NEW ORLEANS – What will be an unprecedented 2020-21 season for the UT Arlington men's basketball team began to take shape on Thursday as the Sun Belt Conference revealed its full league schedule for the upcoming year.
The 18-game Sun Belt regular season will commence on Thursday, Dec. 31, and conclude on Saturday, Feb. 27, leading into the Sun Belt Tournament in Pensacola, Fla., Mar. 5-8.
UTA's Sun Belt schedule is as follows
(2019-20 overall/Sun Belt record):
Dec. 31 vs. Arkansas State (16-16, 8-12)
Jan. 2 vs. Little Rock (21-10, 15-5)
Jan. 7 @ South Alabama
(20-11, 13-7)
Jan. 9 @ Troy
(9-22, 5-15)
Jan. 14 vs. Louisiana (14-19, 8-12)
Jan. 16 vs. ULM (9-20, 5-15)
Jan. 18 vs. Texas State (21-11, 13-7)
Jan. 21 @ Arkansas State
Jan. 23 @ Little Rock
Jan 28 vs. South Alabama
Jan. 30 vs. Troy
Feb. 4 @ Appalachian State
(18-15, 11-9)
Feb. 6 @ Coastal Carolina
(16-17, 8-12)
Feb. 11 vs. Georgia State (19-13, 12-8)
Feb. 13 vs. Georgia Southern (20-13, 12-8)
Feb. 18 @ Louisiana
Feb. 20 @ ULM
Feb. 27 @ Texas State
Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Monday, Jan. 18, will feature rivalry matchups across the league, with the Mavericks welcoming Texas State to renew their familiarities. Each of the last six matchups between the Mavs and Bobcats over the past three seasons have been decided by single digits and have included overtime, double overtime and triple overtime contests as UTA has gone 5-1 in that stretch.
Unlike last season's conference slate for the Mavs – which featured a four-game road trip to start the season, a five-game homestand to end the season and two other three-game home/road swings – this year's docket is much more traditional. UTA's only three-game stretch away from home comes at the end of the season, and its lone three-game run at home concludes with the aforementioned Texas State game after hosting the Louisiana schools.
As previously announced by league officials, the Sun Belt Tournament will move to Pensacola beginning in 2021 until at least 2025. Over the five-year agreement, the conference is set to return to a 12-team format, with the top-four teams receiving byes to the 2nd Round. The 1st- and 2nd-round games will be played simultaneously at the Pensacola Bay Center and Hartsell Arena on the campus of Pensacola State College, and semifinal and championship games contested at the Bay Center.
Click here to view the complete tournament schedule.
Due to the uncertainty of COVID-19, all game times and dates are subject to change. Last month, the NCAA announced that the start of the basketball season could begin no earlier than Nov. 25. UTA's non-conference schedule will be released at a later date.
Additionally, no decision has been made yet regarding if fans will be permitted at the College Park Center for home basketball games this season. Like in the past, all home games will be streamed live on ESPN+ and be available for on-demand viewing.
UTA and Georgia Southern are the only Sun Belt teams to have posted six-straight years of double-figure league victories – a stretch the Mavs will be looking to continue in 2020-21. UTA returns two of its top-3 scorers from a season ago in
David Azore (14 ppg) and
Sam Griffin (9.4 pgg). Head coach
Chris Ogden welcomes back seven letterwinners from last year, two redshirts who sat out and seven newcomers.
FOLLOW ALONG
For updates, behind-the-scenes photos, videos and more engaging and personal content, be sure to follow the men's basketball program on Twitter (@UTAMavsMBB), Instagram (@UTAMavsMBB) and Facebook (/UTAMavsMBB).
