Fan bases, friendships and even families will split for about two hours tonight at MTSU's Murphy Center.

Many MTSU fans also hold long-standing allegiance to Tennessee. But a line will be drawn alongside the hardwood as the No. 14 Vols face the Blue Raiders in front of a sellout crowd, which should feature plenty of blue and orange.

"My hope is that when our team is not playing Middle Tennessee, people in Murfreesboro are rooting for us," UT coach Bruce Pearl said. "I'm rooting for Middle Tennessee to win the Sun Belt, and I hope they're rooting for us to win the SEC.

"(Tonight's) game is a great event for every basketball fan in the state of Tennessee, and I think there are fans that root for both."

But will some fans cheer for both tonight?

The game is sold out, meaning around 12,000 people will flood Murphy Center. Some will wear blue, and some will wear orange.

UT alum and Murfreesboro resident Tracy Pack will deal with divisions within himself and his family. He will attend a UT alumni event at Mellow Mushroom restaurant in Murfreesboro today and then don MTSU blue at tonight's game. His 10-year-old son will wear orange.

"That's going to be tough on me because I like them both," Pack said. "I'm a UT grad, but I moved to Murfreesboro in 1988 and got to be friends with a lot of MTSU fans. Then came that 10- or 12-year stretch when UT basketball was mediocre, and I got to know (MTSU coach Kermit Davis) and I want him to do well."

Davis said he understands some fans having dual allegiance.

"A lot of my good friends pull for us in basketball and they went to the University of Tennessee. We have an understanding of that," Davis said. "But I sure hope if you're a graduate of Middle Tennessee and you follow Blue Raider basketball, that you will know exactly how to act (tonight). They'll be loud, boisterous and a great enthusiastic college crowd. Our student body will be fantastic, and they'll act like every great basketball crowd around the country."

Tonight's crowd could break the single-game school attendance record of 11,807, set in a win over Western Kentucky in 2004. Long before that, MTSU had a sellout crowd of 11,520 in a win over UT in the 1988 NIT — the Vols' lone visit to Murphy Center to play the Blue Raiders before tonight.

In that 1988 thriller, MTSU's home crowd featured more orange than blue. But there are many stories of fans undergoing a wardrobe change when MTSU led late in the game.

"You saw fans taking their orange shirts off and having blue on underneath," said former MTSU player Randy Henry, who played in the 1988 game. "I remember a lot of students walking around campus that day saying, 'I don't know who to cheer for tonight.'

"But there was more orange at the beginning of the game, and that surprised me at the time. It made me a little mad, too."

MTSU utilized a priority ticketing policy for tonight's game, giving Blue Raider fans ample opportunity to buy tickets. MTSU season-ticket holders and boosters got the first opportunity to purchase tickets, and MTSU students were given 3,500 tickets free of charge.

But there is still a crossover between the fan bases.

"We're going to have a lot of fans here, and I'm sure there will be some UT Vols fans here," MTSU player Desmond Yates said. "But I think our MTSU fans are going to outshine all those UT fans."

Pearl said the mixed crowd will only add to the atmosphere.

"A great crowd is one with both teams represented," Pearl said. "I don't think there will be as much orange as blue, but there will be plenty to witness it. It will be a great crowd for a great event."