MURFREESBORO, Tenn. - After wins against Arkansas State and South Alabama last week, the Middle Tennessee men’s basketball team gained seven votes in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll and re-entered the AP Top 25 with nine votes in the latest polls released on Monday. The Blue Raiders currently sit 30th in the Coaches poll and 34th in the AP poll.
It marks the fifth consecutive week MT has received votes in the Coaches poll, while the Blue Raiders are back among those receiving votes in the AP poll for the first time since garnering a pair of votes in the Nov. 21 edition of the rankings.
MT made a big move in the NCAA RPI as well, jumping 13 spots to No. 54, the highest of any Sun Belt team. The Blue Raiders also rate the highest of any league team in the Sagarin ratings, coming in at No. 30.
With the win over South Alabama on Thursday, MT improved to 19-2 on the season, marking the best start in program history. Additionally, the Blue Raiders are one of only five teams in the nation with at least 19 wins this year, tying Kentucky and St. Mary’s for the second-most victories behind Syracuse and Murray State, each with 20. MT’s 11-game winning streak also is tied for the third-longest current streak nationally, matching Kentucky and Oral Roberts. Murray State (20) and Nevada (13) are the only teams with longer streaks.
The Blue Raiders also remain the lone undefeated team in the Sun Belt at 8-0, the school’s best league start since the 1985-86 season. With four of those conference wins coming on the road, MT is now 8-1 away from home this season, matching the most road wins of any team in the nation currently. In addition, MT’s 44 league road wins over the past 10 years are the most among any Sun Belt school.
MT returns home Thursday to face Troy before traveling to Vanderbilt on Saturday. Tipoff between the Blue Raiders and Trojans is slated for 7 p.m. CT from Murphy Center and the game will air on ESPN3 with Chip Walters and Kyle Turnham on the call.
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