Under the Radar Game of the Day: Middle Tennessee at Western Kentucky

Middle Tennessee at Western Kentucky, 7:00 PM Eastern, Stadium/watchstadium.com

The top two teams in Conference USA.  Two of the top three teams in the latest HoopsHD Under the Radar Top Ten.  Is that not enough?  How about a rivalry that is known as “100 Miles of Hate”?  Today’s game is not only the Under the Radar Game of the Day, it may be one of the top Under the Radar games of the entire year!

Middle Tennessee enters tonight’s game at 13-5 overall and 5-1 in CUSA play.  The Blue Raiders already have wins over Ole Miss, Vanderbilt, Florida Gulf Coast (twice) and Murray State.  Despite the impressive resume, their at-large bid hopes took a hit earlier this week when they suffered a 10 point loss at Marshall.  Giddy Potts did have 15 points while Nick King just missed a double-double with 14 and 9 boards.  Brandon Walters was held to only 6 points after scoring 19 in a win over Southern Miss.  If he can put together a big game along with Potts and King tonight, the Blue Raiders have a great shot at a road win.

Western Kentucky is currently 14-5 overall and 6-0 in CUSA.  The Hilltoppers’ resume is extremely impressive, including wins over Purdue and SMU.  In fact, our latest Bracket Rundown podcast had this team inside the bubble and in line for an at-large bid should they need one.  Five players scored in double figures earlier this week in a win over UAB, including a double-double from Dwight Coleby.  A win tonight in this rivalry game will just continue to bolster the WKU resume and move them closer to a point where they may feel safe on Selection Sunday, regardless of what happens in their conference tournament.