ARLINGTON – The UT Arlington men's basketball team continues its gauntlet of a stretch to close out the non-conference schedule when the Mavericks renew a local rivalry with North Texas on Tuesday, Dec. 6, at 7 p.m. from the College Park Center.
 

GAMEDAY INFORMATION
Game 10	UT Arlington (4-5) vs. North Texas (6-2)
Date | Time	Tuesday, Dec. 6 | 7 p.m.
Location	College Park Center
Tickets	UTATickets.com
Video	ESPN+
Audio	620 AM | Varsity Network App
Live Stats	StatBroadcast
Game Notes	UT Arlington | North Texas

GAMEDAY PROMOTIONS

• Gameday Sponsor: eSixSportswear
• Holiday Hoops: All kids 18 and under receive free admission (more info: utamavs.com/holiday).
• Buy-One, Get-One Tickets: In conjunction with the Dallas and Fort Worth Love Lists, fans can secure buy-one, get-one tickets through utatickets.com/promo by using the code LOVELIST (more info: Instagram page).
• Student Pizza: The UTA student group/organization with the most attendees at the game will get free pizza courtesy of head coach Greg Young (more info: check in location).
• Student Giveaways: The first 200 UTA students will get a foam cowboy hat. As always, students receive free admission, and $2 drink specials are available at every game.
• Halftime Performance: Junior Wranglers

OPENING TIP(s)

• This will be the second game a four-game stretch for UTA against opponents that played in either the NCAA Tournament or NIT last year: LSU (NCAA), North Texas (NIT), Texas State (NIT) and San Francisco (NCAA).
   
• That quartet of teams have combined for a 25-8 record already this year. Last season, UNT and Texas State won regular-season conference championships in Conference USA and the Sun Belt, respectively. Additionally, following the San Francisco game, UTA will face Pac-12 member California in the non-conference finale in Berkely on Dec. 21.
   
• UTA ranks 4th in the nation in offensive rebounds per game at 15.7 (Alabama is 1st at 16.7). While some of that is due to competition, even against Division-I foes this year the Mavs are averaging 12.8 offensive boards (compared with 11 for their opposition), including a 14-11 edge at LSU on Friday. The Mavs have already had four different occasions of a player grabbing exactly seven offensive rebounds in a game this year: Shemar Wilson versus Hardin-Simmons, Nevada and Howard Payne; Dario Domingos against Northern Kentucky.
   
• UTA also ranks in the top 50 nationally in each of the following per-game stat categories: rebounds (10th, 42.7), bench points (18th, 33.1), rebound margin (32nd, +7.3), points allowed (48th, 61.9), field goal defense (49th, 39%) and free-throw attempts (50th, 21.6). Individually, Wilson ranks 42nd nationally in offensive rebounds per game (3.3) and 46th in total rebounds (74; 8.2/game).

TWEETABLES

1) The Mavs began this challenging non-league closing stretch with a narrow 63-59 loss at LSU on Friday. UTA had a 54-52 lead with less than four minutes to play, but the Tigers responded with a 10-0 run to barely sneak out a win.
 
2) UTA does not have a single player averaging double-figure points this year; however, the Mavs have 10 players averaging between 4-9 points per game. Additionally, all 10 of them have already reached double-digit points in a game this season.
 
3) The Mavs posted the following single-game program ranks in their 99-41 win over Howard Payne last Monday: rebound margin (T-1, +36), points allowed (T-5, 41), blocks (T-5, 9), margin of victory (T-7, +58) and rebounds (T-11, 63).
 
4) UTA took down Horizon League preseason favorite Northern Kentucky on Nov. 22, 60-56. The Norse had defeated Cincinnati – picked to finish 3rd in the American Athletic Conference – two games prior by 13 points.

ABOUT THE MATCHUP

• On paper, the matchup sets up to be a low-scoring, physical battle. While UTA ranks 4th in offensive rebounds per game (15.7), UNT is 24th (13.6). The Mean Green are 19th in the country in rebound margin at +8.8 (UTA: 32nd, +7.3). Additionally, UNT boasts the nation's 3rd-best scoring defense by only allowing opponents to post 51.1 points per game (UTA: 48th, 61.9). Last year, UNT led the nation in scoring defense (55.7).
   
• This will be the first of two-straight Western Athletic Conference opponents for UNT as the Mean Green will head to Phoenix to take on WAC preseason favorite Grand Canyon on Saturday as part of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame Jerry Colangelo Classic.
   
• CUSA Preseason All-Conference First Team selection Tylor Perry leads the Mean Green with 16.2 points per game despite missing the first two contests of the year. He also ranks 27th nationally in 3-point percentage at 47.4. Kai Huntsberry (12.3) and Abou Ousmane (11.5) round out the trio of UNT double-figure scorers. Ousmane averages a team-best 6.1 rebounds per outing, but 3.8 of those come on the offensive end to rank 9th nationally.
   
• North Texas is the three-time defending Conference USA Champions, winning the regular season title in 2020, the tournament trophy in 2021 and the regular season again in 2022. The Mean Green won a school-record 25 games last year – including a 16-2 CUSA mark – and defeated Texas State in the NIT First Round before an overtime loss to Virginia in the Second Round. In 2021, UNT claimed its first-ever NCAA Tournament victory by taking down Purdue in overtime.

