Season 2, Episode 14 feat. Jacob Burgess, Courtney Blakely, and Nick Coppola

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[00:00:40] Welcome back to the Blue Raider Podcast. I'm your host, Jake Bolden. In today's episode, we've got a lot of topics to cover as always as hoop season is still well underway.

[00:00:50] We've got the Lady Raiders who returned from Knoxville with a win on Sunday against Alcorn State.

[00:00:55] Men's basketball goes 1-1 last week with a win over Evansville and then a home loss on Saturday to Murray State.

[00:01:01] And then, of course, football returns to action this Saturday at home for Senior Day against New Mexico State.

[00:01:06] So breaking down all three of those sports, joining me for the first time on the Blue Raider Podcast is Jacob Burgess, the sports reporter for MTSU student newspaper, MTSU Sidelines.

[00:01:16] And then we will have our exclusive player interview with Senior from Gary, Indiana, the transfer back technically, Courtney Blakely, the new point guard for the Lady Raiders this season.

[00:01:25] And then, of course, stick around to the very end where we will go behind enemy lines with Nick Coppola of the Las Cruces Sun News to break down the Aggies game this Saturday here at Floyd Stadium.

[00:01:36] But before we get into our episode and our first guest, I want to take just a second to thank the sponsor of today's episode, beginning with Mighty Dog Roofing.

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[00:02:55] Thanks again to Mighty Dog Roofing Nashville East and the Conseco Group for sponsoring today's episode.

[00:03:00] Now, it is time to bring on our first guest of the evening.

[00:03:04] As I said, he is the sports reporter for MTSU's student-run newspaper, the MTSU Sidelines.

[00:03:10] It is Jacob Burgess.

[00:03:11] Jacob, how's it going?

[00:03:13] I'm doing great, Jake.

[00:03:14] Thanks for having me on this week.

[00:03:15] Can't wait to talk about some basketball and a little bit of football at the end.

[00:03:19] That's right, man.

[00:03:20] We got so much.

[00:03:20] And it was kind of a week that going into this, we had talked about doing this episode for a while because you are doing Lady Raiders hoops for the MTSU sidelines.

[00:03:28] So we'll have plenty of time to have you on this season.

[00:03:31] But I was kind of amped up this week because I thought maybe the Lady Raiders could get a win in Knoxville this last week.

[00:03:37] And unfortunately, it just wasn't in the cards.

[00:03:39] It was a tough match for the ladies coming off that 89-75 loss in Knoxville.

[00:03:45] I think there's a lot of talk about what went wrong or how they lost this game.

[00:03:50] And really, there's so many stats I think you could really point to.

[00:03:53] For me personally, I think they did a lot right to win the game.

[00:03:57] I mean, they held UT Knoxville to 41% shooting, which on most nights would win you a ballgame.

[00:04:03] But the number that sticks out to me is the 15 three-pointers made was a huge difference maker.

[00:04:10] I know when we were just talking before we came on air, we're not sure where that lands in the record book for the Lady Raiders as three-pointers giving up.

[00:04:17] We don't know necessarily where it lands for UT and their record books either, but we know it's up there.

[00:04:22] But really, that makes a difference.

[00:04:23] If you take away three or four of those off the board, you're in the game, especially they're late when they were able to cut it down to just eight points.

[00:04:30] You're right.

[00:04:31] The three-pointers were a big thing for Tennessee.

[00:04:34] I think the press, though, was the biggest thing that Tennessee did to hinder Middle Tennessee.

[00:04:40] Because we were both there.

[00:04:42] They had that first quarter timeout.

[00:04:45] They came out with the press.

[00:04:46] And they never looked back.

[00:04:48] And Middle Tennessee struggled from that point on.

[00:04:51] At first, just getting the ball to half court.

[00:04:55] They ran the same play every time.

[00:04:58] They would give it to Courtney Blakely, who I know you're having on.

[00:05:01] This show.

[00:05:02] And then she would look for Jalen Gregory to help get it across.

[00:05:07] And then half the time, though, almost half the time, it didn't work.

[00:05:11] And so the press, I think, was the biggest thing that hindered Middle Tennessee up in Knoxville.

[00:05:18] So one thing Coach Caldwell had mentioned for the Lady Vols and winning their games, and not necessarily the MTSU game in particular, was their recipe to success with the system they run is to get 20 extra possessions.

[00:05:29] And they did that.

[00:05:31] They did that against the Lady Raiders.

[00:05:32] And so, again, when you look back at the score, the 14-point loss, which I don't think is a great indicator of how that game went.

[00:05:38] You know, you were hanging in single digits for a good majority of the fourth there.

[00:05:42] But when you get 20 extra shots than your opponent, and even at a 41% clip, you've got to feel good that your opportunities to win all ballgames are going to be pretty high.

[00:05:52] So I agree, on top of the three-pointers, the turnovers was an issue.

[00:05:56] But let's end the Lady Raiders discussion on a more positive note, because we saw what we expect out of the Lady Raiders on Sunday with a big win over the Lady Braves against Alcorn State.

[00:06:07] Jalen Gregory gets her feet underneath her with a three-point scoring, as we kind of thought she eventually would.

[00:06:12] I think there's a lot of positive notes.

[00:06:14] And really, one of my key notes that I'd written over at GoMiddle.com was getting some rotational players in, getting some minutes, which was pivotal.

[00:06:22] Not only for the rest for these players as the competition picks up next week, but I was happy to see that a lot of players got some playing time.

[00:06:29] And they'll get some tonight, too, when they host Tennessee Tech.

[00:06:33] Yeah, that's been one of my key talking points.

[00:06:37] We know Rick likes to run his starters, but is it manageable?

[00:06:45] Is it manageable?

[00:06:46] Is it long-term, in a season successful, to have your five starters playing 35-plus minutes every single night, every single game?

[00:06:56] Because you can look at it, and it's like, yes, you want them to get as much experience as possible.

[00:07:00] But when you do need to serve somebody in, in maybe the tournament, whether it's a conference or later down the line in the NCAA tournament, if they make that.

[00:07:08] Then you want to have some younger players who have the experience able to handle that.

[00:07:12] And so, get those players like Savannah Davis and Jada Granham and Jada Harris getting those minutes.

[00:07:19] I know Davis and Granham both got 17 and then 16 minutes.

[00:07:24] That's great for them because that's building that experience that they're going to need when it matters most.

[00:07:29] against teams like Tennessee or teams like those higher-level teams instead of a team like Alcorn State.

[00:07:37] I'm glad you bring up Jada.

[00:07:38] I was actually thoroughly impressed with her, not only in Knoxville, but of course on Sunday as well against Alcorn State.

[00:07:45] She kind of was a shot in the arm.

[00:07:46] We saw Alina's offense struggled a little bit.

[00:07:49] Finally saw a three-pointer fall through for her on Sunday.

[00:07:52] But I've been impressed with Jada and who she's been off the bench this year.

[00:07:55] We saw glimpses of it against LSU at the end of the season last year.

[00:07:59] But these last two games in particular, I've been impressed with what I've seen with her download.

[00:08:02] She's not fouling as much as we thought she would.

[00:08:04] Yeah, that's one of the key points is they need that backup big who can come in when,

[00:08:10] whether it's just Boteva needs a break or Boteva gets in foul trouble or anything,

[00:08:15] having that backup big who can come in and handle that is something they were missing.

[00:08:21] It was a question mark at the beginning of the season.

[00:08:23] And so it is a positive that they found that person for the role.

[00:08:28] All right, let's turn that attention over to the men.

[00:08:30] Kind of the same concept there.

[00:08:32] We felt really good about their matchup on Wednesday against Evansville.

[00:08:35] They had a great second half to get them into the win column there.

