Middle Tennessee State men's basketball will try to improve on last year's 14-19 mark when the Blue Raiders open play at home against Oglethorpe University Monday (11 a.m.).

The Blue Raiders were tied as Conference USA favorites entering last season before finishing 7-9 in league play.

Can the Blue Raiders finish higher than their 2024-25 predicted finish of fourth in CUSA? Here are things to know about MTSU entering the season:

MTSU men's basketball to lean on veterans Porter, Weston

MTSU will have a wealth of experience and talent in the backcourt entering the season in shooting guard Jestin Porter and point guard Cam Weston.

Weston's return should be a big boost to the Blue Raiders. Entering last season as the team's leader in scoring and assists, the 6-foot-3 redshirt senior from Albany, Georgia, suffered a season-ending injury just two games into the season. He was a preseason all-conference player entering last season and has been named to the same list entering 2024-25.

Weston scored 14 points and dished out five assists in the team's opener last year before suffering the injury in the second game.

Porter has been the team's most reliable outside shooter the past two seasons. He was a second-team all-conference selection last year and is on the preseason list this season.

The 6-1 senior from Houston averaged 13.9 points and 1.8 assists and led the team with 32 steals last season, playing primarily out of position while filling in at the point with Weston hurt. He was 61 of 181 from 3-point range last year.

Other key returnees include redshirt senior guard Jacob Johnson, sophomore center Chris Loofe, junior guard Tre Green and senior guard Justin Bufford.

The 6-6 Bufford played 30 minutes a game last season and averaged 7.4 points a game. He also has 74 career blocked shots. He has started parts of the last three seasons for the Blue Raiders.

The 6-11, 230-pound Loofe was named to the all-conference freshman team last season. The 6-3, 190-pound Green was one of the team's top shooters last year, going 25 of 78 from 3-point range, including hitting six in one game.

The 6-5, 195-pound Johnson averaged 5.6 points and 4.2 rebounds last season, starting 28 games.

Transfers should help MTSU men's basketball

MTSU added some key players from the transfer portal during the offseason, including strengthening the team's perimeter shooting.

Stetson transfer Alec Oglesby, a 6-5 graduate student from Gainesville, Florida, is a career 39.8% 3-point shooter who averaged 10.7 points and 4.4 rebounds last season.

IUPUI transfer Jlynn Counter, a 6-3 senior point guard from Oklahoma City, averaged 14.3 points, 3.0 assists and led the team in steals (44) last season. He also averaged over 14 points a game as a sophomore.

The Blue Raiders also helped themselves in the paint and out on the wing.

TCU transfer Essam Mostafa, a 6-9, 250-pound graduate student, averaged 2.8 points and 3.2 rebounds for TCU last season after leading the Sun Belt in double-doubles (16) and averaging 10 rebounds a game for Coastal Carolina the previous season. He scored over 1,000 points in three seasons at Coastal Carolina.

Arizona State transfer Kamari Lands, a 6-8 junior, averaged 4.5 points and 2.4 rebounds for the Sun Devils last season after averaging 5.9 points a game as a true freshman at Louisville. He was a top 50 player nationally coming out of high school.

The Blue Raiders also added former Lebanon star Jarrod Hall, a 6-8 forward who transferred from Tulsa. He won the Class 4A Mr. Basketball award as a senior with the Blue Devils.

FOOTBALL: MTSU legends Dean Hayes, Kevin Byard recognized for Conference USA Hall of Fame inductions

In-state showdowns highlight MTSU non-conference schedule

MTSU's biggest non-conference game will be at Tennessee on Dec. 23. The Vols are coming off a trip to the Elite 8 last season.

Other in-state showdowns include at Belmont (Dec. 7) and at home against Lipscomb (Dec. 19).

The Blue Raiders also play in the Myrtle Beach Invitational Nov. 22-24.

Cecil Joyce covers high school sports and MTSU athletics for The Daily News Journal. Contact him at cjoyce@dnj.com and follow him on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, @Cecil_Joyce.

This article originally appeared on Murfreesboro Daily News Journal: MTSU men's basketball 2024-25 NCAA season preview