Middle Tennessee will open defense of its 2014 C-USA Tournament Championship against No. 7 seed Louisiana Tech in Bartow Arena Thursday at 1:30 p.m.

The No. 2 seed Blue Raiders (20-8) received a first-round bye and earned a spot in the quarterfinals. LA Tech (16-14) overcame a double-digit deficit in the second half to earn an 84-74 win against Florida Atlantic in first-round tournament action Wednesday.

Middle Tennessee was 2-0 against the Lady Techsters during the regular season, winning 82-59 in Murfreesboro, and 68-44 in Ruston, La.; however, Blue Raider Head Coach Rick Insell says tournament time signals a new season.

"What has happened in the regular season doesn't really matter now," Insell said. "Teams are now fighting to play another game. Teams are fighting for the postseason and to extend their season another game. We will have to play a very good basketball game (Thursday) because LA Tech is a good team and they are playing very well."

Middle Tennessee went 3-0 to win the C-USA Tournament in its first season as a league member in 2014. The Blue Raiders have won six straight conference tournament games and they have captured six titles in Insell's first nine seasons. Overall, Middle Tennessee has won 14 conference tournament titles in its history.

The Blue Raiders have been one of the league's most consistent teams. Their four conference losses were by a combined 15 points with two coming in overtime. Middle Tennessee's league losses were by 3.8 points per game.

Middle Tennessee is banged up heading into the tournament. It is down to 10 healthy scholarship players. Junior guard Caroline Warden is the latest casualty after suffering a season-ending knee injury during the regular-season finale against Florida Atlantic Saturday.

"No one is going to feel sorry for Middle Tennessee," Insell said. "We have our wagon loaded and we are ready to start the tournament with the players who are available to us. I'm proud of this team. The young ladies have worked hard and fought hard against a difficult schedule and some tough circumstances."

The Lady Techsters had one of their better all-around games against Florida Atlantic with four players in double figures. Whitney Frazier led the way with a double-double as she supplied 23 points and 10 rebounds. Chrisstasia Walter (16), Brandi Wingate (15) and Kevione Moten (12) also scored double figures for LA Tech.