[00:08:39] And a lot of expectations were built up, myself included, for Saturday's game against Murray State.

[00:08:45] Dropping 88-67, 21-point loss to Murray State.

[00:08:49] I knew Murray State was good.

[00:08:51] They were picked to finish top three in the Missouri Valley Conference.

[00:08:54] But 21 points kind of blew me away.

[00:08:56] Unfortunately, I wasn't able to be in the gymnasium on Saturday to witness that.

[00:09:00] But I did have the opportunity to go back and watch the tape.

[00:09:03] I think for me, you look at Kyron Lindsey, the forward that came in off the bench, scored 27 points.

[00:09:09] A guy that prior to that game, his career high was 14 points.

[00:09:14] And he actually averaged under 10 his entire career.

[00:09:17] Very limited playing time in his career, albeit.

[00:09:19] But he is a P4 transfer.

[00:09:21] So it was odd that he played a game like that.

[00:09:25] I know that we keyed in pretty well on Harcum and Jacoby Wood, the first teamer from the Missouri Valley Conference.

[00:09:31] They collectively were held to 26 points.

[00:09:33] So you did your job keeping the guards, their star guards for that matter, at bay for the most part.

[00:09:39] But one man, Lindsey, I mean, genuinely, you lost by 21.

[00:09:42] He put up 27.

[00:09:45] He nearly doubled his career high.

[00:09:47] I mean, you take him out of the equation.

[00:09:49] Again, kind of the same concept as the Lady Raiders in Knoxville.

[00:09:53] Like, you're in the win column if you're able to limit this one guy's really off night in his regard where he played out of his mind.

[00:10:00] But so much to go into that as well, besides maybe just Lindsey.

[00:10:04] But when I look at it from a stat sheet perspective and just watching the game, Lindsey just took that game over.

[00:10:08] And we didn't have an – whether it was Loof or Mostafa, we had no answer for him.

[00:10:13] Yeah, he really was able to take it over.

[00:10:16] Now, this is a Middle Tennessee team that is not mix and match, but they are a young team in terms of playing together.

[00:10:22] And so you need to find those solutions in the moment.

[00:10:25] But it's early in the season, and so they still have time to figure out what that – the solution will be in the future when they face another situation like this where a guy just gets hot out of nowhere.

[00:10:41] Yeah, I thought the game plan – again, back to keeping the guards at bay – I thought the game plan was relatively good.

[00:10:48] But the 61% shooting was concerning, to say the least.

[00:10:51] I mean, again, that was kind of the bread and butter with winning the game at Abilene Christian, with winning the game against Evansville with solid defense.

[00:10:58] And it just wasn't there.

[00:11:00] And then on top of that, you only make four three-pointers, something that, again, has proved pretty good for the Raiders so far.

[00:11:06] Justin's been hot from deep.

[00:11:08] We've seen guys like Jalen Counter connect from deep.

[00:11:11] We're still waiting to see Justin Buford kind of find that rhythm.

[00:11:13] Same with Kamari Lanz.

[00:11:14] He had a couple this weekend, but in general, he's not to what we've been told that he is.

[00:11:19] So you're kind of seeing more production from those guys.

[00:11:21] But I get real frustrated because it seems like his – when we talk about Nick McDevitt and the program in general,

[00:11:29] his leash is real short, and you built up a lot of expectation.

[00:11:32] And that game on Saturday, you know, I like Nick as much as the next person.

[00:11:36] But games like that are kind of disheartening.

[00:11:39] It's really quick to humble you as a fan to think, you know, things are going in the wrong direction.

[00:11:46] But I still feel positive about this team.

[00:11:49] And, Jacob, I'll ask you that same question.

[00:11:51] What are your thoughts after winning three straight and then having a 20-point home loss on Saturday?

[00:11:56] It's not what any coach or player wants.

[00:11:59] But it is – this was one of the games that they circled that they wanted to come out and play competitive.

[00:12:04] Now, they lost by 21, and that sucks.

[00:12:08] But long term, is it the downfall of the season?

[00:12:12] Probably not.

[00:12:14] Right?

[00:12:15] I've talked to coach before this season already.

[00:12:17] I've talked to some of the players.

[00:12:19] They know that once you get the conference, they need to start – those are the games that you really have to win.

[00:12:24] And that's – those are the games that are going to either help McDevitt have another year or whether or not he's – whether he'll be at Middle Tennessee next year.

[00:12:33] And so, yes, you don't want to lose to Murray State by 21.

[00:12:37] Nobody wants to lose to anybody by 21, especially a game where you're supposed to be competitive.

[00:12:42] But I don't think that they're going to let it sit in the back of their mind too long.

[00:12:47] They're going to take the negatives from it in the – on the court and in the film room and use that.

[00:12:55] But I don't think they're going to sit there and mope about it or anything like that.

[00:13:01] Yeah, certainly you hope not.

[00:13:03] And this week in particular, things kind of ramp up for them as well with the competition.

[00:13:08] I think one thing – and we've had discussions about this over at GoModal.com – is they think the schedule is soft.

[00:13:14] And I can see again from a 1,000-foot view, you don't have any big hitters on there.

[00:13:19] You see Tennessee there before Christmas.

[00:13:20] But really, you've got a bunch of mid-majors.

[00:13:22] And one thing I want to correct for those that maybe don't know this is this non-conference slate in regards to mid-majors in the southeast region is very tough.

[00:13:33] Ohio, they're going to play this Thursday to open up the Myrtle Beach Invitational.

[00:13:36] They're MAAC favorites.

[00:13:38] Although their record doesn't look great, they've had one of their first teamers out for the last two games and lost pretty badly to Memphis.

[00:13:45] But they're favored to win the MAAC.

[00:13:48] You come back in December, you go to Birmingham to play UAB.

[00:13:51] B, they're favored to win the American Athletic Conference.

[00:13:54] Then a week later, you go to Belmont.

[00:13:57] Belmont's not nearly as good as Murray, but we saw Belmont have a pretty good contest this last weekend.

[00:14:02] Lipscomb, a team that's favored to win the Atlantic Sun.

[00:14:07] And then, of course, you wrap up non-conference of Tennessee.

[00:14:10] And I could go through the whole list of the Myrtle Beach Invitational potential matchups.

[00:14:13] But again, you're facing – everyone in that entire tournament is a top 150 net-ranked team last year,

[00:14:19] minus Portland, who you may potentially play if you lose to Ohio.

[00:14:23] But all things considered, this is a very tough non-conference slate.

[00:14:26] You're going to lose games.

[00:14:27] I fully anticipate they're going to lose games.

[00:14:29] But as you already said, you want to be competitive.

[00:14:33] So hopefully this is maybe not the loss we wanted, but it could be the loss that we need as we move forward from here.

[00:14:38] But to turn the attention to the Myrtle Beach Invitational that's coming up this week,

[00:14:42] again, that starts at 11 a.m. this Thursday on the 21st against the Ohio Bobcats in Myrtle Beach.

[00:14:47] I'm not too certain on where the viewing is.

[00:14:51] I don't know if it's going to be on ESPN Plus or there's some sort of subscription you have to do with Flow Sports.

[00:14:54] That is down in years past.

[00:14:56] But, Jacob, what do you expect to see out of this team?

[00:15:01] Do you give them an opportunity to win this?

[00:15:03] Or are we going to face maybe some more disappointment like we saw on Saturday?

[00:15:08] I mean, I watched Ohio's last game.

[00:15:10] I'm from Memphis, so of course I watched the game.

[00:15:13] Ohio played really good basketball.

[00:15:15] They got down early, and then they flipped a switch, especially beyond the arc,

[00:15:20] and just could not miss a three at all.

[00:15:23] And so Ohio is going to be a tough matchup.

