ARLINGTON – The UT Arlington men's basketball team will conclude its three-game homestand on Saturday when the Mavericks face another stern test in Seattle U at 2 p.m. inside the College Park Center.
 

GAMEDAY INFORMATION
Game 17	UT Arlington (5-11, 0-3 WAC) vs. Seattle U (11-4, 2-0 WAC)
Date | Time	Saturday, Jan. 7 | 2 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 | Seattle U

GAMEDAY PROMOS

• Holiday Hoops: All kids 18 and under receive free admission (more info: utamavs.com/holiday).
• Hispanic Heritage Appreciation Day
  • Performances from the El Mariachi Bohemio Band and Ballet Hispanic of the Arts Dancers.
  • UTA Hispanic Heritage Collection merchandise available for purchase (also available online: utamavs.us/hispanic).

OPENING TIP(s)

• UTA ranks 2nd in the nation in offensive rebounding at 14.6 per game (1st: Marshall, 14.9), and is coming off its most offensive boards in a game this year against a Division-I opponent with 18 versus Utah Valley on Thursday.
   
• Shemar Wilson is leading the charge as he ranks 8th nationally by averaging 3.9 offensive rebounds per game. He has also registered three games of eight offensive boards this year – tied for the most in the country alongside Kentucky's Oscar Tshiebwe, who was the unanimous National Player of the Year last season. Additionally, Wilson is responsible for all five of UTA's double-doubles this year, which ranks him 2nd among all WAC players (Utah Valley's Aziz Bandaogo: seven).
   
• The Mavs were again in a tight contest Thursday as they trailed by just three with less than two minutes remaining, but fell to Utah Valley – which has now won nine-straight games – 72-64. UTA went just 8-18 (44.4 percent) from the free throw line, marking its worst performance from the charity stripe when attempting at least 18 free throws since going 9-23 (39.1 percent) in a 62-61 win versus Georgia Southern on Dec. 30, 2014.

TWEETABLES

1) UTA will be looking to avoid its first 0-4 start to a conference season since 1988-89. That year, the Mavs began Southland Conference play 0-7.
 
2) Excluding a setback at California to conclude non-conference play, UTA's last six losses have been by an average of 5.3 points. Four of those came against opponents that played in the postseason last year.
 
3) UTA has two players averaging double-figure points for the first time since early in the season (Wilson: 10.4, Kyron Gibson: 10). However, the Mavs have had eight different leading scorers in a game this year – the 2nd most in the nation behind only James Madison with nine.
 
4) Taj Anderson reached double-figure points (10) against Utah Valley for the first time since opening the year with consecutive performances of 14 and 19 points. Additionally, Montez Young Jr. grabbed six rebounds in 12 minutes versus UVU; he had 19 caroms all year entering the contest.

ABOUT THE MATCHUP

• The Redhawks have started WAC play 2-0 after picking up nine non-conference victories, and are coming off a 66-64 win at UT Rio Grande Valley on Thursday night.
   
• All four of Seattle U's losses this year have been to either Power 5 members (Washington, Oregon State) or top-50 NET opponents (Utah State, Iona).
   
• Seattle U takes the 6th-most 3-pointers in the nation with an average of 29.3 per game, and makes the 31st most with 9.3.
   
• The last time UTA played an opponent as reliant on the 3-pointer was San Francisco, which currently ranks 7th nationally in attempts (29/game) and 17th in makes (9.8/game). In that game, the Dons went 13-31 from beyond the arc, but the Mavs were able to pick up a massive road win on Dec. 19, 68-63, thanks to out-scoring USF in the paint, 36-10.
   
• Cameron Tyson ranks 11th in the nation in scoring at 21 per contest, and much of that comes from long range as he has made the 9th-most 3-pointers in the country (52) and has attempted the 6th most (142).
   
• UTA and Seattle have met twice previously back in the Mavs' lone season in the WAC in 2012-13. Each team won on the other's home court that year.

BACK TO THE WAC

After spending the previous nine seasons (2013-22) as a Sun Belt Conference member, UTA 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.
 
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). So far this year, the WAC ranks as the 12th-best league in the country, while the Sun Belt is 15th.
 
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.

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.
 
7: UTA has already had seven 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), Stephen F. Austin (8) and Utah Valley (8); Dario Domingos against Northern Kentucky (7).
 
7: UTA is just seven wins shy of 800 all-time victories in program history (793-994). 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.
 
16: 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.
 
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 (6x – Includes 2 Ties)
Taj Anderson: 19 (1x)
Aaron Cash: 18 (1x – Tied)
Marion Humphrey: 17 (3x – Includes 1 Tie)
Brandon Walker: 17 (1x – Tied)
Shemar Wilson: 16 (4x – Includes 1 Tie)
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 embark on arguably its most challenging road trip of the season next week when the Mavs face the preseason top-2 teams in the WAC. It begins on Thursday, Jan. 12, at preseason favorite Grand Canyon before heading to New Mexico State – picked to finish 2nd – on Saturday, Jan. 14.
 
FOLLOW ALONG
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