Middle Tennessee Routs Fisk 117-73 in Opener

Quintero Barnett led Middle Tennessee with 24 points as the Blue Raiders opened their season with a lopsided win over Fisk on Monday.

Updated on Nov. 2, 2026 in Basketball

Expressive editorial sports illustration of a blue-jersey basketball player driving past a defender at the rim in a gestural painted style. — Middle Tennessee rolled to a 117-73 season-opening win over Fisk on Monday, with Quintero Barnett scoring 24 points for the Blue Raiders in Murfreesboro. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

Middle Tennessee defeated Fisk 117-73 in its season opener on Monday in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. Quintero Barnett scored 24 points for the Blue Raiders, while Kaleb Jeffries led Fisk with 21.

Why it matters

The season-opening rout gives Middle Tennessee an early statement of offensive depth, with four players scoring in double figures. The margin reflects a wide talent gap between the two programs in the early part of the season.

Barnett shot 9 of 15 from the field and 2 of 5 from three-point range, while Eli Rice hit 5 of 10 from deep en route to 18 points. Middle Tennessee's 13-0 second-half run pushed its lead to 28 points, its largest of the night.

The players

Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders

The Blue Raiders are the men's basketball program of Middle Tennessee State University, a member of Conference USA based in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.

Quintero Barnett

Barnett is a guard for Middle Tennessee who led the Blue Raiders in scoring with 24 points in the season opener.

Fisk University

Fisk is a historically Black private university in Nashville, Tennessee, whose men's basketball team lost to Middle Tennessee in the season opener.

The details

Middle Tennessee took the lead for good with 19:16 remaining in the first half and never trailed after that. The Blue Raiders pulled away in the second half with a 13-0 run that extended their lead to 28 points.

Monday: Middle Tennessee defeats Fisk 117-73 in its season opener.

Barnett's 24-point game and Rice's 5-of-10 three-point shooting show where Middle Tennessee's early offense is coming from. Fantasy managers tracking the Blue Raiders' backcourt should note Barnett's efficient 9-of-15 shooting in the opener.

The takeaway

Depth shows early in the season when four Middle Tennessee players score in double figures, a pattern worth watching as conference play approaches. Balanced scoring can be a useful signal for evaluating the Blue Raiders' rotation over the coming weeks.