[00:15:26] Now, if it would be one of those games where I don't think they're going to lose by 20,

[00:15:31] like Murray State is going to be a close one,

[00:15:33] as long as they're able to contain that three.

[00:15:36] Because it was a few players on Ohio who just really flipped it against Memphis

[00:15:43] and started hitting those buckets from deep.

[00:15:46] And so as long as they're able to contain that, especially late in the first half,

[00:15:51] then I think they're going to have a chance down the stretch in that game

[00:15:54] and then hit a couple more threes themselves.

[00:15:56] Because that isn't something they've done great.

[00:15:58] I remember the first game against Oglethorpe, they hit, I think, one.

[00:16:03] They went one for like six.

[00:16:05] And that's not...

[00:16:06] Obviously in that game, they want to put the ball in the paint as much as possible.

[00:16:10] But you got to at least be taking the shots and hitting them on a consistent enough basis.

[00:16:18] I agree. I agree.

[00:16:19] Well, they'll have their work cut out for them this week again at the Myrtle Beach Invitational.

[00:16:23] So a lot of eyes will be turned there.

[00:16:26] Lastly, our last topic here on our docket is going to be football.

[00:16:30] They play this Saturday.

[00:16:31] They'll host Senior Day at Floyd Stadium at 1.30 against New Mexico State.

[00:16:37] I kind of preface this as these are two pretty bad football teams that are going to be playing this Saturday.

[00:16:42] But you have an opportunity to put yourself in the win column, get to four wins.

[00:16:47] Again, you're still improving upon...

[00:16:49] Because that's the total you had last year.

[00:16:51] You had four wins.

[00:16:52] And I think you would agree that this team is far less talented than what they were last year.

[00:16:56] So to match your win total from a season ago is an accomplishment in and of itself.

[00:17:01] But this matchup on Saturday, what should we expect to see, Jacob?

[00:17:06] It's not going to be pretty.

[00:17:09] I mean, MTSU still has the injury bug.

[00:17:13] They've had it all year.

[00:17:15] And so it is going to come close.

[00:17:20] I don't think it's going to be high scoring, right?

[00:17:23] I know Nick Valiato, they love to talk about how he leads the conference in passing yards

[00:17:27] and all these passing metrics.

[00:17:31] But Middle Tennessee, at the end of the day, doesn't score off of that.

[00:17:36] They've had those red zone problems all year where they get it within the 20.

[00:17:40] And then they just forget what they're doing.

[00:17:43] But I know sports editor Brett Walker, I know you've had him on the podcast.

[00:17:49] He's having a story out soon about descriptive plays.

[00:17:52] They do really good on the first like 15 plays because they know what they're going to do.

[00:17:56] And then it all just kind of goes down the drain.

[00:17:59] And so but then you look at New Mexico and it's like, well, they're not good at football either.

[00:18:05] They can run the ball pretty well.

[00:18:08] But besides that, they're not.

[00:18:10] They're sitting in the same pot as Middle Tennessee.

[00:18:11] And so it's like, who's going to have the ball last when it's three to seven in the fourth quarter

[00:18:18] and somebody needs a touchdown?

[00:18:20] Yeah, it'll be interesting from that perspective.

[00:18:24] And of course, I encourage everyone to stick around to the end where we go behind enemy lines

[00:18:27] with Nick Coppola of the Las Cruces Sun News to really break down the Aggies game.

[00:18:31] But you hit it right there on the head.

[00:18:33] The one thing the Aggies do well is they do run the football very well.

[00:18:37] Got a very talented running back, Seth McGowan, who's an Oklahoma transfer.

[00:18:42] But past that, they're the worst in scoring defense.

[00:18:45] We're just above them.

[00:18:47] They're the worst in scoring offense.

[00:18:48] We're just above them.

[00:18:50] So you're truly getting the two bottom scoring offenses and two bottom scoring defenses playing

[00:18:56] this weekend.

[00:18:56] And then if you thought Kennesaw State was bad passing the football, New Mexico State is

[00:19:01] significantly worse, far worse than Kennesaw State was.

[00:19:05] So from that perspective, our weakness is, I would say, run defense collectively.

[00:19:11] And that's the one thing they do well.

[00:19:13] So that's kind of the matchup that scares me the most.

[00:19:15] I feel good about what our offense could do against theirs.

[00:19:18] But as you put it, just like the Tennessee Tech game, for that matter, a secondary that

[00:19:23] you should be able to pick apart.

[00:19:24] You had your first couple of drives where things look great.

[00:19:27] And then once you run through your scripted plays, it kind of feels like we're mixing

[00:19:31] and matching with the play calling, if you will.

[00:19:33] And I'm not smart enough to know what they should or shouldn't be doing.

[00:19:36] I have my opinions.

[00:19:37] But I would like to think that you can keep that consistency at this point in the season

[00:19:43] when you're going up against a secondary that is as bad as New Mexico State.

[00:19:46] So I look forward to seeing it.

[00:19:47] I would agree with you.

[00:19:48] I think it's going to be a low-scoring affair.

[00:19:50] But if the offense can get off and rolling from the get-go, maybe your defense plays well

[00:19:55] enough, limits them, makes them one-dimensional, forces them to pass the football, something

[00:19:59] that they haven't been able to do all year and give yourself a chance.

[00:20:02] But that would be my armchair quarterbacking for this Saturday.

[00:20:05] So, Jacob, it's been a pleasure having you on.

[00:20:08] Like I said, you cover the Lady Raiders.

[00:20:10] I know MTSU Sidelines, you guys have so much stuff going on.

[00:20:13] Anything you guys are doing over there you want to plug?

[00:20:15] Well, we just had all of our election coverage.

[00:20:19] I know that's a big thing.

[00:20:20] But for sports-wise, we're doing basketball season, of course.

[00:20:25] Into the spring, we have a bunch of new riders who are really getting the wheels under

[00:20:29] their feet.

[00:20:29] And so, looking for stuff to come out of them in terms of baseball, softball, or MTSU

[00:20:35] athletics.

[00:20:36] That's right.

[00:20:37] The MTSU Sidelines team is stepping up their game.

[00:20:39] I look forward to having a lot of those new riders on.

[00:20:42] And of course, Jacob, I appreciate you again for taking the time to join us today.

[00:20:46] And we look forward to seeing your stuff the rest of the way.

[00:20:49] Thank you, Jake.

[00:20:49] Thanks for having me on.

[00:20:50] Did you know the Blue Raider Podcast has an online store?

[00:20:56] You can now support your favorite podcast by checking out our selection at our website,

[00:21:01] BlueRaiderPodcast.com.

[00:21:03] And stay tuned for new merchandise releases as we collaborate with athletes and NIL partnerships.

[00:21:09] Joining the show now is Senior Point Guard from Gary, Indiana, transferring back to the

[00:21:14] Lady Raiders this season.

[00:21:15] It is Courtney Blakely.

[00:21:16] Courtney, how's it going?

[00:21:17] Good.

[00:21:18] I'm doing good.

[00:21:20] Excellent.

[00:21:20] It's great to see you again.

[00:21:21] I appreciate you taking the time to do this.

[00:21:23] And I've got a lot of questions for you, but I think the one that's front and foremost

[00:21:27] for a lot of Blue Raider fans this year was your decision to come back.

[00:21:30] And we spoke with Matt Insel this summer, right after the transfer portal, and you decided

[00:21:34] pretty quickly that you were going to come back to the Lady Raiders.

[00:21:37] What really went into that decision for you?

[00:21:38] It almost seemed like from his perspective that, you know, you were a phone call away and

[00:21:43] it was kind of a no-brainer for you.

[00:21:45] Yeah.

[00:21:45] So when I put my name into the portal, I kind of knew that I wanted to go back to a place

[00:21:51] where it was kind of like a family atmosphere.

