Louisiana Tech is back on the road tonight facing Conference USA co-preseason favorite Middle Tennessee in a nationally televised contest inside the Murphy Center.
Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. CT and the contest can be heard on the LA Tech Sports Network on 107.5 FM with Malcolm Butler and Jack Thigpen providing a call of the action.
LA Tech’s road woes continued this past Saturday, falling at Sam Houston by a final score of 81-77. The 81 points tied for the most allowed by the Bulldogs this season, dropping their fourth straight game on the road.
The four straight road losses have all been very similar. In each of them, the Bulldogs have gotten down double digits in the first half. LA Tech has battled back to take the lead in the second half in all four but could not pull out the win.
Offense has not been a problem for the Bulldogs as of late. Over their last three games, they are shooting 53.3 percent from the field and 37.7 percent from beyond the arc.
Co-preseason Conference USA favorite Middle Tennessee (6-9, 0-0) looks to get back on track Thursday as they open up league play. The Blue Raiders were able to snap their four-game losing streak a week ago by defeating Reinhardt, 84- 47, in their final non-conference game of the regular season.
Injuries have played a big role in MTSU’s 6-9 record as preseason All-CUSA guard Camryn Weston suffered a season-ending injury in the second game of the year and transfer center Josh Ogundele has been sidelined for the past six games.
Middle Tennessee is always known for its defense. They currently rank 78th in the country in scoring defense allowing 66.5 points per game. They also rank 58th in the nation in blocks per game (4.6) and 71st in three-point percentage defense (30.5).
Elias King has been their primary scorer, averaging 12.3 points per game while knocking down a team-best 31 three-pointers. He opened the season scoring in double figures in six of the first seven games.
LA Tech leads the all-time series against Middle Tennessee, 13-7, with the first ever meeting coming on Dec. 12, 1959. The two squads have since played a home-and-home series for three consecutive seasons (1987-90) before becoming conference opponents for one season in the Sun Belt in 2000-01.
The two squads became league foes again in 2013 when both programs joined Conference USA. The Bulldogs had the upper hand in the series to start, winning 11 of the first 13 matchups. However, the Blue Raiders have won five of the last seven meetings including both last season.
