the Orange, who will face them in the second round on Sunday.
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The team that some said didn’t belong in the NCAA Tournament has gained sweet revenge. You’ve got to drive the ball. “That’s probably the best compliment you can give them”.