[00:21:54] And I had knew like all the coaches, all the players that were graduating this year.

[00:21:59] So I was pretty sure that I wanted to come back.

[00:22:03] I did look at some other options, but I knew I was comfortable here.

[00:22:07] So, yeah.

[00:22:09] That's what was so interesting too about it is you come back and really a lot of the

[00:22:13] roster hasn't turned over too much.

[00:22:14] Obviously, Courtney Whitson's graduated.

[00:22:16] Courtney or Savannah Wheeler has graduated, but Whitson's still there in the office with

[00:22:20] you guys a lot.

[00:22:21] So you talk about the family atmosphere.

[00:22:23] I'm sure settling back in wasn't that difficult for you.

[00:22:26] Yeah.

[00:22:27] The class I came in with, so Jalen Gregory, Anastasia Boldoreva, and Gracie Dodge, and

[00:22:33] she is injured.

[00:22:34] But yeah, the class that I came with, they are all seniors this year.

[00:22:38] So definitely wanted to play with them.

[00:22:41] And tell me too about transitioning back into the team.

[00:22:44] And I know the family atmosphere is something that the Insuls have created there for you.

[00:22:49] When you talk about reintegrating with the team, did you really ever feel like you missed a

[00:22:53] B?

[00:22:53] Did it take some time to kind of get your feet back underneath?

[00:22:55] You get used to everything?

[00:22:56] Or I mean, you were here for two years prior.

[00:22:58] I'm sure it didn't take too much influencing to get you back.

[00:23:01] No, no.

[00:23:03] My game evolved a little bit when I left, but I think it was for the better.

[00:23:09] So coming back and just playing the style that I know I'm comfortable in and that I could

[00:23:17] have played before, it was something new.

[00:23:20] So coming back, they allowed me to do that.

[00:23:23] And I really appreciate them working with me.

[00:23:27] And tell me a little bit about the style of play and how it evolved for you in your year

[00:23:32] in Arizona.

[00:23:33] So prior here, you shared some times with Wheeler at the point card position.

[00:23:39] You're back now.

[00:23:40] You're the PG-1.

[00:23:41] And we saw a lot of that at the Tennessee game on Tuesday.

[00:23:45] Your game, your scoring is definitely something that has been called upon.

[00:23:48] I know Matt had kind of mentioned too that one of your biggest goals this offseason was to

[00:23:52] kind of improve the scoring.

[00:23:53] I'm sure that's something that you worked on there in Arizona, but this year it seems

[00:23:56] like you've kind of taken a step forward with the scoring.

[00:23:59] You're averaging 17 points per game early on.

[00:24:01] Tell me what has gone into your offseason as far as trying to improve the scoring aspect.

[00:24:06] And is that something that you've really been challenging yourself with?

[00:24:08] Is that something the coaches have wanted you to do?

[00:24:11] Where's your comfort level with being a scorer on this basketball team?

[00:24:14] Yeah, so over the years, I was really nervous when I got on the court.

[00:24:19] But just going into the gym, putting up shots every day that I was shooting the game, that's

[00:24:24] really gotten me comfortable with taking those shots in the game.

[00:24:27] So just working with Matt every morning or coming in the gym late at night and working

[00:24:32] on my mid-range, that's what I've been working on mostly.

[00:24:35] And just shooting beyond the arc.

[00:24:37] So those are the two things that I really hone in on when I go into the gym.

[00:24:44] And in your game in general, one thing about you is obviously your speed, but your ability

[00:24:47] to handle the basketball with such high rate of speed.

[00:24:51] How much effort you put in there?

[00:24:52] And then again, back to the whole mid-range aspect of things.

[00:24:55] Is that something that you kind of thought you could exploit?

[00:24:57] Because we know that set was something that, you know, scores in the past, like we think

[00:25:02] about like Malashka and even Boulder Raven early in her career shot a lot of things from

[00:25:06] the elbow.

[00:25:06] Is that kind of something that you thought you could exploit this year that would make you, set

[00:25:08] you apart from years past?

[00:25:10] Absolutely.

[00:25:11] I always knew that the mid-range game was kind of a lost art.

[00:25:14] So like kind of perfecting, not perfecting, but, you know, learning and getting better

[00:25:18] at that was something that was important to me.

[00:25:20] So, because I knew I could drive and get my teammates open and create and do all that.

[00:25:27] But being able to shoot the mid-range consistently was something that was major for me.

[00:25:31] So.

[00:25:33] And you got to experience, you know, or at least here at MTSU, we've got the opportunity to

[00:25:37] experience you on Tuesday night against Tennessee.

[00:25:39] You know, you didn't get an opportunity to play them last year, but going up against that

[00:25:43] level of competition, which, you know, you saw on a nightly basis when you played in the

[00:25:46] Pac-12 at Arizona.

[00:25:48] When you play against that level of competition and you talk about where you are now, where

[00:25:52] this team is very balanced, you know, you have scoring options all over the floor.

[00:25:55] What is the game plan on a nightly basis?

[00:25:58] I know it varies from team to team, but I know as a point guard in years past, you've

[00:26:03] been a pass first point guard.

[00:26:04] But now it seems like, again, your game is a lot more balanced in approach.

[00:26:08] Tell us some insight into what the ball, what the talk about ball is there in the office.

[00:26:13] You know, are you called upon to be more of a score aspect or is it kind of whatever the

[00:26:17] game gives you?

[00:26:18] That's where you fall.

[00:26:20] Yeah, so most games I just go in wanting to create for my teammates.

[00:26:24] It's not really like a score first mentality, but if it does open up that I am being aggressive

[00:26:32] and attacking the basket and getting open shots, like I'm going to take full advantage.

[00:26:35] But I like to get my teammates involved because it's just, it's more balanced game that way.

[00:26:41] That way everybody feels comfortable.

[00:26:42] Everybody's getting the experience.

[00:26:44] Everybody's, you know, everybody's doing well.

[00:26:46] So I like to create for my teammates.

[00:26:49] Well, you dropped 25 points Tuesday against Tennessee.

[00:26:53] That's your career high.

[00:26:54] So I'd have to believe, you know, you know that you have the ability to score the points

[00:26:57] when you need them.

[00:26:58] And the comparison all year is, you know, what is this basketball team going to be like

[00:27:01] without Savannah Wheeler, not a point guard, not scoring all the points?

[00:27:04] And you've kind of answered the call in these first three games so far is that you can score

[00:27:08] the ball when you need to score the ball.

[00:27:09] Is that something that you think about when you have those comparisons with Savannah Wheeler?

[00:27:14] Yeah, especially like late clock.

[00:27:16] Like if it gets late clock and I know I have to go get the ball and score, I really like

[00:27:20] to, that's really where most of the points come from.

[00:27:23] Because in the offense, we're looking for a specific, we're looking for a specific person.

[00:27:28] But if the shot clock is counting down, I know I have to go get it and score.

[00:27:35] So another interesting comparison this year, too, is Alina Arike, another transfer student

[00:27:41] this season with you.

[00:27:42] When you were here last, she was also the last time at Conference USA when she played

[00:27:45] for UTEP.

[00:27:46] What has kind of been the connection there for you two as you both have inserted yourself

[00:27:50] into the starting roles this season?

[00:27:52] What's that chemistry like building up with her along with, as you already mentioned,

[00:27:55] the players that were here originally with Jalen Gregory and Boldoreva?

[00:27:59] Yeah, we're just learning how to play off each other.

[00:28:01] So like when I'm in transition and I'm attacking, she's just trying to find the spot like that's

[00:28:05] behind me.

[00:28:06] So I know I have my kickback and we're just learning how to play off of each other.

[00:28:10] But she's very aggressive defensively.

