Scouting MTSU

The problem we have here, folks, is that I am not a coach of basketball, nor an expert. I could pretend to wow you with offensive schemes past your knowledge that no one will care about.

Instead I will tell you that I watched Middle Tennessee’s game against Troy, somewhat begrudgingly and had to squint because it was in standard definition.

This happened at half-time:

I then turned to Wikipedia and read this:

MTSU’s original mascot was Nathan Bedford Forrest, a Confederate General. Because of Forrest’s ties to the Ku Klux Klan, the mascot was later changed to a blue-colored scent hound dog named “Ole Blue” in the 1970s.
MTSU’s current mascot is a blue winged horse named “Lightning,” adopted as the mascot in 1998, when the athletics department updated its image in preparation for the 1999 upgrade to Division I-A football and subsequent transfer to the Sun Belt Conference.[2] Lightning symbolizes the university’s aerospace program and the region’s heritage in the walking horse industry. It also symbolized the university “taking flight” as part of its “Soarin’ To The Sun” public relations campaign when the school joined the Sun Belt.

Yeah! Corny, and seeped in confederacy! That is MTSU!

I will say that they do have a nice-looking arena.

***

Okay, seriously? I don’t have much confidence going into this game. MTSU seems to be a nice, cohesive team that is led by a Big 12 castoff as well. LeRon Dendy is no Tony Mitchell but he has played college ball for at least one year. Will his experience make up for his comparative lack of talent? I don’t know. Ideally Tony will win that matchup and negate their leading scorer in the process.

Worst case? Well LeRon gets Tony in foul trouble and we play terribly. As we near the game, I fear this scenario more.

That may be good old fashioned North Texas self-hate, yo. Don’t quote me on these things, or hold me to them. I’m just saying I see it as a possibility. I shan’t be watching more than this one terrible game of Middle Tennessee State and that won’t much matter anyway. The only game I care to see of them will be Thursday at 7pm.

Though I appreciate the conference love that will come on the strength of their impressive-looking record, I never have been one given to Conference Cheerleading.

Call me bitter. Call me petty. The Sun Belt isn’t long for this world. At present, it consist of uneasy alliances akin to the weird, nerdy, poor kids who allied themselves one to another under the banner of Outcast, for lack of choice. Each program longs for acceptance at the cool kid table.

Let the athletic directors and cheerleading squads be diplomatically enthused about conference affiliation. Right now I only appreciate MTSU’s record as a perfect opportunity to make a name for ourselves.

They are plump prey prancing in the field.

Welcome to the Super Pit, Blue Raiders. Your perfect conference record looks mighty tasty.

Also, we need payback.

GMG