Changes breed excitement as Men's Hoops tipoff nears

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – Fall is in the air, and that doesn't just mean exciting football. It's also time to tip things off on the hardwood.

Middle Tennessee will look different this season, both with the players on the court and the coaches roaming the sidelines.

Nick McDevitt was hired as the Blue Raiders' 20th head coach in program history in late March after the departure of the school's all-time wins leader, Kermit Davis.

McDevitt, who spent the last five years at UNC Asheville, takes over a team fresh off the best three-year stretch in its history. The Blue Raiders went 81-23 overall and 46-8 in Conference USA in that span, reaching the NCAA Tournament Second Round twice and winning four…