[00:28:12] And I love that.

[00:28:13] And very good rebounder.

[00:28:15] So I really like playing with her.

[00:28:19] And I go back to the Tennessee game on Tuesday, an upsetting loss for sure.

[00:28:24] But you know that this team is very capable because you hung in there.

[00:28:27] You were able to get it down into single digits late in that fourth quarter.

[00:28:29] What are some things that you learned about this team and about your program Tuesday night?

[00:28:35] Rebounding, rebounding, and rebounding.

[00:28:38] If they had not got so many second chance points, I feel like we could have probably been more

[00:28:44] in the game instead of cutting it to eight.

[00:28:46] We probably could have cut it to four, three points.

[00:28:48] So I feel like we need to really work on rebounding and eliminating second chance opportunities.

[00:28:56] It sounds like that's what you guys have been doing all week is rebounding in the emphasis

[00:29:00] this week.

[00:29:01] Yeah.

[00:29:02] And, you know, working through the offense.

[00:29:03] So we know when a play breaks down, like what's after that.

[00:29:09] So yeah, rebounding in the offense.

[00:29:11] Yeah.

[00:29:12] Uh, this week in particular is the episode airs.

[00:29:15] You've got one matchup tonight against Tennessee tech.

[00:29:17] And then next week you make your Florida swing to Fort Myers.

[00:29:20] You go to Tallahassee and play Florida A and M.

[00:29:22] And then you have that much anticipated, um, um, play there in Fort Myers with Purdue on Thanksgiving.

[00:29:28] And then you have Iowa state that Saturday afterwards.

[00:29:30] I know this is another game kind of an opportunity for you guys to get right.

[00:29:33] Um, I don't know how much scouting you've done this far out from that weekend in particular,

[00:29:37] but again, when you talk about these, these swings, it's a great opportunity for you to

[00:29:41] kind of build a relationship with your teammates.

[00:29:42] Cause you're on the road for almost an entire week.

[00:29:44] You're over a holiday season with one another as well.

[00:29:48] When you talk about building up the, that chemistry as well as familiarity, talk about fixing some

[00:29:53] of the wrongs you had on Tuesday night.

[00:29:55] What are some of those areas too, that you, when you look forward to playing teams like

[00:29:58] Iowa state, Kansas state, what sets this team apart?

[00:30:01] What needs to happen in those particular scenarios for you guys to get the wins you need?

[00:30:04] Cause it all comes down to the NCAA tournament.

[00:30:06] I'm sure that's a conversation you guys have had in the locker room before.

[00:30:09] So tell me what, what are the, what are the conversations like amongst you guys when,

[00:30:13] when you talk about playing big games like Iowa state and Kansas state coming up?

[00:30:16] So we really just, uh, take it game by game.

[00:30:19] I feel like, uh, us getting better every game, us getting better every practice is what's

[00:30:23] going to lead us into those games and give us the confidence to win those games.

[00:30:27] And, um, so there hasn't been much talk about Iowa state and Purdue yet because that's not

[00:30:35] the next game.

[00:30:36] Uh, so we really just getting better every game.

[00:30:40] That's what's going to help us just building on every, every single day.

[00:30:44] So how do you grade out your first couple of games here so far?

[00:30:49] Um, I would say that I need to stop turning the ball over.

[00:30:53] Um, I think I had like nine turnovers last game, but, um, for the team, I feel very confident

[00:31:02] that we'll be cohesive and we'll be, uh, we'll be much better.

[00:31:07] We'll get better.

[00:31:08] I'm very confident in our team.

[00:31:11] Good.

[00:31:11] And you see a lot of those things transitioning in practice as well as you're just, it's

[00:31:15] so young in the season.

[00:31:16] And that's why I tell a lot of fans, especially lately over at go middle.com and our forums

[00:31:20] that like, there's a lot, there's a lot of season left to be played.

[00:31:23] And so we look forward to a lot of that.

[00:31:25] But Courtney, before we hang up just a little bit more on a personal note with you, this

[00:31:27] is your senior season.

[00:31:29] There's a lot to be late on the line here, but I'm so interested to hear from you.

[00:31:32] What is it?

[00:31:33] What is your objective when, when your career is over at MTSU?

[00:31:36] Do you have aspirations to play professionally or are you ready to get into the workforce?

[00:31:40] What is, what is on your mind after this season?

[00:31:43] So if the opportunity arises to go overseas, I would definitely want to take advantage, but

[00:31:48] I also love accounting.

[00:31:50] So I, if stuff doesn't work out with basketball, I would love to get my CPA and become an accountant.

[00:31:58] An accountant, really?

[00:32:00] So that's, that's where you love the numbers.

[00:32:02] You love the math.

[00:32:03] I do.

[00:32:03] I do.

[00:32:04] When people say, oh, it's a boring job.

[00:32:05] You just go in there every day, crunch numbers.

[00:32:07] Let me go in there every day and crunch numbers.

[00:32:10] I expect nothing less as a type A personality.

[00:32:13] And that's what your point guard should be.

[00:32:14] So it's kind of fitting that you, you got the math brain.

[00:32:17] That's it.

[00:32:17] That's an interesting tidbit.

[00:32:18] Well, Courtney, I appreciate you taking the time to join us amidst the busy season.

[00:32:23] And we look forward to seeing you play the rest of the, the rest of the year.

[00:32:26] Thank you so much.

[00:32:30] The BRP is proudly partnered with Rivals Network affiliate, GoMiddle.com.

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[00:33:00] the internet.

[00:33:02] As always, we like to go behind enemy lines ahead of our football matchup this Saturday.

[00:33:07] It is senior day here in Murfreesboro, Tennessee at Floyd State and the Blue Raiders will be

[00:33:10] taking on the New Mexico State Aggies and joining us to tell us a little bit in depth

[00:33:14] about the New Mexico State Aggies is the Las Cruces Sun News Sports reporter, Nick Coppola.

[00:33:20] Nick, how's it going, man?

[00:33:22] Doing good.

[00:33:24] I'm doing all right.

[00:33:25] It's good over here in Southern New Mexico and in Aggieland.

[00:33:28] And so, yeah, ready to go.

[00:33:30] Nick, I appreciate you taking the time to join us today.

[00:33:32] And let's go ahead and dive on in.

[00:33:34] New Mexico has had quite the turnaround this season.

[00:33:36] The Tony Sanchez era has begun.

[00:33:39] Jerry Killed kind of left New Mexico, Las Cruces in the dust.

[00:33:43] What has the perception been with Coach Sanchez this season?

[00:33:47] Yeah, I think obviously everyone's disappointed, you know, especially after the last two seasons

[00:33:51] that New Mexico State has had coming up one of the best seasons in program history with

[00:33:55] 10 wins.

[00:33:57] I think a majority of the fans aren't really happy with Tony Sanchez and just the way he's

[00:34:01] operated the team and the way he's coached and things like that and some decisions that

[00:34:05] he's made during games.

[00:34:08] Some were giving him the benefit of the doubt that there was a lot of change with New Mexico

[00:34:12] State's football team both before and during the season.

[00:34:16] And he'll probably get that caveat from the athletic department as well and stay on for a

[00:34:22] second season.

[00:34:23] But, you know, I think fan reception is at best mixed and at worst, the majority are probably

[00:34:29] not liking what they're seeing right now.

[00:34:31] Well, that was what's so interesting about it.

[00:34:34] Obviously, Jerry Killed was kind of a surprise because he was there for such a short term.

[00:34:37] It was the best season in New Mexico State history.

[00:34:39] He leaves, takes a lot of the talent for us locally here being so close to Vanderbilt.

[00:34:44] But we're very familiar with a lot of the talent that he brought to the Nashville area.

