ARLINGTON – With Sun Belt Conference Tournament seeding on the line, the UT Arlington men's basketball team (15-15, 11-6 SBC) hosts rival Texas State (23-7, 12-5 SBC) in the regular-season finale Saturday at 2 p.m. inside College Park Center.
 
FOLLOW ALONG
The contest will be broadcast on ESPN+ by clicking here, while 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.
 
Tickets are still available, and as part of Fan Appreciation Day when using the promo code MAVUP at utatickets.com/promo fans will get 50 percent off. Saturday is also a WHITEOUT, with all fans encouraged to wear white; the official white out T-shirt is available at the UTA Bookstore, and the first 250 students will receive a free T-shirt.
 
Additionally, as part of the final home regular-season game of the year, UTA will celebrate graduating players Patrick Binzer, Scott Muirhead and Andres Ibarguen, along with manager Jordan Reeves with a ceremony beginning approximately 15 minutes before tipoff.
 
WHERE THINGS STAND
UTA – which was predicted to finish 11th (2nd-to-last) in the preseason poll – has guaranteed itself a top-4 seed in next week's SBC Tournament in New Orleans. Below are the three scenarios on Saturday which will determine the Mavs' seed:
 
2 SEED: UTA wins AND Georgia State wins at Georgia Southern.
3 SEED: UTA wins AND Georgia Southern wins.
4 SEED: UTA loses.
 
Texas State is fighting for a regular-season championship as the Bobcats, Georgia State and Georgia Southern are all tied for 1st place with 12-5 records.
 
If the season ended today, the Mavs' #4 seed in the conference tournament would give them a double-bye into the quarterfinals. The top-2 seeds receive byes all the way to the SBC 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.
 
For tournament tiebreakers, seeding, a bracket and more information, visit SunBeltSports.org.
 
TWEETABLES – 5 Things To Know In 260 Characters Or Less
1) UTA and Georgia Southern are the only SBC teams which have secured five-straight seasons of double-figure conference wins; since joining the league in 2013-14, UTA is the only school to finish in the top 5 of the standings all six seasons.
2) The Mavs have posted season highs in field goal percentage (56 & 52.7) and 3-point percentage (57.7 & 54.5) each of the last two games.
3) UTA's 39 3-pointers over the last three games (12, 15, 12) represent 18 percent of its total 3s made all year (214). The Mavs have five games of double-figure 3-point makes this year; all have come in SBC play, including three in a row and four in the last seven contests.
4) The Mavs rank 22nd in the nation in 3-point percentage defense (30.4) and 57th in free-throw percentage (74.2).
5) UTA has the following SBC and non-conference stat comparisons: 13.1 turnovers per game in conference play (15.9 in the non-conference), 14.5 assists per game (10.5 non-conference) and 38.9 rebounds per game (37.6 non-conference).
 
Bonus Tweet
Head coach Chris Ogden has utilized 14 different starting lineups – the 2nd-most starting 5 combinations in the nation to this point (UT Martin: 18). That includes the Mavericks having started the same five players 10 games in a row prior to mixing up the lineup two weeks ago and now having started those same five for three-straight games.
 
RE-TWEETS
* UTA was 4-11 at one point on the season, but now has a chance to finish the regular season above .500.
 
* The Mavs secured a program-best 6-3 road SBC record; the previous best in six seasons as a member of the Sun Belt was 5-4 in 2016-17.
 
* UTA shot a season-high 56 percent from the floor (28-50) last Thursday at South Alabama – the first time the Mavs have shot better than 50 percent all year.
 
* Included in that percentage was the aforementioned 57.7-percent clip from 3-point range – the highest percentage from beyond the arc in program history when making at least 15 (15-26).
 
LAST TIME vs. TEXAS STATE (Feb. 2)
Playing on the road in front of the largest crowd in Strahan Arena history, facing a team picking up votes in the national polls and receiving not one, but two, game-extending contested jumpers as part of a career night from Brian Warren, UTA knocked off Texas State in double overtime, 84-77.
 
UTA received a then-career-high 30 points from Brian Warren, who forced overtime with 14 seconds remaining, and sent the game to double overtime with an even more difficult shot with 16 seconds left. The Mavericks then silenced the majority of the black-shirted 6,581 spectators as part of a themed blackout by closing the second extra session on a 12-5 run in the final three minutes.
 
Supporting Warren's offensive exploits for the Mavs was redshirt freshman David Azore putting together the best all-around game of his career, posting his second career double-double with 14 points and a season-high 13 rebounds – all of which came on the defensive end. Edric Dennis tallied 16 points, while Radshad Davis rounded out the quartet of double-figure scorers for the Mavs with 12.
 
SCOUTING TEXAS STATE
A win would give Texas State its first Sun Belt Championship and first conference title since 1999. The Bobcats' 23 regular-season wins are the most in single-season program history.
 
Texas State is ranked #23 in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Poll, marking the 12th-straight week that the Bobcats have been ranked.
 
