No. 15 Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders vs No. 2 Michigan State Spartans
Middle Tennessee didn’t have the strongest non-conference schedule and nor do the Blue Raiders have a sparkling resume, but don’t tell them that as they’ll look to pull off a mammoth upset against one of this year’s title favorites. The Conference-USA Tournament champion is gearing up for its biggest test of the season on Friday afternoon.
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Leading the tournament’s all-name team is the Blue Raiders’ top scorer, Giddy Potts. The sophomore guard is averaging 15.0 points and 5.5 rebounds per game while making over 50 percent of his three-point shots. Reggie Upshaw is second on the team with 13.8 points while leading with 8.7 rebounds per game.
Michigan State had lost three games in a row right after Denzel Valentine came back from a four-game absence due to a knee injury and everyone was in full panic mode — besides the Spartan players and Tom Izzo. Since that skid, Michigan State has won 13-of-14 games on its way to a second place finish in the Big Ten standings and the conference tourney title.
Denzel Valentine may very well win national player of the year honors, but he doesn’t care about that as long as the Spartans win the national title. He leads the team with 19.4 points, 7.6 rebounds and 7.6 steals per game. Bryn Forbes can light it up from deep, hitting 48 percent of his threes and scoring 14.4 points per contest. Keep an eye on Deyonta Davis and Matt Costello in the post as well.
Details for Friday’s Middle Tennessee vs Michigan State game are below:
Date: Friday, March 18
Start Time: 2:45 p.m. ET
Location: St. Louis, MO
Stadium: Scottrade Center
TV Info: CBS
Live Stream: March Madness Live
Radio: For Middle Tennessee radio affiliates, click here. For Michigan State radio affiliates, click here.
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