Murray State hosts Middle Tennessee tonight at the CFSB Center. Tipoff is scheduled for 7pm.
Murray State comes into the game with a 1-0 record as does Middle Tennessee. The Racers beat Brescia 118 - 61 on Friday while the Blue Raiders opened the season the same night with a 104 - 52 victory over Trevecca Nazarene.
Nick King, a graduate transfer, from Alabama led the way for Middle against Trevecca with 17 points and and six rebounds. King is 6-7 but he has a 7-1 wingspan.
"He's really skilled with the ball," head coach Kermit Davis said. "He can drive it and pass it and he can shoot. He's a hybrid forward that can play a lot of different spots and he's really eager to prove himself."
Senior guard Giddy Potts scored 15 points while hitting 3-of-7 3-pointers. Potts is one of the best perimeter shooters in the country. As a sophomore he shot 50.6 percent from 3-point range which led all of Division I. He rebounds well for a guard and he led the Blue Raiders in steals last year.
"As a shooter, he's as good as anybody I've ever seen," Davis said. "His shot never looks wrong. It's pure."
Six Racers scored in double-figures against Brescia. MSU was led by Byron Hawkins who had the best debut of any MSU player since 2000 with 28 points. Hawkins, who sat out last season as a transfer from Towson, had an amazing night as he hit 10-of-13 shots from the field including 5-of-7 from 3-point range. Terrell Miller had his 13th MSU double-double. Freshman Ja Morant had 11 assists, which was one off the arena record of 12 by Aubrey Reese in 1999.
Middle Tennessee won a game in the NCAA tournament in each of the last two years. They come into this game ranked 57th in the Massey Ratings and are an eight point favorite against the Racers tonight.