1988–89 Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders men's basketball team

American college basketball season March 2026 August 2023 1988–89 Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders Basketball Middle Tennessee MT Logomark.svg 150 Ohio Valley Conference OVC 23–8 10–2 Bruce Stewart 5th Murphy Center OVC regular season & tournament champions NCAA tournament second round The 1988–89 Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders men's basketball team represented Middle Tennessee State University during the 1988–89 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Blue Raiders, led by fifth-year head coach Bruce Stewart, played their home games at the Murphy Center in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, and were members of the Ohio Valley Conference. They finished the season 23–8, 10–2 in OVC play to win the regular season championship. In the OVC tournament, they defeated Eastern Kentucky and Austin Peay to receive the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. As the No. 13 seed in the Southeast region, they defeated Florida State in the first round before losing in the second round to Virginia. Roster 1988 Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders y y Chris Rainey G 5 11 SR Randy Henry F 6 9 SR Bruce Stewart Schedule and results 1988-89 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings 1988 yes yes |- !colspan=9 style=Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders| Non-conference regular season Nov 28, 1988 yes 1988 men Kennesaw State Owls Kennesaw State Murphy Athletic Center Murfreesboro, Tennessee 93–56 1–0 Dec 3, 1988 yes yes Wright State WSU Physical Education Building Dayton, Ohio 71–88 1–1 Dec 5, 1988 yes yes 1988 men Akron Zips Akron James A. Rhodes Arena Akron, Ohio 65–81 1–2 Dec 8, 1988 yes 1988 men Tennessee Wesleyan Bulldogs Tennessee Wesleyan Murphy Athletic Center Murfreesboro, Tennessee 143–68 2–2 Dec 10, 1988 yes 1988 none Alabama State Hornets Alabama State Murphy Athletic Center Murfreesboro, Tennessee 111–83 3–2 Dec 17, 1988 yes yes 1988 men Chattanooga Mocs Chattanooga McKenzie Arena Chattanooga, Tennessee 88–87 4–2 Dec 20, 1988 yes Louisiana Tech Murphy Athletic Center Murfreesboro, Tennessee 91–87 5–2 Dec 22, 1988 yes 1988 men Arkansas State Red Wolves Arkansas State Murphy Athletic Center Murfreesboro, Tennessee 93–92 2OT 6–2 Dec 27, 1988 yes yes Clemson Memorial Coliseum Portland, Oregon Far West Classic Quarterfinal 77–81 6–3 Dec 29, 1988 yes yes 1988 men Chicago State Cougars Chicago State Memorial Coliseum Portland, Oregon Far West Classic 85–71 7–3 Dec 30, 1988 yes yes 1988 men Colorado Buffaloes Colorado Memorial Coliseum Portland, Oregon Far West Classic 107–105 OT 8–3 Jan 4, 1989 yes yes Alabama State Dunn Arena Montgomery, Alabama 96–102 8–4 Jan 7, 1989 yes Akron Murphy Athletic Center Murfreesboro, Tennessee 99–94 9–4 |- !colspan=9 style=Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders| Regular season Jan 9, 1989 1988 men Tennessee State Tigers Tennessee State Murphy Athletic Center Murfreesboro, Tennessee 89–60 10–4 1–0 Jan 12, 1989 yes yes Louisiana Tech Thomas Assembly Center Ruston, Louisiana 71–72 10–5 Jan 16, 1989 yes 1988 men Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles Tennessee Tech Eblen Center Cookeville, Tennessee 79–77 11–5 2–0 Jan 21, 1989 1988 men Eastern Kentucky Colonels Eastern Kentucky Murphy Athletic Center Murfreesboro, Tennessee 82–67 12–5 3–0 Jan 23, 1989 1988 men Morehead State Eagles Morehead State Murphy Athletic Center Murfreesboro, Tennessee 108–68 13–5 4–0 Jan 28, 1989 yes 1988 men Austin Peay Governors Austin Peay Winfield Dunn Center Clarksville, Tennessee 95–84 14–5 5–0 Jan 30, 1989 yes 1988 men Murray State Racers Murray State Racer Arena Murray, Kentucky 67–71 14–6 5–1 Feb 4, 1989 yes Tennessee State Gentry Complex Nashville, Tennessee 104–71 15–6 6–1 Feb 8, 1989 yes Wright State Murphy Athletic Center Murfreesboro, Tennessee 83–51 16–6 Feb 11, 1989 Murray State Murphy Athletic Center Murfreesboro, Tennessee 85–84 17–6 7–1 Feb 13, 1989 Austin Peay Murphy Athletic Center Murfreesboro, Tennessee 111–105 OT 18–6 8–1 Feb 18, 1989 yes Morehead State Ellis Johnson Arena Morehead, Kentucky 99–101 18–7 8–2 Feb 20, 1989 yes Eastern Kentucky McBrayer Arena Richmond, Kentucky 81–63 19–7 9–2 Feb 25, 1989 Tennessee Tech Murphy Athletic Center Murfreesboro, Tennessee 89–68 20–7 10–2 |- !colspan=9 style=Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders| OVC tournament Mar 5, 1989 yes yes 1 Eastern Kentucky 5 Nashville Municipal Auditorium Nashville, Tennessee Semifinals 81–64 21–7 Mar 9, 1989 yes yes 1 Austin Peay 3 Nashville Municipal Auditorium Nashville, Tennessee Championship 82–79 22–7 |- !colspan=9 style=Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders| NCAA tournament Mar 16, 1989 yes yes 13 SE Florida State 16 4 SE Memorial Gymnasium Nashville, Tennessee First Round 97–83THE BUCK STOPS SEMINOLES IN NCAA OPENER; BLUE RAIDER PLAYS PERFECT GAME https://www.deseret.com/1989/3/17/18799200/the-buck-stops-seminoles-in-ncaa-opener-br-blue-raider-plays-perfect-game Deseret News March 17, 1989 March 22, 2020 23–7 Mar 18, 1989 yes yes 13 SE Virginia 5 SE Memorial Gymnasium Nashville, Tennessee Second Round 88–104Cavaliers, Sooners Fill It Up, Spring Into Round of 16 https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/sports/1989/03/19/cavaliers-sooners-fill-it-up-sprint-into-round-of-16/f527fc38-dc15-4487-ac3f-78b8b97d1b5a/ The Washington Post March 18, 1989 March 30, 2025 13,453 23–8 AP Poll Central Time SE Southeast Source2019-20 Middle Tennessee Men's Basketball Media Guide https://goblueraiders.com/documents/2019/10/24/2019_20_MBB_Media_Guide_web_.pdf Middle Tennessee State University Athletics April 20, 20201988-89 Men's Basketball Schedule https://goblueraiders.com/sports/mens-basketball/schedule/1988-89 Middle Tennessee State University Athletics February 10, 20231988-89 Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders Schedule and Results https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/schools/middle-tennessee/men/1989-schedule.html Sports Reference April 24, 2020 Rankings 1988–89 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings References Category:Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders men's basketball seasons Middle Tennessee Middle Tennessee Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders