ARLINGTON – The UT Arlington men's basketball team will welcome one of the hottest teams in the nation on Thursday to the College Park Center when the Mavericks host Utah Valley for a 7 p.m. tipoff.
 

GAMEDAY INFORMATION
Game 16	UT Arlington (5-10, 0-2 WAC) vs. Utah Valley (11-4, 2-0 WAC)
Date | Time	Thursday, Jan. 5 | 7 p.m.
Location	College Park Center (7,000)
Tickets	UTATickets.com
Video	ESPN+
Audio	620 AM | Varsity Network App
Live Stats	StatBroadcast
Game Notes	UT Arlington | Utah Valley | WAC

GAMEDAY PROMOS

• Holiday Hoops: All kids 18 and under receive free admission (more info: utamavs.com/holiday).
• National Anthem & Halftime Performances: UTA's RISE A Cappella

OPENING TIP(s)

• UTA will be looking to snap Utah Valley's eight-game winning streak, which is tied for the 8th longest in the nation as of Wednesday. The Wolverines – ranked #25 in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Poll this week – are one of three Western Athletic Conference teams to start 2-0 so far this season (Southern Utah and Stephen F. Austin, which hosts New Mexico State Wednesday night). The WAC is currently ranked as the 12th-best conference (out of 32) in the nation.
   
• On paper, the contest sets up as a clash on the glass as UTA ranks 2nd in the country in offensive rebounding at 14.4 per game (1st: Marshall, 15.4); individually, Shemar Wilson is 16th in the nation by averaging 3.6 offensive boards. Utah Valley, meanwhile, checks in 7th nationally in defensive rebounds per outing (29.5); individually, Aziz Bandago is 16th in the country in defensive boards (7.0).
   
• Aside from a setback at California to conclude non-conference play, UTA's last five losses have been by an average of 4.8 points. Four of those losses came to opponents that played in the postseason last year.
   
• UTA's wire-to-wire 68-63 win at San Francisco on Dec. 19 ended the Dons' 16-game home non-conference winning streak and was the Mavs' first NET Quad 2 or better non-conference win since an 89-75 victory at BYU (Quad 1) in November of 2017. Two days later, USF defeated then-#25 Arizona State, 97-60.

TWEETABLES

1) UTA will be looking to avoid its first 0-3 start to a conference season since 1994-95. That year, the Mavs began Southland Conference play 0-3, with the third loss coming on Jan. 5, 1995, – 18 years to the day of Thursday's matchup.
 
2) While UTA has just one player (Wilson, 10.2) averaging double-figure points this year, the Mavs have had eight different leading scorers in a game this year – tied for the most in the nation with James Madison (seven schools with seven leading scorers).
 
3) Additionally, the Mavs – who have six players averaging between 7.2-10.2 points per game – have had 10 players reach double-digit points in a game this season.
 
4) After not scoring for six-straight games from Dec. 2-29, Pedro Castro registered eight points against Stephen F. Austin this past Saturday – his most versus a Division-I opponent this year.

ABOUT THE MATCHUP

• Utah Valley is in its 20th D-I season, and this will be the third all-time meeting between the Wolverines and Mavericks, but first as conference foes. It also comes 13 years to the day since the last meeting – a 90-85 UTA overtime win in Texas Hall on Jan. 5, 2010.
   
• At #77, Utah Valley will be the 4th-highest ranked NET opponent UTA has played so far this year (Oklahoma State: #33, Nevada: #49, North Texas: #53).
   
• The Wolverines opened WAC play with an 80-64 win over Sam Houston for their highest-rated win of the season as the Bearkats held a NET ranking of #20 at the time (currently #27). Utah Valley has also defeated two other top-100 NET teams this year in Oregon (#72) and BYU (#93).
   
• Utah Valley ranks 2nd in the nation in blocks per game at 6.5, led by Bandaogo, who is 7th nationally with an average of 2.7 rejections. A 7-footer, Bandaogo is nearly averaging a double-double for the year with 10.5 points and 9.8 rebounds per contest.
   
• UVU also ranks in the top-35 nationally in per-game fastbreak points (25th, 15.7) free throws made (27th, 16.1), rebounds (27th, 39.9) and defensive field goal percentage (34th, 39.5).
   