AMONG THE NATION'S BEST PERFORMANCES

In addition to its overall national rankings in several key categories, UTA has numerous single-game performances which register among the best of any team in the country so far this year:

• 3rd – Free Throws Attempted: 48 vs. Southwestern
  • Leader – UC Davis: 51 vs. Boston
     
• T-7th – Rebounds: 63 vs. Howard Payne
  • Leader – Sam Houston: 70 vs. LeTourneau
     
• T-10th – Steals: 19 vs. Southwestern
  • Leader – Four Teams: 24
     
• T-12th – Field Goals Attempted: 83 vs. Hardin-Simmons
  • Leader – Two Teams: 91
     
• T-12th – Free Throws Made: 30 vs. Southwestern
  • Leader – Appalachian State: 39 vs. Warren Wilson

UTA's 63 rebounds on Nov. 28 against Howard Payne represented the most in any game for the Mavs since at least the 2009-10 season with the exception of the 59 they pulled down two weeks earlier against Hardin-Simmons (Nov. 15).
 
In that same timeframe (since 2009-10), the 83 field goal attempts against Hardin-Simmons were the 2nd most in any UTA game, bested only by 87 versus Howard Payne in 2020.

INSIDE THE DOUBLE-FIGURE SCORERS

Two years ago, UTA tied for the national lead by having 13 different players score double-figure points in a game. Last season, the Mavs had 12 different double-figure scorers – tied for the 3rd most in the nation. So far this year, UTA already has 10 different double-figure scorers.
 
Below is a list of those double-figure players, their respective season highs and how many times they have led UTA in scoring:
 
Chendall Weaver: 20 (2x)
Taj Anderson: 19 (1x)
Aaron Cash: 18
Marion Humphrey: 17 (3x – Includes 1 Tie)
Brandon Walker: 17 (1x – Tied)
Shemar Wilson: 16
Brandyn Talbot: 15 (1x)
Kyron Gibson: 13 (2x)
Dario Domingos: 12
Pedro Castro: 11

WHAT'S LOST/BACK

UTA returns just four players from last year's roster (games started): Pedro Castro (9), Montez Young Jr. (5), Shemar Wilson (4) and Brandyn Talbot (3). Castro started the first nine games of the year before suffering a season-ending back injury which required surgery.
 
The Mavs welcome 10 newcomers to this year's roster, with all four academic classifications represented: freshman (4), sophomore (2), junior (3), senior (1).
 
With such a large roster turnover, UTA brings back 25 percent or less of its points, rebounds, assists and blocks from last season:

• Points: 19% (367 of 1,948)
• Rebounds: 25% (263 of 1,067)
• Assists: 15% (60 of 405)
• Blocks: 16% (21 of 123)

CHALLENGING THEMSELVES

UTA is one of only three schools in the nation which have finished with a top-40 NET non-conference strength of schedule in each of the past three seasons, joining Central Arkansas and Texas Southern.
 
UTA
2019-20: 3rd
2020-21: 37th
2021-22: 13th
 
Central Arkansas
2019-20: 6th
2020-21: 9th
2021-22: 27th
 
Texas Southern
2019-20: 2nd
2020-21: 25th
2021-22: 16th
 
Yet again this year, the Mavs are poised to finish with likely one of the country's most-challenging non-league schedules. Based off last year's final NET rankings, UTA has the 4th-hardest non-conference slate in the nation (average NET opponent ranking):
 
1) Nicholls (47)
2) Saint Mary's (72)
3) Seton Hall (83)
4) UT Arlington (88)
5) Alabama (92)

PRESEASON INFO

After spending the previous nine seasons (2013-22) as a Sun Belt Conference member, UT Arlington officially joined the Western Athletic Conference on July 1, 2022. UTA was a member of the WAC for one year previously in 2012-13 following 48 years in the Southland Conference (1963-2012) – of which it was a founding member.
 
Since the start of the 2015-16 season, UTA boasts the 3rd-best average annual NET/RPI ranking of all current WAC members at #146. New Mexico State (#83) leads the pack, followed by Grand Canyon (#138). With a final ranking of #40 in 2016-17, UTA is responsible for the best single-year NET/RPI by any current WAC school over the past seven seasons. Additionally – in that same timeframe – UTA, NMSU and Sam Houston are the only WAC institutions without a single season NET/RPI above #250.
 
UTA was picked by the WAC coaches to finish in 11th place in the league this year. The last time the Mavs were tabbed for an 11th-place finish in the preseason polls came in advance of the 2018-19 season when UTA faced similar roster turnover.
 
Instead of finishing 2nd-to-last that year, UTA tied for 2nd in the Sun Belt with a 12-6 league record, earned the No. 2 seed in the conference tournament and advanced to the Sun Belt Tournament Final.
 
The nine-spot improvement from preseason to final regular-season finish in 2018-19 was tied for the best in the nation along with Siena, which was picked 11th in the MAAC (Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference) and finished in a four-way tie for 2nd.

