MURFREESBORO, Tenn. -- Middle Tennessee looked very comfortable in its first game as a ranked team.
Nick King scored 22 points, Giddy Potts had 17 and the 24th-ranked Blue Raiders cruised to a 79-54 victory over UAB on Saturday night.
Middle Tennessee (23-5, 15-1 Conference USA) entered the AP poll for the first time on Monday, but hadn't played since an 87-70 victory at Louisiana Tech last Saturday. It showed no signs of any rust, jumping to a 40-19 halftime lead against the Blazers.
"We're proud of our ranking, proud of it for our fans and most proud for our players," coach Kermit Davis said.