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FORT MYERS, Fla. -- When UT Arlington freshman DJ Bryant enters tomorrow night's basketball game at Florida Gulf Coast University, there should be a large cheer coming from the expected capacity crowd at Alico Arena.

Bryant, a native of nearby Sarasota, expects dozens of family members, former teammates, coaches and friends to attend the Mavericks' first-ever visit to FGCU (0-1). Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. (ET) in a battle of two of the better mid-major college basketball programs in the country.

The game will be streamed live on ESPN3, while a UTA radio broadcast will be available through the Dallas-Fort Worth area on KEXB 620 AM and online via the popular TuneIn app. Live statistics, audio and video links are available on UTAMavs.com. A small number of tickets remain available online at FGCUAthletics.com.

"I'm definitely looking forward to having a chance to go home and play in front of my family and friends," said Bryant, a 5-11 freshman point guard. "First and foremost, though, it is a business trip. We want to get down there, play well, win and get back on the right track.

"But, it is a blessing to have the opportunity to go back home and play near my home. There should be a pretty good crowd, so I'm looking forward to it."

Although a near capacity crowd is expected, Bryant's supporters were able to buy tickets and planned the 75-mile trip from Sarasota to Fort Myers for weeks.

"My mom called FGCU's ticket office and they said it was a tough ticket," said Bryant, who has appeared in each of the Mavericks' first two games of the season as a backup point guard to all-Sun Belt Conference junior Erick Neal. "A lot of guys from my school and my team last year purchased tickets.

"There will also be a lot of kids from the Kings Basketball program my dad started are planning to attend. My brother and I worked with them and it will be great to have them at the game. I hope I can provide some inspiration for them to do great things with their lives.."

During the recruiting process, UTA head coach Scott Cross made a pledge to Bryant and his family that his would make every effort to bring the team to South Florida for a game at some point during his career. Little did anyone know, it would be two games into his freshman season.

"I think it is an awesome opportunity for DJ," said Cross. "One of the things we talked about when we recruited him was that we would try our best to get a game close to his home. Florida Gulf Coast is in a similar position as us in that they were having difficulty getting teams to play them since they had such a good team coming back."

Not only will there be some familiar faces in the stands, Bryant has a former teammate on FGCU's team and he has some experience on the court at Alico Arena.

"I played travel ball with Christian Terrell at FGCU," said Bryant. "We played together back in, I think ninth grade with Team Speights. We actually, also, practiced at FGCU's gym before my high school team went to the final four last year. I played several tournaments there over the years, as well."

UTA enters Wednesday's game with a 1-1 overall record following last night's road loss at the University of Minnesota. The Mavericks conclude their 5-day road trip Friday with a 7 p.m. (CT) game at the University of Arkansas.