LOUISIANA TECH 2023-24 BULLDOG BASKETBALL GAME 17 MATCHUP
GAMEDAY INFO DATE/TIME: Thursday, Jan. 11 | 8 p.m. CT LOCATION: Murphy Center (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) SERIES HISTORY: LA Tech leads, 13-7 STREAK: Middle Tennessee, 2 LAST MEETING: Feb. 25, 2023 | Murfreesboro, Tenn. Middle Tennessee 63, LA Tech 49 MEDIA: CBS Sports Network TALENT: Dave Ryan (pxp), Josh Pastner (analyst) RADIO: LA Tech Sports Network | LA Tech Athletics app TALENT: Malcolm Butler (pxp) STATS: LATechSports.com/Stats
2023-24 SCHEDULE MEDIA MWN ESPN+ ESPN+ ESPN+ ESPN+ ESPN+ MWN
Head Coach: Talvin Hester Record at LA Tech: 25-24 (2nd year) Career Record: Same Record vs. MTSU: 0-2
AP Poll: NR USA Today Poll: NR NET Ranking: 95
AT MIDDLE TENNESSEE BLUE RAIDERS (6-9, 0-0 CUSA) Head Coach: Nick McDevitt Record at MTSU: 75-96 (6th year) Career Record: 173-162 (11th year) Record vs. LA Tech: 2-2
AP Poll: NR USA Today Poll: NR NET Ranking: 310
BULLDOG STORYLINES
Overall: 10-6 | CUSA: 0-0 | H: 8-0 | A: 2-6 | N: 0-0 NOVEMBER 6 at Colorado State 13 LYON COLLEGE 16 at ULM 21 SOUTHERN UTAH^ 22 MCNEESE STATE^ 25 DILLARD 29 at New Mexico
LOUISIANA TECH BULLDOGs (10-6, 0-1 cusa)
W/L L W W W W W L
SCORE 73-81 100-43 73-63 67-53 71-62 105-65 65-74
DECEMBER 2 NICHOLLS ESPN+ W 68-55 5 at Stephen F. Austin ESPN+ W 56-49 9 UL-LAFAYETTE ESPN+ W 72-67 12 SOUTHEASTERN ESPN+ W 89-60 16 at Saint Louis ESPN+ L 74-75 20 at Seattle U ESPN+ L 73-79OT 30 at Grand Canyon ESPN+ L 70-73
• Louisiana Tech is back on the road Thursday facing Conference USA co-preseason favorite Middle Tennessee in a nationally televised contest at 8 p.m. inside the Murphy Center. The Bulldogs are in a stretch of playing five of six games away from home (only the second time in the last decade). • 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 (a combined 14 points in the four losses). Turnovers were a killer for the ‘Dogs, committing 14 which were turned into 17 points by the Bearkats. • 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. Three-point shooting has also been a contributing factor as the four opponents have combined to shoot 47 percent from deep (all four made at least nine three-pointers).
• Tahlik Chavez scored a team-high 20 points versus the Bearkats, his team-leading fourth game of 20+ points this season, while knocking down four three-pointers in the process. He currently ranks third in CUSA in three-point field goal percentage (40.0) and three-pointers made per game (2.63). Over the last three games, he is averaging 15.0 points while shooting JANUARY 50.0 percent from beyond the arc (11-of-22). 3 DALLAS CHRISTIAN 6 at Sam Houston* 11 at Middle Tennessee* 14 LIBERTY* 20 at Jacksonville State* 25 UTEP* 27 NEW MEXICO STATE*
ESPN+ W ESPN+ L CBS SN ESPN2 ESPN+ ESPN+ ESPN+
96-55 77-81 8 p.m. 2 p.m. 4 p.m. 6 p.m. 2 p.m.
FEBRUARY 1 at FIU* ESPN+ 6 p.m. 7 WKU* ESPN+ 6 p.m. 10 at Liberty* ESPNU 7 p.m. 15 JACKSONVILLE STATE* ESPN+ 6 p.m. 17 FIU* ESPN+ 2 p.m. 22 at UTEP* ESPN+ 8 p.m. 24 at New Mexico State* ESPN+ 8 p.m. 28 at WKU* ESPN+ 7 p.m.
• Isaiah Crawford and Daniel Batcho make up arguably the best frontcourt in CUSA. The duo ranks in the top five in the league in points per game, rebounds per game, field goal percentage, and blocks per game, having combined for 29.2 points and 16.4 rebounds per contest as well as 53 total blocks. They currently rank 1-2 in CUSA in field goal percentage (Batcho -- 55.9 and Crawford -- 49.7) and blocks per game (Batcho -- 2.1 and Crawford -- 1.4). • Isaiah Crawford continues to be one of the best two-way players in college basketball. He is currently one of only two players in the country with at least 200 points, 100 rebounds, 40 assists, 30 steals, and 20 blocks (along with Aboubacar Traore of Long Beach State). • 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. • LA Tech’s 11th season in Conference USA has gotten underway. The Bulldogs own a 114-65 record (63.7 percent) in CUSA games, a winning percentage that ranks fourth all-time in the history of the league. They start league action with three of their first four games on the road (first time since the 2019-20 season).
MARCH 7 SAM HOUSTON* CBS SN 8 p.m. 9 MIDDLE TENNESSEE* ESPN+ 2 p.m. 12 CUSA Championship$ ----- TBA • Would give the Bulldogs their first Conference USA win of the season. In their 10 sea-
A LA TECH WIN...
All home games CAPS | All times CST and subject to change * Conference USA game ^ LA Tech MTE $ Huntsville, Ala.
sons in CUSA, LA Tech opened league play with two straight losses only once (2017-18). • Would end a four-game road losing streak for the Bulldogs. LA Tech has lost its last four road games by a combined 14 points. • Would snap a two-game losing streak to Middle Tennessee. The Bulldogs have only defeated the Blue Raiders once in the Murphy Center in their last four meetings there.
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