LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – Sitting in a tie for 1st place in the Sun Belt Conference, the UT Arlington men's basketball team (12-12, 8-3 SBC) looks to remain atop the league standings when the Mavericks visit Little Rock (9-15, 4-7 SBC) on Thursday at 6:30 p.m. inside the Jack Stephens Center.
 
FOLLOW ALONG
The contest will be broadcast on ESPN+ by clicking here. The Voice of the Mavericks Josh Sours will have the call on the radio at KEXB 620 AM and streaming via the TuneIn App and iHeartRadio. Furthermore, for updates and behind-the-scenes photos and videos from not only this game, but all season, be sure to follow @UTA_MBB on Twitter and @UTA_Hoops on Instagram.
 
WHERE THINGS STAND
The hottest team in the Sun Belt, UTA has won eight of its last nine games, with the lone slip-up coming at preseason favorite Georgia State, 77-71. A little more than a month ago the Mavericks were 4-11 overall and 0-2 in the SBC play, but now reside in a 1st-place tie with Texas State.
 
The Mavs and Bobcats are 8-3 in the league, Georgia State sits just a half-game back at 8-4 and Georgia Southern occupies the 4th position currently at 7-5. If the Sun Belt Tournament started today, UTA would be the #1 seed thanks to its 84-77 double-overtime win at Texas State earlier this month.
 
The top-2 seeds receive byes all the way to the tournament semifinals; the 3-4 seeds get byes to the quarterfinals and the 5-6 seeds automatically advance to the second round. Seeds 7-10 will play in opening-round games hosted on the campuses of the #7 and #8 seeds, with the winners of those contests advancing to New Orleans. The bottom-2 teams do not qualify for the tournament.
 
TWEETABLES – 5 Things To Know In 260 Characters Or Less
1) Edric Dennis is just five points shy of 1,000 for his career. The junior scored 272 points at Hill Junior College as a freshman, tallied 406 as a sophomore at Jackson State and has 317 with UTA this season. He would be the second UTA player to reach the mark this year (Brian Warren).
2) At 8-3, this is tied for UTA's best-ever start through 11 games of an SBC season – and that came from the 2016-17 club which won the SBC Regular Season Championship with a 14-4 league mark.
3) For the second time this year, UTA is receiving votes in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Poll as the Mavs picked up three votes this week. Texas State is ranked #20 in the poll, while Georgia Southern and Georgia State are both receiving votes.
4) Helping aid in UTA's in-season turnaround is that they are averaging just 12.7 turnovers per game (15.9 in the non-conference), issuing 134.7 assists per game (10.5 non-conference) and making 16.2 free throws per game (15 non-conference).
5) The Mavs ranks 10th nationally in 3-point percentage defense (29.1). Only one opponent (Tulsa, 55.6 percent) has shot better than 42 percent against the Mavs this year; just two others (Little Rock, Appalachian State: 41.2) have shot over 40 percent.
 
Bonus Tweet
Through UTA's first 24 games, head coach Chris Ogden has utilized 13 different starting lineups – the 2nd-most such starting 5 combinations in the nation to this point (UT Martin: 15).
 
SUN BELT STATS
UTA carries a 4-1 record in road Sun Belt games into Thursday's contest with Little Rock – by far the best mark in the league. In fact, the only other team multiple games over .500 on the road in conference play is Texas State (3-1). Georgia Southern is 4-3 in road SBC contests.
 
In a testament to the statement 'defense wins championships,' UTA (1st, 67.7 points per game allowed) and Texas State (2nd, 68.5) rank as two-best defensive teams in the SBC, and are tied at the top of the league standings. However, offensively, Texas State (12th, 71.7 points per game) and UTA (11th, 72.2) rank as the two lowest-scoring teams in league play.
 
Despite averaging the 2nd-fewest points in SBC games, UTA leads the conference in scoring margin (+4.5). Additionally, while the Mavericks also rank last in league games in field-goal percentage (41.4), UTA is 1st in the SBC in field-goal percentage defense (40.7), 1st in rebounds per game (39.8) and 1st in assists per game (14.7).
 
