MBB: Mavs head up road to North Texas
11/27/2012 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Nov. 27, 2012
UT Arlington (2-1) at North Texas (3-3)
Wednesday, Nov. 28, 2012
Denton, Texas (Super Pit) 7:30 pm CT
TV: TXA21
Radio: Soul 730 AM/ Soul730.com
Series: North Texas 24-22
ARLINGTON, Texas - UT Arlington heads up I-35 to Denton for its third road game of 2012-13 with Wednesday night's visit to North Texas. The Mavericks are 2-1, having won their previous two away games at CSU Bakersfield and Samford.
The Mavericks and Mean Green are meeting for the 47th time. UNT leads the series 24-22, including an 18-7 edge in Denton. The teams last met on Nov. 11, 2011, with UTA winning 97-64 in Arlington. UT Arlington last won in Denton on Dec. 29, 2008.
"North Texas is an extremely talented basketball team," UT Arlington coach Scott Cross said. "They have a lottery pick with Tony Mitchell and a couple of other Top 100 players in the country coming out of high school.
"Coach Benford is doing a great job with the program and has them playing very hard. We know that we will have to play 40 minutes of great basketball to come away with a win, but we are ready for the challenge."
The series with North Texas began in 1974. Playing the Mean Green is part of the Mavericks' challenging nonconference schedule.
"It is very important for us to play regional games like UNT, Texas, Oklahoma and Oklahoma State," Cross said, referring to other teams on UTA's schedule this season. "Regional schools provide the 'rivalry' element that makes the games more appealing to our fan base.
"In addition, these are the schools that we must beat to elevate our program to the next level. I want our program to become a yearly Top 50 program in the country, so we have to beat the 'Big Boys' to make that happen."
UT Arlington is coming off a 65-58 win at Samford on Saturday night. The Mavericks took control with a 20-1 first-half run and never trailed in the second half. Senior forward Kevin Butler paced UTA with 15 points in his first start this season. Senior center Jordan Reves added 14 points and 12 rebounds. Sophomore guard Jamel Outler had 11 points off the bench, nine coming in the second half.
The Mavericks shot a season-high 51.1 percent (24-47) from the floor. The Bulldogs were held to 37.3-percent shooting. UTA hit 12 of 17 free throws and outrebounded Samford 35-27.
Butler leads the Mavericks in scoring at 12.7 points per game. Karol Gruszecki, Jordan Reves, Brandon Edwards and Outler are each averaging at least 7.7 points. Reves is averaging a team-high 12.0 rebounds, which ranks fourth in the nation.
North Texas is 3-3 on the season and 1-0 at the Super Pit. All-American forward Tony Mitchell leads the Mean Green in scoring (15.7) and rebounding (8.8).
For more information regarding UT Arlington season tickets for the upcoming men's and women's basketball season log onto UTAMavs.com or call 817-272-6319. Men's Season tickets start as low as $66 and include all 14 home games. Women's season tickets are $49 and include all 14 home games.
UTA students don't forget to log onto your MyMav account to purchase your All-Sports Pass for $50 this gives you entry into all home UTA Athletic events. For more information call 817-272-6319.
