Perrin Buford

“This team’s ultimate goal is to win the regular season championship, and then go on and win the conference championship,” Perrin Buford stated in January. However, since then, an up-and-down month for Middle dashed their hopes of clinching the Conference USA regular season title.

After a very strong January that saw the Blue Raiders post a 7-2 record to open conference play, Middle continued to play at a high level at the open of February’s schedule. A dominant home win against FAU saw Reggie Upshaw approach double-double territory with 19 points and eight rebounds, while Perrin Buford stuffed the stat sheet with 14 points, seven rebounds and five assists. Key contributions from Jaqawn Raymond and Darnell Harris gave Middle the 85–73 victory in that game.

However, a game against C-USA bottom feeder Florida International revealed a weakness that would go on to haunt the Blue Raiders throughout February. In what was expected to be a blowout victory, MT squeaked by with the win at home 67–66. FIU was able to make a game of it largely due to a lack of a true interior presence. The Panthers out-rebounded the Blue Raiders by nine and outscored them in the paint by 10.

The Blue Raiders went on the road to play Louisiana Tech. While their offensive production in the paint was much better (36 points in the paint) they once again struggled to defend the lane, allowing 38 points inside. However, it was their inability to score on the break that led to their defeat.

The Blue Raiders bounced back strong in their next game at Southern Mississippi, cruising to a 76–54 victory. They seemingly shored up their interior struggles as they dominated the rebounding category by a margin of 14. Sophomore guard Ed Simpson, a Mississippi native, chipped in a career high 19 points on 5–6 shooting from beyond the arc.

Darnell Harris

Then, the table was set. The Blue Raiders had the opportunity to take sole possession of the top spot in C-USA as they played host to UAB. Coach Kermit Davis put out the call to Murfreesboro to pack the Murphy Center, and you responded! More than 8,000 fans showed up for the most pivotal game of the season, however it was UAB that rose to the occasion as Middle’s lack of an interior presence was once again exposed. UAB seemingly got to the basket at will and out-rebounded MT by 12 on their way to a 77–67 victory.

Rival WKU visited Murfreesboro next, seeking revenge from when they fell to the Blue Raiders at Diddle Arena in January. As you can probably guess, the Hilltoppers dominated inside with 40 points in the paint and 40 rebounds. While an incredible put back dunk by Perrin Buford nearly blew the roof off of Murphy, the Tops went on a late-game surge that quieted the crowd and sealed a 78–72 victory.

Two nights later the Blue Raiders honored their seniors in a revenge match against Marshall, and it was the seniors who lead the way. Perrin Buford lead the Blue Raiders with 21 points while also grabbing five rebounds and delivering four assists. Darnell Harris returned to form as well as he scored 18 points while sinking all four of his attempts from beyond the arc, and Jaqawn Raymond chipped in eight points, four assists and three steals. Most importantly, Middle rediscovered the physicality that once had them streaking, as they out-rebounded the Herd 36 to 27. MT not only claimed the 83–74 victory, but also entered a three-way tie for second place in C-USA.

The Blue Raiders will finish up their regular season schedule on the road at FAU March 3, and at FIU on March 5. You can see the FIU game on ASN at 5 p.m.