UTA was picked 11th in the Sun Belt Preseason Poll, and its current 1st-place standing represents the largest increase (+10) among all 12 league members by a wide margin. Texas State (+7: 8th to 1st) and Coastal Carolina (+5: 10th to 5th) are the only others who are better than +3. Since joining the Sun Belt in 2013-14, UTA has won 64 league regular-season games, and is the only program to finish in the top 5 of the conference standings every year. Only Louisiana (66) and Georgia State (72) have more league wins in that time.
 
ABOUT LITTLE ROCK
Little Rock ranks 11th in the nation in field-goal percentage (49.3), and 20th in the country with 573 free-throw attempts. However, the Trojans convert at just a 65.6-percent clip from the charity stripe – 10th in the conference.
 
Rayjon Tucker is 5th in the Sun Belt by averaging 20.5 points per game, and checks in 30th nationally by averaging nearly 36-and-a-half minutes per outing. The redshirt junior is 20th nationally in free-throws made with 130.
 
In the first meeting this year, Dennis poured in a career-high 32 points en route to an 82-73 UTA win on Jan. 19 at the College Park Center. UTA never trailed, raced to its first double-digit halftime lead of the year and knocked down a season-high 34 free throws as the Mavericks won what was at the time their fourth in a row.
 
Dennis scored 18 in the 1st half and finished the game 15-17 from the free-throw line – tied for the 9th-most makes by a UTA player in single-game program history. UTA led for 37:56, and the contest was only tied on two occasions: 0-0 and 8-8.
 
LOCKING IN ON D
In each of UTA's first 11 SBC games, the Mavs have faced a player who ranks in the top 10 in the conference in scoring, and all 11 times they have held that player below his season average:
 
4) Ty Cockfield (ASU): 21.1 (16 vs. UTA)
5) Rayjon Tucker (LR): 20.5 (15)
6) D'Marcus Simonds (GSU): 19 (15 & 1)
7) Zac Cuthbertson (CCU): 18.4 (17 & 5)
T-8) Ronshad Shabazz (APP): 18.2 (16 & 15)
T-8) Nigal Pearson (TXST): 18.2 (15)
10) Tookie Brown (GS): 17.7 (4 & 11)
 
In addition to holding every player below his season average, the Mavs have held 10 of 11 SBC opponents below their conference scoring average.
 
Included in that stretch was UTA limiting two opponents (Coastal Carolina, 58; Arkansas State, 59) below 60 points – just the third time in program history the Mavs have held consecutive Sun Belt foes under 60 points.
 
The previous occurrences:
Jan. 18 & 23, 2014: Texas State (48), Troy (56)
Jan. 19 & 22, 2015: Texas State (55), ULM (57)
 
PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Following a pair of game-extending shots as part of a career-high scoring performance, Brian Warren was named the league's Player of the Week last Monday, sharing the honor with Coastal Carolina's Zac Cuthbertson.
 
Warren poured in a career-best 30 points, but it was eight key points which helped lead UTA to an impressive 84-77 double-overtime win at Texas State Saturday, silencing the largest crowd in Strahan Arena history. Warren forced overtime and double overtime with shots in the closing 20 seconds of each period, and then hit the go-ahead free throws in double overtime.
 
BATTLE TESTED
ESPN recently published an article detailing the toughest non-conference schedules in the country this year, of which UTA ranked the 7th-most difficult; click here to read the full article (note: ESPN+ subscription required).
 
At the time of the non-conference schedule concluding, UTA played an incredible seven Quadrant 1 (Home 1-30, Neutral 1-50, Away 1-75) non-league opponents, based on the NET report (NCAA's new RPI), and all seven of those came on the road – the most in the nation.
 
