Middle Tennessee men's basketball has proven that they're not a one-year wonder. On Feb. 9, Middle Tennessee won their 11th straight game when they beat Troy 93-41. They took a 44-18 lead into halftime.
Middle Tennessee has won 15 of their last 16 games. They also have a 14-1 record against Sun Belt Conference opponents. They've enjoyed double-digit victories in each of their last nine home games.
Despite scoring 93 points, Middle Tennessee only had one player who scored more than 11 points. Raymond Cintron had 20 points, converting 6-of-8 from three-point range. JT Sulton, Shawn Jones, Marcos Knight and James Gallman each had 10-11 points.
For Troy, their top performer was Emil Jones. Jones had 16 points with two steals, two assists and two blocks. Ray Chambers and Tevin Calhoun each scored six points.
The NCAA Tournament is one month away. Middle Tennessee understands that a 22-4 record doesn't mean much to the selection committee. Not after they started last season with a 25-4 record. They followed that up with two straight losses. That was enough for them to miss the tournament in a weak conference.
Could the same thing happen again? Unless they win the Sun Belt Conference tournament, Middle Tennessee could suffer a similar fate. Heading into weekend games, Arkansas-Little Rock was the other Sun Belt team with 15 wins. They lost to Middle Tennessee 82-50.
Middle Tennessee has five more games before tournament play begins. Their next game comes on Feb. 16. Arkansas Little-Rock will host them.
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