MBB Game Day: Middle Tennessee
3/4/2024 12:57:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Game Day Coverage
- Liberty at Middle Tennessee (Murphy Center in Murfreesboro, Tenn.)
- Tipoff: Tuesday at 7 p.m. ET/6 p.m. CT
- TV: ESPN+
- Radio: LFSN Radio
- Live Stats
- This is the second meeting between the Flames and Blue Raiders. Liberty bested Middle Tennessee 88-53 in the first game, Feb. 8 at Liberty Arena.Â
- Liberty pulled away from Middle Tennessee for that aforementioned victory. The Flames shot 65.5 percent (19-of-29) over the final 20 minutes and outscored the Blue Raiders 48-22 in the frame. The 35-point margin of victory was Liberty's largest in a CUSA game this season.Â
- Brody Peebles scored a game-high 21 points in his first start in over two years. Zach Cleveland finished with 20 points, five rebounds, five assists and four blocks. Kyle Rode posted his first double-double of the season with 10 points and 12 rebounds and added six assists. The game was the first-ever meeting Liberty and Middle Tennessee.Â
- Liberty and MTSU are both 6-8 in CUSA action and in a tie for fourth place in the league entering the final week of the regular season.
- Liberty split a pair of home games this past weekend, topping New Mexico State 83-58 on Thursday and falling 67-51 to UTEP on Saturday. Middle Tennessee is coming off an 81-64 setback at Sam Houston, Saturday.
- The Flames (1-6 CUSA road) are looking for their second CUSA road victory. Meanwhile, the Blue Raiders are 5-2 in CUSA home contests.
- Liberty is among the top 20 teams in the nation in threes per game (No. 10, 10.2), assist/turnover ratio (No. 17, 1.67), and  scoring defense (No. 18, 64.9). The Flames lead CUSA in threes per game and assist/turnover ratio and rank second in scoring defense.
- Liberty's final CUSA regular season game will be at home on Saturday at 1 p.m. against Western Kentucky. It will be Senior Day for the program.
- The Flames have won 148 games over the last six seasons, the sixth most in the nation during that span.
- Kyle Rode is currently 26th nationally and first in CUSA in three-pointers per game (3.00). Rode has made a team-high 87 three-pointers, good for 25th most nationally and most in CUSA.Â
- Kaden Metheny ranks 24th in the nation and second in CUSA in three-point percentage (41.6). Metheny eclipsed 1,000 points for his collegiate career, last Thursday against New Mexico State.Â
- Flames sophomore Colin Porter is among the best in the nation in assist/turnover ratio. The guard ranks 21st in the country and first in CUSA in assist/turnover ratio (3.00).
- The Flames are 11-3 at Liberty Arena this year and 2-7 in road games. Liberty is 4-2 at a neutral site this season.Â
- Liberty is No. 127 in the NCAA Men's Basketball NET Rankings. The Flames are No. 126 in the KenPom out of 362 Division I teams. Middle Tennessee  is No. 302 in the NET and No. 289 in the KenPom.
- The Flames' lone CUSA road win came at UTEP by 67-65 score on Feb. 3.
- CUSA teams are a combined 46-19 (.708) in league home games this season.
- This will be Liberty's 12th all-time game on March 5. The Flames hold a 7-4 record on this date. Liberty's last game on this date was the 2023 ASUN Championship title game at Kennesaw State last season. The Flames fell 67-66 to the Owls in what was their fifth conference title game appearance in six years.
Players Mentioned
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