As college basketball gets into the height of non-conference play towards Thanksgiving, teams across the country are heading to neutral sites for in-season tournaments. This is no different for MTSU men’s basketball, as the Blue Raiders are traveling to Grand Cayman for the Cayman Islands Classic.
Although MTSU isn’t in one of the premier tournaments such as the Players ERA or Maui Invitational, the Cayman Islands Classic is no slouch. Along with the Blue Raiders, three other mid-major squads are making the trip with Murray State, George Washington University and McNeese State attending.
“They are definitely three great mid-major teams,” senior guard Alec Oglesby said. “I think it’s going to come down to us worrying about ourselves and taking care of what we can control.”
One thing all three of the Blue Raiders’ opponents in this tournament hold is the ability to find the net.
“They’re all really scoring the ball right now,” MTSU head coach Nick McDevitt said. “You look at the talent and the balance each team has, and it’s really good. Each team is averaging over 90 points a game.”
Tournaments such as this offer the opportunity for mid-major squads to face a level of competition that is hard to find in the preseason play, McDevitt said. This is mainly due to concerns about how it can harm metrics used in consideration for the NCAA Tournament, such as KENPOM or NET rankings.
“These early season tournaments help you learn a lot about your team,” McDevitt said. “… How do we handle playing good teams on back-to-back days. That’s what you’re going to end up doing in March in the Conference USA tournament.”
MURRAY STATE (4-1)
The Blue Raiders stay in the Caribbean will begin with a matchup against the Murray State Racers.
In the midst of year one under head coach Ryan Miller, the Racers are a completely new team this year compared to 2024 when they took a trip to the Murphy Center and dismantled MTSU 88-67.
“New coach, new players, new system for them,” McDevitt said. “[There’s] not a lot to go on from last year. It’s almost a whole new deal.”
McDevitt said that the main thing that jumped out from what he’s seen from this team has been its ability to score, as they average around 94 points per game.
Murray State was picked to come third in the Missouri Valley Conference’s preseason poll, and carry a NET ranking of 146, compared to Middle Tennessee’s 105. The Racers and Blue Raiders will tip off at 6:30 p.m. CDT on Nov. 23.
GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY (5-0)
MTSU’s matchup with Murray State will be followed by a game against George Washington (5-0). A stout group out of the Atlantic 10 Conference, the Revolutionaries boast one of the most powerful offenses in mid-major basketball.
GW currently averages 91.6 points per game, while allowing only 66.8 points per game to opponents.
The Revolutionaries will be one of the toughest tests yet for MTSU with a 124 NET. A win could mean a lot for Middle Tennessee’s resume come selection Sunday.
“If we’re able to go down there, make some noise that’ll be really beneficial for us heading into the next stretch of the season,” Oglesby said.
Middle Tennessee and GW will play on Nov. 24 at 4 p.m. CDT.
MCNEESE STATE (3-1)
MTSU’s finale for its stay in the Grand Cayman will come against the McNeese State Cowboys, who are guided by first year head coach Bill Armstrong. Armstrong took over for Will Wade, who resigned from his post to take the same job at North Carolina State University.
A former top assistant for Wade during the duo’s tenure at LSU from 2020-23, Armstrong most recently spent time as an assistant for Baylor University.
Wade and the Cowboys took the college basketball world by storm last March as a popular underdog pick in March Madness brackets. McNeese pulled off a first-round upset over five-seed Clemson, and fell to Purdue in the second round of the big dance.
Even with the new look squad, McNeese is still a dangerous team. The Cowboys hold the highest NET ranking of any team in the Cayman Islands Classic at 58, while picked to come first in the Southland Conference.
“You want to play some teams that can show you what your biggest weaknesses are,” McDevitt said. “You want to be ready, and when you start in early January for league play, and not have big glaring weaknesses.”
McNeese’s schedule is highlighted by a win over in-state rival Louisiana-Lafayette and two wins against non-Division I teams.
The Blue Raiders and Cowboys will square off on Nov. 25 at 4 p.m. CDT. All three broadcasts will be available on FloCollege.
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