NEUTRAL-SITE ACTION

UTA is scheduled to play four regular-season neutral-site games this year, three of which took place Thanksgiving week as part of the Gulf Coast Showcase. The other will be another edition of the UTA-Texas State rivalry as the former Sun Belt foes will square off for the 79th time at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth this Saturday, Dec. 10.
 
The four neutral-site contests will be tied for the most UTA has ever played in a regular season:
 
2005-06
BCA Classic – Seattle, Wash. (3 Games)
Lobo Invitational – Albuquerque, N.M. (1 Game)
 
1993-94
River City Classic – Cape Giradeau, Mo. (1 Game)
Big Island Invite – Hilo, Hawaii (3 Games)
 
1986-87
Running Joe Classic – Jonesboro, Ark. (1 Game)
Holiday Classic – Edinburg, Texas (2 Games)
Heritage Classic – Des Moines, Iowa (1 Game)

BY THE NUMBERS

6: UTA set a single-season program record by having six games go to overtime in 2021-22 – just two shy of tying the all-time NCAA record.

8: UTA is just eight wins shy of 800 all-time victories in program history (792-987). The Mavs are in their 64th season, with UTA's inaugural campaign taking place in 1959-60.
 
9: All 10 of UTA's Sun Belt Conference losses last year came by 10 points or less, and only by an average margin of 5.6 points. Nine of those setbacks in league play were by single digits, representing the most in a single season in program history.

17: In its 60-56 win over Northern Kentucky on Nov. 22, UTA committed 17 turnovers – its most in a victory over a Division-I opponent since the Mavs had 18 in a 75-70 overtime triumph at Cal Poly on Dec. 21, 2018.
 
19: The Mavs recorded 19 steals against Southwestern on Nov. 12, which tied for the 3rd most in single-game program lore (22 versus University of Dallas in 1990 and 21 against Huston-Tillotson in 1991). Marion Humphrey was responsible for six of those thefts, equaling the 10th-highest total by a UTA player in a single game.
 
30: UTA went 30-48 from the free-throw line versus Southwestern on Nov. 12, with the 48 attempts tying for the 5th most in program history.
 
94: During its nine years in the Sun Belt, UTA accumulated 94 conference wins. Only Georgia State (107) and Louisiana (98) had more league victories in that timeframe than the Mavs.

100: The Mavs scored 100+ points in back-to-back games for the 10th time in program history earlier this month with 103 on Nov. 12 against Southwestern and 100 versus Hardin-Simmons on Nov. 15. Five of the all-time occurrences came between 1990-92, and the last time UTA did it was in 2020 on Dec. 17 and 22 against Dallas Christian (109) and Howard Payne (117).

BACK TO THE WAC

In its lone previous campaign in the WAC in 2012-13, UTA went 11-7 in the league to tie for 4th in the regular-season standings before reaching the WAC Tournament Final and falling to New Mexico State, 64-55, in the championship game.
 
New Mexico State, UTA and Seattle U are the only three current WAC schools that were also members of the league in 2012-13.
 
2012-13 WAC Membership (Current Affiliation)
Denver (Summit)
Idaho (Big Sky)
Louisiana Tech (Conference USA)
New Mexico State
San Jose State (Mountain West)
Seattle U
Texas State (Sun Belt)
Utah State (Mountain West)
UT Arlington
UTSA (Conference USA)
 
2022-23 WAC Membership
Abilene Christian
California Baptist
Grand Canyon
New Mexico State
Sam Houston
Seattle U
Southern Utah
Stephen F. Austin
Tarleton
UT Arlington
UT Rio Grande Valley
Utah Tech
Utah Valley
 
Last year, the WAC ranked as the 15th-best men's basketball conference in the country (out of 32) – two spots ahead of the Sun Belt (17th).
 
In men's basketball, the WAC has sent at least two teams to the NCAA Tournament in 28 of the past 46 seasons. In an effort to continue enhancing its at-large prospects and protecting top seeds in March, a résumé-seeding system will be used to determine how teams are placed at this year's WAC Tournament (men and women).
 
An algorithm will rate performance against all D-I teams faced in the regular season, not just conference play. That will rank teams for the conference postseason tournament. Using this résumé-seeding system, teams will receive more credit for scheduling and playing stronger opponents than weaker ones. This should help the WAC have higher NET rankings, a key-criteria used by the NCAA basketball selection committees.
 
WAC Commissioner Brian Thornton and WAC Associate Commissioner of Basketball Drew Speraw worked with Ken Pomeroy of kenpom.com to put together the formula. To read more about the system – and to see how teams would have been seeded last year as opposed to straight conference record – click here.
 
Celebrating its 60th anniversary during the current 2022-23 academic year, the WAC has officially opened its conference headquarters in the city of Arlington, less than five miles from UTA's campus. It was the first such move for the league in a generation after the WAC had been anchored in Denver for all but a brief stretch of its initial 60 years of existence.

NEXT UP

UTA will face another rival when the Mavs and Texas State square off at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth on Saturday, Dec. 10, at 6:30 p.m.
 
FOLLOW ALONG
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