UT Arlington (24-10) at NJIT (19-14)
Thursday | 6:30 p.m. CT | Newark, NJ (Fleisher Athletic Center)
Game Notes | KKVN 970 AM | Live Stats | Live Stream

CollegeInsider.com Tournament

By Art Garcia | @ArtGarcia92

ARLINGTON, Texas - The UT Arlington Mavericks continue their postseason journey after a long break with Thursday night's visit to NJIT in the quarterfinals of the CollegeInsider.com Tournament. Tip is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. CT on KHVN 970 AM and ESPN3.

The Mavericks (24-10) have been off since winning at Savannah State in the CIT first round on March 15. UTA received a second-round bye after the 75-59 win. Jalen Jones and Drew Charles each scored 19 to lead the Mavs past Savannah State and into the tournament quarters.

The time off has enabled the Mavs to get into the gym and practice for their first-ever matchup against the NJIT Highlanders (19-14) of the Atlantic Sun Conference.

"We've been able to zero in and focus in on several areas within our offense," UT Arlington coach Scott Cross said. "Hopefully we'll be more efficient when we have five guys out on the floor."

The Mavericks need one victory to set a program record for wins in a season. This UTA team is currently tied with the 2011-12 version, which went 24-9. These Mavs have already made history by winning the first postseason game in program history. Setting the wins record would be another feather in their caps.

"It would be great," Cross said. "There've been some great teams here, and to have the opportunity to have the most wins in school history would be a big-time tribute to the guys on this basketball team and the perseverance they've shown throughout the season. I'm hopeful that our guys will be ready to play and we can accomplish that on Thursday night."

NJIT has won two games in the CIT, beating Army 79-65 last week and Boston University 83-72 on Monday night. The Highlanders are 11-6 at home this season.

UTA is 11-8 away from home this season. Though the Mavericks have never faced NJIT, Cross isn't reinventing the wheel with a spot in the CIT final four on the line.

"It comes down to the same things it requires us to beat any team," he said. "We have to have great defense, we have to rebound, we have to be good in transition defense and we have to have great ball movement. That's the key with us no matter what team we face or who we play, it's about what we do."

UT Arlington is one of just two Texas programs still alive in the postseason, along with Texas A&M.

WATCH PARTY
The Grease Monkey (200 N Mesquite St) is hosting Watch Parties for all remaining CollegeInsider.com Tournament games. Food and drink specials available, along with prizes for UTA fans.