[00:34:49] But with Sanchez, you thought with the university kind of promoting within that maybe he would

[00:34:55] be able to retain some of the talent.

[00:34:57] But from our eyes, it looks like it's a lot of new faces.

[00:34:59] You're kind of dealing with the same situation that Derek Mason is here at MTSU.

[00:35:04] Yeah.

[00:35:04] Yeah, pretty much.

[00:35:05] They had over 30 transfers departs.

[00:35:08] Many of the new contributors, many of the new starters are new and are transfers that

[00:35:13] were brought into New Mexico State.

[00:35:15] And even some of the guys that were returning were guys that didn't really play much last

[00:35:18] year.

[00:35:19] And they're kind of, you know, transfers in and of itself because there are new roles.

[00:35:23] They're trying to figure out their way of the team as well.

[00:35:26] There are a couple that were key contributors last year that are still around.

[00:35:30] But yeah, all their quarterbacks, all their running back or most of their good running

[00:35:34] backs, at least most of their defensive line, most of their secondary, pretty much all their

[00:35:40] or actually most of their contributors in the secondary have been new guys.

[00:35:45] So it's a lot of moving parts.

[00:35:46] They have a new defensive coordinator, a new offensive coordinator twice that they promoted

[00:35:52] from within.

[00:35:54] And so, yeah, you know, it's been a big turnaround and probably part of the reason that they're

[00:36:00] 2-8 right now.

[00:36:01] Well, let's go through some of those names there.

[00:36:04] What are the names that are new that we should know about, look forward to seeing on Saturday?

[00:36:09] Two running backs, Seth McGowan and Mike Washington have been two of their best players on offense

[00:36:14] this season.

[00:36:15] McGowan will get more carries in Washington, but Mike Washington will still get his.

[00:36:19] Those are two guys that watch out for because Middle Tennessee hasn't really had a good

[00:36:22] rushing defense this season.

[00:36:24] And so, you know, and both those guys are top 10 in the conference in rushing yards.

[00:36:29] And McGowan had a pretty good game against Texas A&M last week.

[00:36:32] Both of those guys rushed for over 100 yards against Western Kentucky in New Mexico State's

[00:36:37] last conference game, which is the first time that's happened since 2016 for New Mexico State.

[00:36:42] So both of those guys, I expect to get a lot of touches against Middle Tennessee and get

[00:36:46] a lot of yards against Middle Tennessee.

[00:36:48] I think both are going to score as well.

[00:36:50] So those are two guys to watch out for.

[00:36:52] In terms of a quarterback, Santino Mariucci is going to get the start.

[00:36:56] He's a Wake Forest transfer.

[00:36:58] It's been an up and down season for him.

[00:37:00] He's had some good games, probably more bad moments than good.

[00:37:04] But that's the guy they're sticking with for the rest of the season at quarterback.

[00:37:09] Defensively, their main guy in the middle is Naki Pina at defensive tackle.

[00:37:14] One of their leaders in sacks, even though all four of us sacks came in one game, was

[00:37:18] Montana transfer Cale Edwards.

[00:37:20] He actually leads New Mexico State in pressures for the season as well.

[00:37:24] So they probably hoped from Cale Edwards a little bit more to reach some expectations

[00:37:29] that they had for him.

[00:37:30] So he's probably been a little bit underwhelming in terms of what people thought he was going

[00:37:33] to be.

[00:37:33] But, you know, he's been one of their best defensive linemen this season.

[00:37:38] Secondary, both of their starting corners are transfers.

[00:37:42] Counts like Glinton and De'Kara Cobbs.

[00:37:45] So, you know, both those guys are going to be tasked with stopping what has been a very

[00:37:49] good middle Tennessee passing offense this season.

[00:37:52] And safety wise, Tatum Barnes is going to get the majority of snaps.

[00:37:56] He's not a transfer.

[00:37:57] But behind him are guys like Josiah Cox, who I believe is New Mexico State's highest

[00:38:02] graded defender this season.

[00:38:04] He's only got around 300 snaps.

[00:38:06] He should probably be playing more.

[00:38:07] But he came from Arizona State and has had a really good transfer and has had a really

[00:38:10] good season, excuse me, so far.

[00:38:13] Nick Sessions, another one that will rotate there at safety.

[00:38:15] He's an Oklahoma State transfer.

[00:38:17] And he's had a decent run as well.

[00:38:20] So, yeah, most of the contributors are our transfers.

[00:38:26] And, you know, if there's players to watch for, you know, chances are they're going to be

[00:38:29] transfers.

[00:38:30] Yeah, that's what I gathered from that is a lot of transfers, but a lot of them are your

[00:38:34] key contributors.

[00:38:35] And one, as I was doing a little bit of research up to this game on Saturday, is the Seth McGowan

[00:38:39] story.

[00:38:40] For those that don't know, four-star athlete there out of Texas committed to Oklahoma, got

[00:38:44] into a little trouble.

[00:38:45] And now he's a 24-year-old junior, I believe.

[00:38:49] But he's had an excellent season, kind of seems like he's turning his life around for

[00:38:52] the better.

[00:38:53] So that's an exciting story to look into.

[00:38:55] But I want to hear why the dichotomy of the running game being so good and then the passing

[00:39:01] game being lackluster.

[00:39:03] What is it about the dynamic there of the running game being so well?

[00:39:07] Is it strictly just Seth McGowan and Mike Washington being that talented?

[00:39:11] Is it the quarterback play?

[00:39:13] You know, kind of break that down, that offense down for me.

[00:39:15] Right.

[00:39:16] Yeah.

[00:39:16] So yeah, part of it is because they're much better at rushing than they are at passing.

[00:39:20] And you know, they've been more successful rushing than they have passing.

[00:39:24] And part of that, that's what they want their identity to be.

[00:39:27] You know, I remember after a game, you know, I asked him, is this what you guys want to

[00:39:31] do?

[00:39:31] Do you guys want to have the majority of your plays being rushing?

[00:39:35] Or do you guys want to have a little bit more of a balance?

[00:39:37] They were like, yeah, yeah, that's kind of what we want to be.

[00:39:39] We want to be a run-heavy team.

[00:39:40] We want to be able to pass the ball, but we also, you know, going downhill and running

[00:39:45] the football is going to be what we want to do first.

[00:39:47] And so, yeah, I think it's probably a little bit of everything.

[00:39:50] You know, Seth McGowan is obviously very talented, four-star recruit.

[00:39:53] You know, he got recruited by pretty much every big program you can think of coming out of

[00:39:57] high school and, of course, coming to Oklahoma.

[00:39:59] So he's got that power for talent with him.

[00:40:03] And Mike Washington is a very talented guy as well.

[00:40:07] You know, he came off rushing 4,000 total yards at Buffalo over the course of his time

[00:40:12] there.

[00:40:13] One of the most exciting guys that they brought in.

[00:40:15] He was one of my transfers to watch before the season even started.

[00:40:20] And also just a fact for some games, they just haven't really been able to pass the football.

[00:40:26] Against FIU, notably, their starter, Brandon Nunez, had 12 passing yards throughout the entire

[00:40:31] game.

[00:40:31] And so, and they were exclusively were only able to run the ball in that game.

[00:40:36] And there's been, last week against Texas A&M was the fifth game in which they passed

[00:40:41] under 100 yards.

[00:40:42] And so, yeah, the only way they're able to move the ball throughout most of the season

[00:40:47] is through rushing.

[00:40:48] And they also have pretty good offensive linemen as well.

[00:40:50] Kanan Yarrow is their all-conference center from last year.

[00:40:53] He's a really good center.

[00:40:55] Shia's peak came back.

[00:40:57] He plays first game at Louisiana Tech.

[00:40:58] He's played four so far this season.

[00:41:00] He's been really good.