Nijal Pearson leads Texas State with 17.2 points (9th in the SBC), 1.4 steals (7th) and 3-point percentage (40.1; 3rd). Pearson – who will likely make his 100th career start (the most in program history), is 5th on the Bobcats' all-time scoring list with 1,496.
 
Senior Tre Nottingham averages 13.9 points per game and has knocked down 78 3-pointers this year – tied for the 2nd-most in the league. Eric Terry contributes 8.6 points and Alex Peacock averages 8.5 and ranks 12th in the conference in rebounding at 6.3 per outing.
 
UTA IN THE SBC RANKS
In 13 of 17 SBC games, UTA has held its opponent below its conference scoring average entering the game. Two of the four instances in which UTA didn't hold their opponent below their average came in double-overtime contests against Texas State and ULM.
 
The game features the two best defensive teams in the Sun Belt as the Mavs rank 2nd in the SBC by holding league opponents to just 68.8 points per game, while Texas State is 1st at 66.6.
 
UTA leads the league in conference field goal percentage defense (40.8), assists per game (14.5), rebounds per game (38.9) and rebound margin (+4.3). UTA checks in as the 2nd-best free-throw shooting team in conference games at 75.7 percent, while Texas State is last at 65.2 percent.
 
UTA was picked 11th in the Sun Belt Preseason Poll, and its current 4th-place standing represents the largest increase (+7) among all 12 league members along with Texas State (8th to 1st). Since joining the Sun Belt in 2013-14, UTA has won 67 league regular-season games; only Louisiana (70) and Georgia State (76) have more league wins in that time.
 
LOCKING IN ON D
In 13 of 16 opportunities this year, the Mavs have held a top-10 scorer in the conference below his season scoring average:
 
1) Daishon Smith (ULM): 22.4 (34 vs. UTA)
2) Ty Cockfield (ASU): 22 (16 & 27)
3) Rayjon Tucker (LR): 20.4 (15 & 11)
4) JaKeenan Gant (LA): 20.2 (11)
5) D'Marcus Simonds (GSU): 18.9 (15 & 1)
6) Ronshad Shabazz (APP): 18.6 (16 & 15)
7) Zac Cuthbertson (CCU): 18.5 (17 & 5)
8) Tookie Brown (GS): 17.8 (4 & 11)
9) Nigal Pearson (TXST): 17.2 (15)
10) Josh Ajayi (USA): 15.9 (18)
 
DOUBLE-OVERTIME SUCCESS
UTA played two double-overtime games in February and won both: 84-77 at Texas State on Feb. 2, and 91-86 versus ULM on Feb. 23. It's just the third time in program history the Mavs have played multiple double-overtime games in the same season – first time since 1998-99 (one of those went to triple overtime) – and only the second time ever they've occurred in the same month (January, 1980).
 
1,000 POINT MILESTONE
Edric Dennis eclipsed the 1,000-career point mark at Little Rock on Feb. 14, and enters Saturday's game with 1,072. The junior scored 272 points at Hill Junior College as a freshman, tallied 406 as a sophomore at Jackson State and has 394 with UTA this season. He is the second UTA player to reach the mark this year as Brian Warren did so at Gonzaga in December.
 
PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Following a pair of game-extending shots as part of a then-career-high scoring performance, Warren was named the league's Player of the Week on Feb. 4, sharing the honor with Coastal Carolina's Zac Cuthbertson.
 
BATTLE TESTED
ESPN detailed 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 2,072 points UTA has scored this year 2,011 (97.1 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 were 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 then-season-high 48.3 percent from the floor at Appalachian State, and followed it up with a then-season-best 11 3-pointers at Coastal Carolina, culminated by a Radshad Davis game-winning triple with 1.9 seconds remaining.
11) UTA has 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) 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 (minimum 20 made). Dennis contributed 15 of those (15-17) – tied for the 9th-most makes in program history.
13) At Georgia State, UTA lost for the first time this year (now 14-2) 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.
14) 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.
15) UTA held Coastal Carolina to a season-low 22.6 percent from the floor on Feb. 7 in a 74-54 win – the Mavs' largest margin of victory against a D-I opponent this year (previous: App State, 10). CCU came into the game averaging 79 points per game in SBC play.
16) 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.
17) UTA shot a then-season-high 47.6 percent (10-21) from 3-point range versus Appalachian State on Feb. 9 It was just the second time this year the Mavs have made double-digit 3s in a game (11 at Coastal Carolina).
18) UTA has already clinched its eighth-straight season of a .500 or better conference record (2011-12: Southland; 2012-13: Western Athletic; 2013-Present: Sun Belt). The Mavs are the only team to finish in the top-5 of the SBC standings every year since 2013-14.
 
NEXT UP
UTA will begin its Sun Belt Tournament in either the quarterfinals on Friday, Mar. 15, or the semifinals on Saturday, Mar. 16, at Lakefront Arena in New Orleans.
 
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).