1981–82 Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders men's basketball team
The 1981–82 Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders men's basketball team represented Middle Tennessee State University during the 1981–82 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Blue Raiders, led by third-year head coach Stan Simpson, played their home games at the Murphy Center in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, and were members of the Ohio Valley Conference. They finished the season 22–8, 12–4 in OVC play to finish third in the regular season standings. In the OVC tournament, they defeated Murray State, Tennessee Tech, and Youngstown State to receive the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. As the No. 11 seed in the Mideast region, they upset No. 6 seed Kentucky, 50–44,[1] in the opening round before losing to No. 3 seed, and eventual Final Four participant, Louisville, 81–56.[2]
| 1981–82 Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders men's basketball | |
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OVC tournament champions | |
NCAA tournament, Second Round | |
| Conference | Ohio Valley Conference |
| Record | 22–8 (12–4 OVC) |
| Head coach |
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| Home arena | Murphy Center |
| 1981–82 Ohio Valley Conference men's basketball standings | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Team | W | L | PCT | W | L | PCT | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Western Kentucky | 13 | – | 3 | .813 | 19 | – | 10 | .655 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Murray State | 13 | – | 3 | .813 | 20 | – | 8 | .714 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Middle Tennessee State † | 12 | – | 4 | .750 | 22 | – | 8 | .733 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Morehead State | 11 | – | 5 | .688 | 17 | – | 10 | .630 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Tennessee Tech | 8 | – | 8 | .500 | 12 | – | 14 | .462 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Youngstown State | 5 | – | 11 | .313 | 8 | – | 18 | .308 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Austin Peay | 4 | – | 12 | .250 | 6 | – | 20 | .231 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Akron | 3 | – | 13 | .188 | 7 | – | 19 | .269 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Eastern Kentucky | 3 | – | 13 | .188 | 5 | – | 21 | .192 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| † 1982 OVC tournament winner Rankings from AP poll | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Roster
| 1981–82 Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders men's basketball team | |||||||||||||||||
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| Players | Coaches | ||||||||||||||||
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Schedule and results
| Date time, TV |
Rank# | Opponent# | Result | Record | Site (attendance) city, state | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Regular season | |||||||||||
| Nov 27, 1981* |
vs. Chattanooga | L 54–62 | 0–1 |
Gentry Complex Nashville, Tennessee | |||||||
| OVC tournament | |||||||||||
| Mar 5, 1982* |
vs. Murray State Semifinals |
W 56–54 OT | 20–7 |
E. A. Diddle Arena Bowling Green, Kentucky | |||||||
| Mar 6, 1982* |
at Western Kentucky Championship game |
W 54–52 | 21–7 |
E. A. Diddle Arena Bowling Green, Kentucky | |||||||
| NCAA tournament | |||||||||||
| Mar 11, 1982* |
(11 ME) | vs. (6 ME) No. 15 Kentucky First round |
W 50–44 | 22–7 |
Memorial Gymnasium Nashville, Tennessee | ||||||
| Mar 13, 1982* |
(11 ME) | vs. (3 ME) No. 20 Louisville Second round |
L 56–81 | 22–8 |
Memorial Gymnasium Nashville, Tennessee | ||||||
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. ME=Mideast Source[3]. All times are in Central Time. | |||||||||||
Awards and honors
- Jerry Beck – OVC Player of the Year (2x)
References
- "Raiders claw Cats 50-44 in first-ever NCAA Tournament win". Middle Tennessee State University. March 15, 1982. Retrieved April 30, 2023.
- "Indiana Eliminated; Louisville a Winner". The New York Times. March 14, 1982. Retrieved April 30, 2023.
- "2019-20 Middle Tennessee Men's Basketball Media Guide" (PDF). Middle Tennessee State University Athletics. Retrieved April 30, 2023.