[00:41:01] AJ Vaipulu is another good guard.

[00:41:03] So offensive line is where they're also really talented.

[00:41:06] And so they're able to run the ball very well through them.

[00:41:10] And that's just where they have the talents.

[00:41:12] And also, that's been where they're most successful.

[00:41:15] And then on the defensive side, one thing that's interesting about this matchup is the

[00:41:19] fact that you've got two of the worst scoring offenses and the two of the worst scoring defenses

[00:41:23] going up this Saturday.

[00:41:25] When we talk about our problems here at MTSU, a lot of it is how thin we are in a lot of

[00:41:30] our positions.

[00:41:31] Obviously, we're dealing with the transfer issue as well.

[00:41:33] But a lot of those transfers in have been injured early going on.

[00:41:37] It's late in the season.

[00:41:38] What has kind of been, from your eyes, what has been the reason for the Aggies' lackluster

[00:41:44] defensive performance this year?

[00:41:46] Yeah.

[00:41:47] So firstly, they've just been gashed in the trenches in terms of rushing defense.

[00:41:53] They let up a lot of rushing yards.

[00:41:55] Pretty much every single game at this point, they're not able to win at the line of scrimmage.

[00:41:58] They're not able to get a stance.

[00:42:01] They just get pushed back so much.

[00:42:03] And other teams are able to have so much space against them.

[00:42:08] And for their passing defense, they really struggled defending deep passes.

[00:42:13] And they've really been gashed going deep a lot.

[00:42:16] So specifically in their last two conference games against FIU and against Western Kentucky.

[00:42:20] Against FIU, they let Eric Rivers set a single game record for receiving yards in the game.

[00:42:27] And not only did they just break it, he shattered it by about 80 yards.

[00:42:30] I think he had close to 300 receiving yards just that one game.

[00:42:33] And all three of his touchdowns were over 50 yards.

[00:42:36] And so they really had a hard time against the deep ball against them.

[00:42:39] Western Kentucky, the Hilltoppers had multiple passes of over 30 yards.

[00:42:43] Their opening touchdown was a big deep pass from their own territory.

[00:42:49] And Jacksonville State's another game I can remember where they just could not stop deep passes.

[00:42:53] They could not stop their passing offense.

[00:42:55] So, yeah.

[00:42:55] And especially, you know, with Middle Tennessee having a really good quarterback and a really good receiver in Omari Kelly,

[00:43:00] you know, I really expect Middle Tennessee to really exploit that.

[00:43:03] And I think it's going to be tough for New Mexico State to really stop that given, you know,

[00:43:07] there's been lesser quarterbacks than what Middleton see has that they've been unable to stop.

[00:43:11] And so those have been the two main struggles.

[00:43:13] They just they can't fill the gaps on rushing defenses or for their rush defense.

[00:43:20] And they just get deep a lot over the top, regardless of what coverage they're playing.

[00:43:24] Sometimes they'll play chorus coverage and still get beat over the top.

[00:43:27] Well, let's dig into the positive sides of those things a little bit.

[00:43:32] I know your program is much like a lot of the fan base here, a little disappointed with how the season has gone.

[00:43:37] But both teams have a real opportunity to get another win this Saturday.

[00:43:41] From your viewpoint, what does New Mexico State have to do well to come out with a win?

[00:43:46] They really had to exploit Middle Tennessee's rushing defense, you know, and do what they do,

[00:43:52] what they have done well all season, which is run the football well.

[00:43:55] And I expect them to do that.

[00:43:57] Seth McGowan and Mike Washington need to be on their A games because they're going to get the ball a lot.

[00:44:01] That'll probably be the only way they can move the ball.

[00:44:04] And they're both going to have to have really good games.

[00:44:08] And another key is probably what we've been saying all season about New Mexico State.

[00:44:11] They had to find at least some kind of balance in the passing game.

[00:44:15] You know, they don't have to pass for 400 yards, but they can at least pass over 100 this time

[00:44:18] and especially be just at least more than one dimensional, you know.

[00:44:23] So Middle Tennessee doesn't really load the box on them.

[00:44:27] Defensively, they have to find a way to play better passing defense

[00:44:31] because Middle Tennessee is going to throw the ball.

[00:44:34] They're probably going to throw the ball very well.

[00:44:36] And New Mexico State needs to be ready for that.

[00:44:38] So they need to run the ball well.

[00:44:40] They need to find some kind of a balance in the passing game.

[00:44:44] And defensively, the secondary can be a lot better.

[00:44:47] And also, they can probably try to get more pressure on Middle Tennessee's quarterback as well

[00:44:52] because that's something they've really struggled with as well, just generating pressure, generating sacks.

[00:44:56] And so getting that would probably lead to a better passing defense because you get a lot of pressure.

[00:45:00] That is Nick Coppola, again, the sports reporter for the Las Cruces Sun News.

[00:45:05] Nick, I appreciate you taking the time.

[00:45:07] But before I leave you, let the people know where they can find you on social media.

[00:45:11] Right, yeah.

[00:45:12] So my Twitter is Nick underscore Coppola underscore underscore.

[00:45:16] My last name is spelled C-O-P-P-O-L-A.

[00:45:19] And Nick is just Nick, however he spells it.

[00:45:22] That's where you'll find the news.

[00:45:23] That's where you'll find – I wrote my stories on there.

[00:45:25] You'll just find other tweets as well.

[00:45:27] That's really – I have a big presence.

[00:45:28] I have a Facebook, but that's really just for me.

[00:45:30] So where you can find me is, of course, on the Sun News website and, of course, my Twitter as well.

[00:45:36] So that's where you can find me.

[00:45:38] He's our furthest West contingent sports reporter for Conference USA.

[00:45:44] So, Nick, we appreciate you joining us today.

[00:45:47] And we look forward to Saturday's matchup.

[00:45:49] Of course.

[00:45:50] Me too.

[00:45:50] Thank you so much for having me on.

[00:45:54] Thanks for tuning in to the Raider wrap-up portion of the episode where we will go over the last week in Blue Raider Athletics,

[00:45:59] as well as a look ahead to this week's schedule.

[00:46:02] And we will start things off with the Lady Raiders basketball team who was on the road in Knoxville last Tuesday

[00:46:07] and dropped that contest by a score of 89-75 and then won on Sunday against the Lady Braves of Alcorn State by a score of 82-48.

[00:46:17] Our player of the week goes to Anastasia Boldoreva or Anastasia, as some may call her.

[00:46:22] It is 37 points and 18 rebounds for the Russian in her two games last week.

[00:46:27] Very impressive showing against UT.

[00:46:29] Kind of showing out on the SEC floor, as we all expected her to in very limited minutes on Sunday against Alcorn State.

[00:46:35] This week is very thin for the Lady Raiders, so they will continue their homestand tonight at 6.30 p.m. tip-off

[00:46:40] against the Golden Eagles of Tennessee Tech to continue that in-state rivalry there with the Lady Golden Eagles.

[00:46:47] So, look forward to that tip-off again at 6.30 p.m. tonight.

[00:46:49] And then they will be on a long week break until they are at the Fort Myers Classic.

[00:46:55] Well, actually, they'll do a trip to Florida A&M on a Tuesday, and they'll be at the Fort Myers there against Purdue on Thanksgiving Day,

[00:47:02] and then that Saturday with Iowa State.

[00:47:05] Men's basketball went 1-1 this week.

[00:47:07] It was also previewed with Jacob Burgess at the beginning of the episode.

[00:47:09] They defeated Evansville by a score of 80-63 at home on Wednesday night,

[00:47:14] and then on Saturday dropped a 67-88 game to Murray State Racers here in Murphy Center.

[00:47:21] The Raiders will be in Myrtle Beach this week.