• Mark Madsen is in his fourth season as the head coach of the Wolverines. The two-time NBA Champion with the Los Angeles Lakers (2001, 2002) and former Stanford standout led Utah Valley a 20-win season last year after guiding the Wolverines to just their second WAC regular-season title in 2020.

BACK TO THE WAC

After spending the previous nine seasons (2013-22) as a Sun Belt Conference member, UT Arlington officially re-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.
 
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 see the current standings, click here.
 
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.

BY THE NUMBERS

4: The Mavs posted four top-10 single-game program ranks in their 99-41 win over Howard Payne on Nov. 28: rebound margin (T-1, +36), points allowed (T-5, 41), blocks (T-5, 9), margin of victory (T-7, +58).
 
4: The Mavs made just four 3-pointers in their win at San Francisco on Dec. 19, representing their fewest in a road non-conference victory since knocking down three at Grand Canyon during a 66-64 triumph in November of 2014.
 
6: UTA has already had six different occasions of a player grabbing 7+ offensive rebounds in a game this year: Wilson versus Hardin-Simmons (7), Nevada (7), Howard Payne (7), North Texas (8) and Stephen F. Austin (8); Dario Domingos against Northern Kentucky (7).
 
7: UTA is just seven wins shy of 800 all-time victories in program history (793-993). The Mavs are in their 64th season, with UTA's inaugural campaign taking place in 1959-60.
 
8: Against UNT on Dec. 6, Wilson grabbed eight rebounds, and all of them were offensive. Over the last 6+ seasons – since the start of the 2016-17 campaign – he is now only the seventh D-I player to secure at least eight offensive rebounds and zero defensive boards in a game.
 
17: In its 60-56 win over Northern Kentucky on Nov. 22, UTA committed 17 turnovers – at the time its most in a victory over a D-I opponent since the Mavs had 18 in a 75-70 overtime triumph at Cal Poly on Dec. 21, 2018. NKU was installed as the Horizon League preseason favorite, and the Norse had defeated Cincinnati – picked to finish 3rd in the American Athletic Conference – two games prior by 13 points.
 
18: UTA committed 18 turnovers against San Francisco – its most in a road non-conference regulation victory since giving the ball away 19 times in a 77-61 win at North Texas in December of 2016.
 
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.
 
48: 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.
 
49: The Mavs shot 49 percent (25-51) from the floor in a 71-65 loss to Texas State on Dec. 10 – only the fourth time in the last 8+ seasons (since 2014-15) that UTA has shot at least that percentage and lost:

• Nov. 21, 2017: 51.7% @ Alabama (77-76)
• Jan. 4, 2020: 50% @ Little Rock (92-89)
• Feb. 10, 2022: 50% @ ULM (74-71)

100: The Mavs scored 100+ points in back-to-back games for the 10th time in program history 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).

AMONG THE NATION'S BEST PERFORMANCES

UTA has numerous single-game performances which register among the best of any team in the country so far this year:

• 7th – Free Throws Attempted: 48 vs. Southwestern
  • Leader – Tennessee State: 54 vs. Brescia
     
• T-8th – Rebounds: 63 vs. Howard Payne
  • Leader – Sam Houston: 70 vs. LeTourneau
     
• T-19th – Steals: 19 vs. Southwestern
  • Leader – Four Teams: 24

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. In that same timeframe, 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)
Kyron Gibson: 19 (5x – Includes 1 Tie)
Taj Anderson: 19 (1x)
Aaron Cash: 18 (1x – Tied)
Marion Humphrey: 17 (3x – Includes 1 Tie)
Brandon Walker: 17 (1x – Tied)
Shemar Wilson: 16 (3x)
Brandyn Talbot: 15 (1x)
Dario Domingos: 12
Pedro Castro: 11

CHALLENGING THEMSELVES

UTA is one of only three schools in the nation to 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)

NEXT UP

UTA will conclude its three-game WAC homestand when it welcomes Seattle U to the CPC for a 2 p.m. tipoff on Saturday for its Hispanic Heritage Appreciation Game. There will be UTA-branded Los Mavs Hispanic Heritage apparel available for purchase, along with performances from El Mariachi Bohemio Band and Ballet Hispanic of the Arts Dancers.
 
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).