Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders Set for Cedar City Showdown at America First Event Center

As the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders prepare to face off against the Southern Utah Thunderbirds at the America First Event Center, fans are eager to see if their team can bounce back from recent performances. The upcoming game on December 23rd promises to be an exciting matchup in men's college basketball.

The Blue Raiders have had a mixed bag of results in their last few outings. In their most recent game against Belmont Bruins, they fell short with a score of 65-75. Despite this loss, there were positive takeaways; the team managed to secure 33 rebounds and demonstrated defensive strength with five blocks. However, they struggled from beyond the arc, hitting only seven out of 23 three-point attempts and turning over the ball twelve times.

Prior to that, Middle Tennessee secured a hard-fought victory over Missouri State Bears in overtime with a final score of 77-73. Their resilience was on full display as they out-rebounded their opponents by four and made crucial plays down the stretch which included six blocks and seven steals.

However, consistency has been an issue for the Blue Raiders as evidenced by another overtime game against Wofford Terriers where they lost narrowly by ten points (64-74). Once again rebounding was not an issue as both teams grabbed 37 boards each but turnovers were costly for Middle Tennessee who gave up possession fifteen times.

Looking ahead to their encounter with Southern Utah Thunderbirds at Cedar City's America First Event Center – known for its energetic crowd – it will be crucial for Middle Tennessee to tighten up their three-point shooting and maintain control of the ball if they wish to come away with a win.

Fans can catch all the action live on ESPN+ when these two teams hit the court on December 23rd at 1:30 AM UTC (December 22nd local time). With both teams looking to establish momentum heading into this contest, it is sure to be an engaging battle on hardwood.