12/29/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
UT Arlington (9-2, 0-0 SBC) vs. Georgia State (7-2, 0-0)
Wednesday | 7:15 p.m. CT | College Park Center
UTA Notes | GSU Notes | KKGM 1630 AM | Live Stream ($) | Live Stats
By Art Garcia | @ArtGarcia92
ARLINGTON, Texas - As successful as the Mavericks were during nonconference play, UT Arlington coach Scott Cross knows it matters little if that success isn't duplicated during the Sun Belt Conference campaign.
"I'm not going to put any extra pressure on the guys, but conference is definitely more important than nonconference," Cross said. "Conference is going to be a challenge. There are probably five teams capable of winning the league, maybe more than that. We start off with one of them, so we're going to have to be ready every night."
The Mavericks (9-2) get a true measuring stick in the league opener, as defending conference champion Georgia State (7-2) visits College Park Center on Wednesday night. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:15 p.m., with the UTA and Georgia State women starting the basketball doubleheader at 5 p.m.
Cross is also one victory away from setting himself apart from every other coach in the history of UT Arlington men's basketball. Cross, a 1998 UTA graduate, is tied with his former coach Eddie McCarter atop the all-time wins list with 162.
"This is about being 1-0 in conference," Cross said. "The record would be nice if and when it happens, but the important thing is being in position to win a conference championship. The only way you do that is by winning games."
The Mavericks are well rested, having played only once in the last three weeks. UTA put the finishing touches on a headline-grabbing nonconference run by blasting Sul Ross State 98-40 on Dec. 21.
The Mavericks are on a roll, having won four in a row and averaging 97.5 points in last two games. UTA has reached at 90 points in three of last four games.
The Mavs lead the nation in total rebounding at 45.64 per game and are second nationally in offensive rebounding at 17.73 per game. UTA leads the Sun Belt rebounding margin at plus-10.4. UTA also leads the conference in scoring margin (16.1) and assists (17.0).
Sophomore forward Kevin Hervey is 14th nationally with six double-doubles. In Sun Belt, he's sixth in scoring (17.5) and second in rebounding (9.7). Sophomore point guard Erick Neal is second in the conference in assists (5.1) and 15th in scoring (13.1).
Included in the best start since 2007-08 are wins at Ohio State, Memphis, UTEP and Rice. The Mavs also lost an overtime game at Texas, which beat North Carolina. UTA is 5-0 at home, highlighted by wins over Fordham, North Texas and Bradley.
The Mavericks trail the all-time series with Georgia State 4-3, with the Panthers winning all four meetings as Sun Belt foes over the previous two seasons. GSU is led by Jeremy Hollowell (15.6 ppg) and Kevin Ware 12.8 ppg).
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