MTSU lost 60-59 against Omaha yesterday. Although it was a game they should have won, there were a handful of key bright spots that provided optimism towards the team this season.

Today's game was not like that.

MTSU lost to ETSU this morning 57-43. The first 75% of the game was neck-and-neck, as neither team had a lead larger than 4 the first 32 minutes. ETSU ended the game on a 21-11 run in the final 8 minutes. Despite it being close, MTSU did not play particularly well during any long stretch of the game. The offense was abysmal in near every dimension.

You can also throw any "time to gel" and "developing chemistry" excuses out the window. ETSU lost their coach as well as their top eight scorers from last season. Of the 11 players that have seen the floor this season, only two played for the Buccaneers last year. They have played one more game than the Blue Raiders, but it is doubtful that gave them the necessary edge in cohesiveness to win this game.

***Boat Loads of Turnovers***

MTSU finished the game with an eye-popping 27 turnovers. It was their highest total in the McDevitt era and the ninth time they have had 20 or more turnovers over that span. Jordan Davis had 5. Tyson Jackson had 4. Eli Lawrence, JV Millner-Criss, Jalen Jordan, and Jared Coleman-Jones each had 3.

Part of the turnover problem might be due to lack of point guard play after Donovan Sims. When Sims was off the court, the team had 16 turnovers, 11 when he was on. The disparity was larger if you look exclusively at the second half: the team had 13 turnovers with him off the court, opposed to 3 when he was on. For what it's worth, Sims only played 6 minutes in the second half.

It is also worth mentioning that over two games, Donovan Sims is the team leader in plus/minus with +15. The next highest is Tyler Millin with +1. Sims is the only player who finished with a positive plus/minus in both games. Tough to draw conclusions over 80 minutes, but it is something pay attention to going forward.

***Cringe-worthy Shooting***

Middle Tennessee shot 30% from the field against ETSU, their worst clip since 2018 when they played Ja Morant's Murray State Racers (today was also the lowest scoring total MTSU has had since that same game). The backcourt is more culpable, as they combined for 6/32 (19%) from the field.

One thing that has been curious is the amount and frequency of player substitutions Coach McDevitt has made over the last two games. Today, he made 58. Yesterday, he made 50. Could this be hurting the rhythm of these players and partly why they are missing so many good looks?

I was unsure of how much is too much, so here are the amount of substitutions the other four teams have made in one of their games during the Gulf Coast Showcase.

ETSU (today): 32

Omaha (yesterday): 24

Austin Peay (yesterday): 32

Abilene Christian (today): 60

Abilene Christian has been doing just fine, going 2-0 comfortably so far in the event. But considering their players' roles are more established and MTSU is still finding their way, extending the stretches of certain players and rotations might help create more rhythm for those who haven't played a CBB game in over a year.

***The One Silver Lining: Defense***

Omaha and ETSU combined to shoot 42/112 (38%) from the field and 5/28 (18%) from 3 in the two games against MTSU. In the last two years, opponents have respectively shot 43% and 48% from the field as well as 34% and 38% from 3.

It is a small sample size but there is a clear visible effort and intensity from the team on that side of the ball thus far this year. Jordan Davis, Dontrell Shuler, DeAndre Dishman, Jalen Jordan, and Eli Lawrence all displayed notable defense that provides some encouragement going forward.

***Conclusion***

The Blue Raiders went 0-2 against teams that are on the bottom half of the totem pole among opponents they will face this year. MTSU soon enters the tough phase of their non-conference schedule in which they will face Murray State, Chattanooga, and Ole Miss over two weeks. Whatever has gone wrong in the last two games needs to be assessed and adjusted before the season becomes another edition of the two prior.