Men's basketball news and notes
12/7/2010 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Dec. 7, 2010
Arlington, Tex. - UTA MEN'S BASKETBALL NEWS AND NOTES
DEFENSE AMONG BEST IN THE NATION
Sometimes in sports good things happen even when you don't play a game.
That is what has happened to the UT Arlington men's basketball team as they are in the midst of an 11-day break between games. However Scott Cross's program finds itself still garnering national attention.
Cross's Mavericks are ranked eighth in the nation in field goal percentage defense in the latest NCAA statistics at 35.6%. UTA has held their opponents under 40 percent from the floor in five of the seven games as the Mavs are off to a 5-2 start.
"We stress defense all the time to our guys and this one of the areas we try to excel in," Cross said. "It's nice to see the hard work we put in on this puts us among the best in the nation."
Florida State leads the country in this category at 31.6%.
MAVERICKS STILL RECEIVING VOTES IN MID-MAJOR POLL
For the second consecutive week, the Mavericks have garnered votes in the collegeinsider.com Mid-Major Top 25.
UT Arlington made their first appearance in the collegeinsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 last week and this week received the same amount of votes.
"Like I said last week, it's always nice to be recognized by your peers for what you have accomplished," Cross said. "Hopefully we can keep the momentum we have built up so far this season and continue it during the rest of the non-conference season and then into Southland play.
NEXT UP FOR THE MAVERICKS
UTA travels to Birmingham, Ala. this weekend to take on Samford. The game is scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 11 and will tipoff at 4 p.m. CT.
Fans can listen to the game on KVCE (1160 AM) or online at kvceradio.com.
