Feb. 26, 2017 Tickets | Watch | Listen | | UTA Notes | Troy Notes | SBC Notes
ARLINGTON, Texas - Just like the old saying goes, there's nothing like saving the best for last.
When UTA seniors Jorge Bilbao, Drew Charles, Jalen Jones and Faith Pope take the floor against Troy University Monday night, they will be playing in, arguably, the biggest game of their college careers.
The storylines seem nearly endless for Monday's 7 p.m. contest against the Trojans in College Park Center. In addition to serving as the final regular season home game for the program's four seniors, a win would help the program achieve a few other milestones:
- Clinch no worse than a share of its first-ever Sun Belt regular season title and its first conference championship since winning the Southland Conference in 2012 - the final year UTA competed in the league.
- Guarantee UTA the top seed in the annual Sun Belt Championships, scheduled for March 8-12 in New Orleans, La. UTA would also receive a first round bye and would begin tournament play on Friday, March 10.
- Ensure the Mavericks would qualify for a postseason berth in the NIT as the league's regular season champion - in the event UTA does not earn a spot in the NCAA Championships.
- Provide head coach Scott Cross his 200th career victory. He enters the game with a 199-145 record and is the winningest coach in program history.
- Extend the Mavericks' home win streak to 16-straight, currently the ninth longest such streak among 351 NCAA Division I programs.
- Give UTA a 23-6 overall record, one victory shy of a program-high. The 2012 and 2016 teams concluded the season with a record 24 wins.
Tickets are available online at UTATickets.com or during weekday business hours by calling the UTA Box Office at (817) 272-9595. Specially priced group and youth team ticket packages are available.
Saturday's game will televised live by Spectrum Sports and streamed online via UTAMavs.com. In addition, a live radio broadcast of the men's game will be available throughout the DFW Metroplex on KEXB 620 AM and via the popular TuneIn app on smartphones and tablets. Links to complete game coverage, including video, audio and live statistics, are available on UTAMavs.com.
UTA enters Monday's contest with a sparkling 22-6 overall record and a 12-3 mark against Sun Belt opponents. The Mavericks are a game-and-a-half ahead of second place Georgia State and Georgia Southern (11-5) and two games ahead of third place Arkansas State (10-5).
UTA has three games remaining on its schedule, while the Georgia schools have just two game left. GSU plays at Arkansas State on Monday, while Georgia Southern is at Little Rock. The two in-state rivals will face each other next weekend in Statesboro, Ga.
Troy enters Monday's game with a 16-13 record and an 8-7 mark in league play. The Jaguars could finish among the top four in the league standings with three wins to close out the regular season.
The Trojans saw their 4-game win streak come to an end on Saturday with a 63-59 loss at Texas State.
At Texas State, sophomore forward Jordon Varnadao led Troy with 24 points, marking the ninth time this season he scored 20 or more points in a game. On Jan. 14, the Brownsville, Tenn. native chipped-in 24 points and watched teammate Wesley Person pour-in a team-leading 39, to lead Troy to a 91-73 win over UTA.
Following Monday's game, UTA travels to Monroe, La. for a Thursday game at ULM. The Mavericks close out the regular season Saturday with a 7:15 p.m. contest at Louisiana. Both games will be the second half of a women/men doubleheader with the Lady Mavs.
