MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – Rick Stansbury’s claim that Nick King wouldn’t again torture Western Kentucky proved true.

Just a host of other Blue Raiders did instead.

No. 24 Middle Tennessee once again showed why it’s the best in Conference USA, using a strong supporting cast to defeat WKU 82-64 Thursday night at the Murphy Center.

King didn’t burn the Hilltoppers single-handedly like he did with 28 points in Middle Tennesse’s 66-62 win in Bowling Green on Jan. 20, but he still led the Blue Raiders (24-5, 16-1) with 18 points.

But three other Blue Raiders got into the mix with Brandon Walters scoring 18 points, Antwain Johnson adding 17 and Giddy Potts dropping 11 in a dominant effort.

“When those guys score like that, they’re tough to beat,” Stansbury said.

The Blue Raiders were hot from the start, feeding off the season’s largest crowd at the Murphy Center of 11,307. Middle Tennessee shot 33-of-60 (.550) from the floor, 9-of-20 (.450) from behind the arc and made 7-of-10 (.700) attempts from the free-throw line.

The Blue Raiders’ top scorers were efficient in their own right. Walters scored his 18 on 9-of-13 shooting and also brought in 11 rebounds and had three blocks. King was 7-for-15 from the floor with nine rebounds and four assists and Johnson shot 6-of-10 from the field and 3-for-4 on 3-pointers. Most of that production came with Middle Tennessee dominating WKU in the paint with a 42-24 advantage.

On his radio show Monday, Stansbury vowed that King wouldn’t control the game like in the last meeting. King helped the Blue Raiders control the pace on Jan. 20 by scoring 20 of his 28 points with 10 seconds or less on the shot clock.

“That ain’t going to happen this time. That ain’t happening,” Stansbury said at the time.

King was still a force, but not the same extent. Stansbury pointed to contributions from the 6-foot-10 center Walters and Johnson as the key difference in Middle Tennessee running away with the regular-season championship on its home floor.

“Walters was a load in there,” Stansbury said. “Walters scored and Johnson scored. Johnson, in the last four to five weeks, he went from a starter to a non-starter. The guy is another shooter out there, another ball handler and a guy that can make tough plays.”

Middle Tennessee coach Kermit Davis also added Walters’ boosted play and Johnson’s consistency has helped the Blue Raiders roll to 11 straight wins and a regular-season sweep of WKU.

Johnson has started 11 straight and is averaging 11.1 points per game in C-USA games. He had just two points in the first meeting against WKU, and Walters added just six points in the January game.

“Brandon Walters is playing like an elite center in college basketball,” Davis said. “When Brandon plays like that, we can play with a lot of people in college basketball. These guys will continue to get better. Antwain and Donavan (Sims) and Brandon, we’re getting better every week. These guys pay great attention to detail.”

By capturing its second straight regular-season title and holding on to its top 25 ranking for the second straight week, Davis said he doesn’t see how his Blue Raiders’ aren’t an NCAA Tournament team.

Along with being 24th in the AP poll, Middle Tennessee is 23rd in the USA Today Coaches Poll, an NCAA RPI of No. 24 and 38th in the KenPom ratings after beating the Hilltoppers. WKU entered Thursday ranked 53rd in the RPI and dropped to 58th in the KenPom ratings after the loss.

Although C-USA is a one-bid league for the tournament champion, Davis pitched that WKU could take care of business should the Hilltoppers earn an NCAA bid. Even if the tables turn in the C-USA tournament and Middle Tennessee doesn’t three-peat as league champions, Davis believes his team’s resume already qualifies them for the tournament.

“We look, prepare and play like a top 25 team,” Davis said. “I thought our depth was good and we guarded at a high level. We beat a really good team that beat Purdue and won six games in a row. If Western Kentucky gets into the NCAA Tournament, it’s a team that can win an NCAA Tournament game.

“At the end of the day, there’s no question (we’re a tournament team). I’m no trying to be political with our team, I’m just being honest. Nonconference strength of schedule (eighth), most true road wins in college basketball and ranked in both polls, won 11 in a row, I don’t know what else the team can do. If you’re in another league they’ll say you can be a third, fourth or fifth seed. So, we’ve got to keep going and take nothing for granted.”