MTSU men’s and women’s basketball can claim one seeds in the Conference USA tournament. Here’s how

Breaking down potential tiebreaker scenarios for MTSU hoops.

Jacob Burgess, Lead sports reporter • March 6, 2025

Head coach Nick Mcdevitt breaks down the huddle with his team prior to tip-off against UTEP in the Murphy Center on Feb. 1, 2025.

Middle Tennessee State University men’s and women’s basketball have a chance to claim the top seeds in the upcoming Conference USA tournaments.

MTSU men’s basketball has quite a tough path to winning the conference and claiming the one seed. The Blue Raiders currently sit tied for second place with Liberty at 11-5 in conference play.

There are multiple scenarios for how the season could turn out with CUSA tie breaker policies based around how many teams are in a tie.

Coach Nick McDevitt kneels as he surveys the team on the court in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, on Feb. 20, 2025. (Paige Mast)

Scenario One

MTSU wins out to finish at 13-5 with wins over Liberty and FIU. MTSU’s fate then hangs on the result of Jax State and Kennesaw State. Jax State is 12-5 going into a game against Kennesaw State. If Jax State loses then MTSU will be the outright regular season champion and the number one seed.

Jax State lost to Kennesaw State on the road to start conference play back in January which MTSU can look at two ways. The first is that Kennesaw can beat Jax State, but the other half of the equation is Jax State is at home this time around, where it has gone 12-1 this season.

Both the MTSU and Jax State’s final games are set to tip off at 2 p.m. on March 8, so both teams will look towards the scoreboard following their respective games.

Scenario Two

MTSU wins out, going 13-5, but Jax State wins on Saturday, leaving both teams tied for first place in the conference.

In this case, MTSU and Jax State’s record against Liberty would be the first tiebreaker but both teams would have a 1-1 record. MTSU would get the one seed based off records against Kennesaw State. MTSU won both games against Kennesaw while Jax State already lost a game so the best they could finish is 1-1.

There are countless other scenarios for how MTSU men’s basketball could finish the season but all result in them finishing second or lower.

The Blue Raiders face Liberty on March 6 and FIU on March 8.

MTSU head coach Rick Insell (right) coaches up Anastasiia Boldyreva (left) during a timeout against Western Kentucky at the Murphy Center on Feb. 15, 2025. (Ephraim Rodenbach)

Scenario One

MTSU women’s basketball path to first is much simpler. MTSU women’s basketball plays Liberty on the road and if MTSU wins they claim the regular season championship and earn the one seed in the tournament.

MTSU women’s basketball defeated Liberty 69-41 earlier in the season with guards Jalynn Gregory and Ta’Mia Scott combining for 49 points.

Scenario Two

If MTSU loses to Liberty, then both schools will be tied at 15-2 and would look to each school’s final matchup. MTSU plays at FIU on March 8 while Liberty plays WKU at home.

If Middle Tennessee and Liberty win on March 8 then Liberty would be the one seed based off the record against WKU. MTSU went 1-1 and in this scenario, Liberty would be 2-0.

Scenario Three

If MTSU falls to Liberty and both teams lose on March 8, then the tiebreaker comes down to NET ranking where MTSU would claim the one seed, according to NCAA.

Scenario Four

The final scenario is if MTSU loses to Liberty but beats FIU and Liberty then loses to WKU. MTSU’s final conference record would be 16-3 and Liberty at 15-3, giving MTSU the one seed.

The simple solution for MTSU, just win. The Lady Raiders face Liberty, March 6 and FIU March 8 on the road.

To contact the sports editor, email [email protected].

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About the Contributor

Jacob Burgess, Lead sports reporter

I cover anything and everything when it comes to middle Tennessee sports. I’m majoring in sports media and work with multiple student media organizations. When outside of school, I like to cook for friends and family and bike around town.