Giddy Potts / Photos courtesy of goblueraiders.com
It was a historic February for the Blue Raiders.
En route to a perfect 7–0 record for the month (23–5 for the season), many milestones and firsts were accomplished.
The first chunk of history came in a blowout victory over Rice in which Giddy Potts notched 22 points. Those points pushed Potts past the 1,500-point mark for his career, making him just the seventh Blue Raider in history to eclipse the mark.
However, the most exciting news of the night came when fan favorite Chase Miller scored the first points of his college career on a three-point shot. The score was welcomed by chants of “Miller Time” from the fans in the packed stands.
The Blue Raiders logged another first a few games later when they took to the road to play LA Tech. In seven tries the Blue Raiders had never won a game in Ruston, Louisiana, and, despite MT getting out to a big lead, the Bulldogs tried to make sure this would be an eighth loss for Middle. LA Tech closed a 21-point deficit to only six in the second half, but MT struck back to close the game out with a 17-point win.
The victory in Ruston was followed by another first. For the first time in program history Middle Tennessee State basketball made it into the AP Top 25.
Fittingly, the victory over LA Tech netted coach Kermit Davis his 400th career win.
In the final game of the month, Giddy Potts passed Reggie Upshaw for fourth on the Blue Raiders all-time leading scorers list in a 17-point performance against UAB.
Nick King continues to dominate as a Blue Raider.
Nick King continues to dominate as a Blue Raider. He has moved himself back into the top 20 amongst the nation’s leading scorers, and has been nominated as a finalist for the Karl Malone Award along with likely NBA Draft lottery selections Deandre Ayton of Arizona as well as Marvin Bagley and Wendell Carter of Duke.
Potts continues to steadily improve his efficiency. Although his three-point percentage fell slightly from January, his percentages from inside the arc and at the free throw line improved considerably.
Antwain Johnson was inserted into the starting lineup late in January, and he made the most of that opportunity in February. Johnson was incredible, shooting just shy of 58 percent from the field and an astounding 63 percent from three-point range. Johnson nearly doubled his points production from January to February as he averaged 15.7 points per game for the month.
The Blue Raiders finish their 2017–18 regular season with homestands against Western Kentucky and Marshall on March 1 and March 3 respectively.
