Keep an eye on Murfreesboro this season: last night Middle Tennessee nearly defeated the national-champion Terps before an MTSU-record 10K crowd.

Chrissy Givens, who usually leads the Blue Raiders in scoring, talllied just 14 points in 40 minutes, but transfer Amber Holt had 28. MTSU led with two minutes to go, but missed late shots that could have tied it.

Was the close match a fluke? Maybe not: the Sun Belt Conference team knocked off major-conference teams in the NCAAs in '04 and '05, and threw a scare at Utah in '06.

MTSU's '06-07 nonconference schedule also includes Georgia, Tennessee, ODU, and (ulp!) Minnesota.