March 9, 2017 Tickets | Watch | Listen | Statistics | UTA Notes | TOURNAMENT CENTRAL
NEW ORLEANS, La. - With the regular season league championship under its belt, the UTA men's basketball team turns its sights toward the big prize - a Sun Belt Tournament title and a berth into the NCAA Championships.
The top-seeded Mavericks open tournament play Friday with a quarterfinal matchup against 9th seeded Coastal Carolina at 11:30 a.m. in Lakefront Arena. Should UTA advance, it will play the winner of No. 4 Texas State or 12th seeded ULM in a Saturday semifinal at 11:30 a.m.
The tournament championship game is scheduled for Sunday at 1 p.m.
Every game of the tournament will be streamed live on ESPN3 with Sunday's final being televised on ESPN2. 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 fans are invited to a special viewing party at Grease Monkey, located in Downtown Arlington. Food and drink specials will be available. Grease Monkey will feature every UTA men and women's game from next week's Sun Belt Championships in New Orleans.
UTA and Coastal Carolina split its two matchups this season, each winning of its home court. The two teams opened conference play on New Year's Eve with the Mavericks racing to a 90-69 victory in College Park Center. On Jan. 30, the Chanticleers held the Mavs to just 21 percent shooting from long range in a 72-70 win in Conway, S.C.
The Mavericks enter Friday's semifinal with a sparkling 24-7 overall record and earned its first-ever Sun Belt title with a 14-4 mark against league opponents. UTA is ranked 38th in the most recent official NCAA ratings percentage index (RPI) - one factor used to determine deserving programs invited as at-large entries into the NCAA Championships.
Junior forward Kevin Hervey earned SBC Player of the Year and USBWA All-District honors after missing the last 19 games last season due to a severe knee injury. The Arlington native averages 17.3 points and 8.4 rebounds per game and poured-in a career-high 34 points in the team's regular season finale at Louisiana.
Guard Erick Neal, a second team all-league selection, ranks among the national leaders in assists. Senior Drew Charles is the winningest player in program history and Jalen Jones enters the Sun Belt Championships as the team's second leading scorer.
Senior forward Jorge Bilbao is rapidly moving up the program's career list for rebounds and appearances and rounds out a starting lineup that has featured 22 times this season.
