RUSTON – Louisiana Tech is back on the road Thursday facing Conference USA co-preseason favorite Middle Tennessee in a nationally televised contest inside the Murphy Center.
 
GAME INFORMATION
Date/Time: Thursday, Jan. 11 | 8 p.m. CT
Location: Murphy Center (Murfreesboro, Tenn.)
TV: CBS Sports Network
Radio: LA Tech Sports Network | LA Tech Athletics app
 
ABOUT LOUISIANA TECH (10-6, 0-1 CUSA)
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.  
 
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.  
 
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.
 
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 50.0 percent from beyond the arc (11-of-22).
 
Isaiah Crawford and Daniel Batcho continue to 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).
 
As for the backcourt, LA Tech has gotten steady production lately from Tyler Henry and Jordan Crawford.  Henry had 13 points against Sam Houston, bringing is average to 10.8 points over his last five games.  Meanwhile, Jordan Crawford tallied 11 points versus the Bearkats.  The sophomore has averaged 27 minutes per game in the last two contests, totaling nine rebounds and nine assists.
 
ABOUT MIDDLE TENNESSEE (6-9, 0-0 CUSA)
Co-preseason Conference USA favorite Middle Tennessee looks to get back on track Thursday as they open up league play.  The Blue Raid­ers were able to snap their four-game losing streak a week ago by defeating Reinhardt, 84- 47, in their final non-conference game of the regular season.
 
Injuries have played a big role in MTSU's 6-9 record as preseason All-CUSA guard Camryn Weston suffered a season-ending injury in the second game of the year and transfer center Josh Ogundele has been sidelined for the past six games.
 
Middle Tennessee is always known for its de­fense.  They currently rank 78th in the country in scoring defense allowing 66.5 points per game.  They also rank 58th in the nation in blocks per game (4.6) and 71st in three-point percentage defense (30.5).
 
Elias King has been their primary scorer, av­eraging 12.3 points per game while knock­ing down a team-best 31 three-pointers. He opened the season scoring in double figures in six of the first seven games.
 
THE SERIES
LA Tech leads the all-time series against Middle Tennessee, 13-7, with the first ever meeting coming on Dec. 12, 1959.  The two squads have since played a home-and-home series for three consecutive seasons (1987-90) before becoming conference opponents for one season in the Sun Belt in 2000-01.
 
The two squads became league foes again in 2013 when both programs joined Conference USA.  The Bulldogs had the upper hand in the series to start, winning 11 of the first 13 matchups.  However, the Blue Raiders have won five of the last seven meetings including both last season. 
 
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