RE-TWEETS
1) UTA opened its season with a 90-66 win on Nov. 6 over UT Tyler – the Mavericks' fifth-straight season-opening win and 12th in the last 13 years. The 90 points were the second-most in a season opener for UTA since 1994 (99 vs. East Texas Baptist in 2011).
2) UTA started the year 3-1; four of the five times this decade that the Mavericks have commenced a season 3-1 it has resulted in a postseason and/or 20-win campaign.
3) The Mavericks went 21-13 overall last year (10-8 in the Sun Belt), finishing 112th in the RPI and reaching the Sun Belt Tournament Final for the first time in their five years in the league.
4) UTA has posted three-straight 20-win seasons. In the 59-year history of the program, the Mavs have only had seven 20-win campaigns, and five of them have come in the last 10 years.
5) UTA secured some solid early-season showings as the revamped Mavs own victories over perennially-strong mid-major Northern Iowa and a UC Davis team which returns four starters from a Big West Regular Season Championship and NIT appearance.
6) Of the 1,632 points UTA has scored this year 1,573 (96.4 percent) are from players who did not play for the Mavs last season.
7) The 45 points UTA scored at Missouri on Dec. 4 were its fewest since tallying 44 at then-#1 Kentucky in 2014, and were tied for the 6th-fewest all-time in a road game.
8) UTA posted season highs in steals versus D-I opponents in consecutive December games: 10 at #8 Gonzaga and 12 at Cal Poly.
9) UTA's four non-conference wins are the fewest in a season since recording three during the 2002-03 campaign; however, that team went on to finish 16-13 overall after going 13-7 in Southland Conference action.
10) UTA shot a season-high 48.3 percent from the floor at Appalachian State, and followed it up with a season-best 11 3-pointers at Coastal Carolina, culminated by a Radshad Davis game-winning triple with 1.9 seconds remaining.
11) UTA has now started 2-2 in Sun Belt play in four of the last five years, but went on to finish .500 or better in the conference each of those seasons – including last year's 10-8 mark and a regular-season championship 14-4 performance in 2016-17.
12) Arkansas State out-rebounded UTA, 42-31, on Jan. 17, representing the largest negative rebound margin the Mavs have had in a Sun Belt win in program history. The previous was a -8 margin (42-34) on Feb. 18, 2017, at Georgia State in a 68-67 UTA victory.
13) UTA shot 87.2 percent (34-39) from the free-throw line versus Little Rock – tied for the 5th-best percentage in single game program history. Dennis contributed 15 of those (15-17) – tied for the 9th-most makes in program history.
14) At Georgia State, UTA lost for the first time this year (now 11-1) when scoring at least 68 points. The Mavs erased a 16-point deficit to take the lead, took a four-point lead in the 2nd half, but couldn't hold on late.
15) UTA posted a +18 rebound margin (48-30) at Georgia State – its largest positive rebounding differential in a loss in any game since at least 2011-12. The Mavs pulled down a season-high 21 offensive boards.
16) After not shooting better than 45 percent from the floor in any of its first 15 games, UTA has eclipsed that mark in three of its last nine outings, including a 47.5 clip at Texas State – which entered the game leading the SBC in scoring defense in league action.
17) UTA held Coastal Carolina to a season-low 22.6 percent from the floor on Thursday in the 74-54 win – the Mavs' largest margin of victory against a Division-I opponent this year (previous: App State, 10). CCU came into the game averaging 79 points per game in SBC play.
18) Andres Ibarguen pulled down 15 rebounds – tied for the 2nd-most by any SBC player in a game this year – and added 12 points for the second double-double of his season against Coastal last Thursday.
19) UTA shot a season-high 47.6 percent (10-21) from 3-point range this past Saturday versus Appalachian State. It was just the second time this year the Mavs have made double-digit 3s in a game (11 at Coastal Carolina).
20) After winning its first nine D-I games by just 66 total points, UTA has won its last two by 30 points: 20 versus Coastal Carolina and 10 opposite App State.
 
NEXT UP
UTA makes the trip to Jonesboro on Friday before facing Arkansas State (10-14, 4-7 SBC) Saturday at 4 p.m.
 
CLEAR BAG POLICY
In an effort to enhance public safety and the fan experience, for all UTA men's and women's home games this season the College Park Center will implement a clear-bag policy. All purses, containers, backpacks or anything larger than a small clutch bag are prohibited, and items must be placed in a clear tote bag not to exceed 12" x 6" x 12". For more information, fans are encouraged to visit UTAMavs.com/BasketballGameday.
 
FOLLOW ALONG
To secure tickets for upcoming games and find out about additional gameday procedures, log on to UTATickets.com. Additionally, for updates, behind-the-scenes photos, videos and more engaging and personal content, be sure to follow the men's basketball program on Twitter (@UTA_MBB) and Instagram (@UTA_Hoops).