[00:47:24] Starting on Thursday, they will take on Ohio as a part of that Myrtle Beach Invitational that's hosted by Coastal Carolina.

[00:47:30] A lot of good teams there in that tournament, so MTSU has an opportunity to do something really special,

[00:47:35] bounce back from this loss on Saturday against Murray State with some really good competition.

[00:47:39] Like I said, they face off with Ohio at 11 a.m. this Thursday.

[00:47:43] I'm not too certain on the viewership abilities of that tournament.

[00:47:48] If you have a subscription to ESPN+, or there's something extra that you have to do,

[00:47:51] I'll certainly keep everyone posted on social media for those that follow over there.

[00:47:55] But as we look ahead to that, again, Ohio, the MAAC favorite, very good game in tail there.

[00:48:01] Then potentially you've got a matchup with Portland if you lose that game.

[00:48:06] And then there's tons of other matchups there.

[00:48:09] Lots of teams that are in the top 150 of net rankings.

[00:48:11] Bradley's another one that I think is a really good competition there.

[00:48:14] Princeton is in that tournament as well.

[00:48:16] So a lot of high-level mid-major talents there.

[00:48:19] And this is a tournament that the Liberty Flames of Conference USA won last year.

[00:48:23] So certainly would love to keep that championship within the conference.

[00:48:26] And Nick McDevitt teams are known to perform well in these early season tournaments.

[00:48:30] So look forward to that, seeing what the Raiders do against some of the top mid-major talents.

[00:48:34] And I would be remiss, too, to not mention our Player of the Week here at the Blue Raider Podcast.

[00:48:38] I give it to Jalen Counter, the IUPUI transfer in his two games this last week.

[00:48:43] He totaled 29 points.

[00:48:45] He went 15 against Evansville and 14 against Murray State.

[00:48:48] Had 12 rebounds, 8 in the Evansville game.

[00:48:50] And then 4 steals, 3 of those coming in Murray State.

[00:48:53] So a good week for the senior transfer point guard.

[00:48:57] What a shot he's been in the arm for the offense off the bench.

[00:49:00] So very impressed with him.

[00:49:01] But look forward to the Raiders in action again this Thursday against Ohio at 11 a.m.

[00:49:07] Volleyball split their final weekend in Murfreesboro with New Mexico State winning the first contest on Friday by a score of 3-0.

[00:49:14] And then dropped Saturdays in a very back-and-forth matchup 2-3.

[00:49:18] The Lady Raiders did manage to get a seating for the conference tournament that begins this Friday at 3 p.m.

[00:49:24] They will travel all the way to El Paso where they are the 5th seed in the conference USA tournament.

[00:49:29] And they will play Kennesaw State.

[00:49:31] They just played last weekend where they split that series there.

[00:49:35] So a lot to entail there.

[00:49:36] They win that series.

[00:49:38] They have the opportunity to get a rematch with Western Kentucky in the semifinals.

[00:49:43] So opportunity to advance in the conference USA tournament.

[00:49:46] Always exciting.

[00:49:47] My player of the week goes to the conference USA defensive player of the week, Olivia Bronner.

[00:49:52] The libero had a career-high 24 digs on the Saturday loss to New Mexico State with 24.

[00:49:58] So great season for Olivia Bronner.

[00:50:00] And happily got that defensive player of the week for conference USA to cap that off.

[00:50:06] And also want to give Andy Spies, who picked up another freshman conference USA player of the week honors.

[00:50:11] So assuredly going to be conference USA freshman of the year for Spies.

[00:50:15] But I think there's a lot to be amended, applauded, I should say, for the Lady Raiders as their season comes to a close this weekend at the conference USA tournament.

[00:50:24] So all eyes there for any possibility of upsets.

[00:50:26] And of course, if that's to our friends up north, it would even make it even sweeter.

[00:50:32] Cross-country competed at the NCAA South Regional this last weekend.

[00:50:36] The men in the 10K finished 10th out of the 26 teams represented there.

[00:50:41] Alan Kiplegott actually placed in 5th overall, which is good enough to earn him a spot into the NCAA National Championships that are this Saturday on 11-23.

[00:50:53] So keep your eyes peeled for that.

[00:50:56] Alan actually had an opportunity to win the 10K very late.

[00:51:00] I believe it was in the 7th or 8th kilometer.

[00:51:03] He was in first place, but it was a very, very close race there to the end.

[00:51:07] So Alan just short of pulling that one out.

[00:51:10] And then on the women's side, who were in the 6K, the team finished 12th out of 31st.

[00:51:14] And we had a surprise, Sandra Mayow finishing 18th in the region as an individual.

[00:51:20] Odelia Jepchumba surprisingly fell back to 41st place.

[00:51:24] But Sandra was just narrowly selected for the National Championships herself.

[00:51:28] So we only have one Blue Raider represented at this year's cross-country national championships.

[00:51:33] Again, that is coming up in Texas.

[00:51:36] Or excuse me, that is coming up this week in Wisconsin.

[00:51:43] Madison, Wisconsin.

[00:51:44] That's right.

[00:51:45] That'll be this Saturday.

[00:51:46] That is at 9.20 Central Time for the men's race.

[00:51:50] And again, or the men's races, excuse me, will be at 10.10 a.m. Central Time for us here.

[00:51:55] So keep your eyes peeled again for that this Saturday to see Alan hopefully do well in the National Championship.

[00:52:02] Representing his Blue Raiders as we know that he will.

[00:52:05] Last, we've got men's tennis talking about NCAA championships.

[00:52:08] We have the individual championships that are this weekend.

[00:52:11] The Raiders don't have any individuals competing this weekend.

[00:52:14] However, they do have a doubles duo of Andre Horak and Kareem Al-Amin,

[00:52:18] who are seated to face the second overall doubles team from Baylor.

[00:52:22] They will actually begin on Wednesday, the 20th of this week, so tomorrow.

[00:52:27] So best of luck to Andre Horak and Kareem Al-Amin, who's had a very busy fall competing in a lot of championships.

[00:52:35] I look forward to seeing if they can do any damage there in the early rounds.

[00:52:39] And that is in Waco, Texas.

[00:52:41] So that will do it for the Raider Wrap-Up portion of the episode.

[00:52:44] Again, I appreciate everyone tuning in into today's episode.

[00:52:47] A lot of great stuff.

[00:52:48] And, of course, I appreciate all of our guests for joining us today.

[00:52:52] I look forward to next week where we will wrap up what happened at the Myrtle Beach Invitational for Men's Basketball.

[00:52:58] We'll obviously talk about what happened in New Mexico State.

[00:53:00] And then we will have our special guests.

[00:53:03] We'll have a men's basketball player on.

[00:53:04] Don't want to tease it just yet.

[00:53:06] Things might change with our scheduling.

[00:53:07] But we'll have a men's basketball as our exclusive player interview next week.

[00:53:11] Again, if you're not already, make sure you're following us on all of our social media accounts at Blue Raider Pod.

[00:53:15] That's Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, X right now.

[00:53:19] And, of course, if you're listening on YouTube, if you aren't already, please subscribe.

[00:53:23] We appreciate it.

[00:53:24] Like the video.

[00:53:25] That is great for the algorithm.

[00:53:26] And, obviously, if you want to support the podcast, by all means do that.

[00:53:30] And, of course, check out our website at BlueRaderPodcast.com to catch all the latest information as well as some articles.

[00:53:36] I'm starting to get some more blogs hopefully up this fall.

[00:53:39] Winter as basketball season starts to pick up in the swing, kind of my forte.

[00:53:43] So, I'm excited to put a little bit more media, a lot more Blue Raider content out for you listeners and readers alike.

[00:53:50] So, again, I appreciate everyone tuning in to this week's episode.

[00:53:53] And until next time, go blue.