ARLINGTON – The UT Arlington men's basketball team continues its three-game homestand bridging Thanksgiving on Saturday, Nov. 25, at 2 p.m. against rival Texas State inside the College Park Center.
 

GAMEDAY INFORMATION
Game 6	UT Arlington (3-2) vs. Texas State (2-4)
Date | Time	Saturday, Nov. 25 | 2 PM (Doors: 1 PM)
Location	College Park Center
Tickets	UTATickets.com
Video	ESPN+
Radio	620 AM | 102.5 FM
Audio Stream	Varsity Network App | UTAMavs.com
Live Stats	StatBroadcast
Game Notes	UT Arlington | Texas State
Gameday Program	Digital

For parking, tickets, entry and more info related to the 2023-24 gameday experience, visit the Know Before You Go page.

GAMEDAY PROMOTION
First Responders Day

• Free tickets for all first responders.
• Show first responder ID/badge at the College Park Center Box Office.

OPENING TIP(s)

• This will represent the 80th all-time meeting between UTA and Texas State, which will mark the most-played opponent in Maverick history (currently tied with McNeese at 79).
   
• UTA is coming off an 82-69 win over Alcorn State on Wednesday in which the Mavs trailed for just 26 seconds the entire game. After going down, 48-46, with 13:30 left, the Mavs used an extended 19-5 run to create a 65-53 lead which eventually grew to as much as 17.
   
• True freshman Kade Douglas came off the bench to score a team- and career-high 20 points on the strength of six 3-pointers. Four of those came in the 2nd half as 10 of Douglas's team-leading 13 triples this year have occurred in the final period. He leads UTA in 2nd-half scoring with 8 points per contest despite playing only 9.6 minutes in the closing stanza.
   
• Also against Alcorn State, Akili Vining finished with 7 points, 5 rebounds, 8 assists and 0 turnovers. He is the first player in the nation to finish with at least those totals coming off the bench since Feb. 26, 2022; dating back to 2017, only seven other players in the country have registered that stat line against a Division-I opponent. Additionally, since at least 2010, Vining is just the fourth UTA player to have at least 8 assists and 0 turnovers versus a D-I foe, joining Javon Levi, Brian Warren and Erick Neal.
   
• UTA boasts the following top-35 individual and team national rankings:
  Individuals
  Offensive Rebounds: 3rd, Shemar Wilson: 4.6/gm
  Double-Doubles: 10th, DaJuan Gordon: 3 Total
  Defensive Rebounds: 12th, DaJuan Gordon: 8/gm
  Rebounds: 23rd, Shemar Wilson: 10.2/gm
                    26th, DaJuan Gordon: 10/gm
  3-Pointers Made: 28th, Kade Douglas: 3.3/gm
  
  Team
  Rebounds: 16th: 44.8/gm
  3-Pointers Made: 25th: 10.2/gm
  Offensive Rebounds: 26th: 15/gm
  Rebound Margin: 28th: +10.2/gm
  Assists: 31st: 18/gm

TWEETABLES
1) UTA has already scored 75+ points three times this year against D-I competition; the Mavs accomplished that feat just three times all of last regular season. Furthermore, UTA has tallied 80+ in regulation twice already; that occurred three times total in the previous two regular seasons.
2) The Mavs had 24 assists on 29 made field goals against Alcorn State – just the second time since 2010 that UTA has had at least 24 assists on fewer than 30 makes (24 on 27 against Loyola Marymount on Nov. 11, 2017).
3) Dwayne Koroma became UTA's eighth-different player already this year to register double-figure points in a game with a D-I career-high 12 against Alcorn State.
4) Wilson notched his second double-double of the campaign with 14 points and 12 rebounds versus Alcorn; he has four contests of 10+ rebounds in five opportunities this season.
5) UTA already has two wins this year over 2023 postseason participants (Oral Roberts – NCAA Tournament; Alcorn State – NIT), lost at the buzzer against another (New Mexico – NIT) and trailed by just six at halftime against #3 Arizona (NCAA Tournament).
 
ABOUT THE MATCHUP

• This will be the 35th-straight season that UTA and Texas State square off. Last year's meeting came at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, with the Bobcats pulling out a narrow 71-65 triumph. That game was the only one all year in which Texas State had a full roster of healthy players.
   
• The two foes were both Southland Conference members in the 1980s (first-ever meeting was on Dec. 6, 1984) before moving to the Western Athletic Conference for the 2012-13 season and the Sun Belt Conference from 2013-22. The Bobcats remain in the Sun Belt; the Mavs re-joined the WAC last year.
   
• Texas State is coming off a pair of losses to McNeese (59-48) and UTA fellow WAC member Southern Utah (74-67) at Louisiana Tech's multi-team event (MTE) earlier this week on Tuesday and Wednesday.
   
• Brandon Love has recorded 19 blocks so far this season to lead the Sun Belt and are tied for the most in the nation with Justice Ajogbor (Harvard) and Isaiah Cozart (Eastern Kentucky).
   
• Tyrel Morgan paces the Bobcats with 14 points and 8 rebounds per game, but suffered an injury in the second game of the year and has not played since. Kaden Gumbs (10.7) and Love (10.3) are the other double-figure scorers for Texas State who have played in all six games.

CLEANING UP THE WEEKLY AWARDS
For the second time in as many weeks to start the season, the WAC Player of the Week resides at UTA as Wilson claimed the honor on Monday. Wilson averaged 24 points, 7 rebounds and 2.5 blocks last week at New Mexico and #3 Arizona, shooting an extremely efficient 76% (19-25) from the field and 82% (9-11) from the free throw line.
 
Combined with Gordon winning the award last Monday, he and Wilson are the first set of UTA teammates to be named conference Player of the Week in the same season since 2017-18 when Kevin Hervey and Erick Neal both received the recognition when the Mavericks were in the Sun Belt Conference. Furthermore, since the WAC began issuing Player of the Week honors in 1982-83, this is just the sixth occurrence of the same school winning each of the season's first two awards:
 
1984-85: San Diego State
1998-99: New Mexico
1999-00: SMU
2015-16: New Mexico State
2017-18: Utah Valley
 
GORDON NAMED WAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Gordon was named the WAC Player of the Week on Nov. 13 after posting a pair of double-doubles in his UTA debut week, averaging 19 points, 12.5 rebounds, 3 steals and 2 assists. He was UTA's first conference Player of the Week recipient since David Azore claimed the honor on Feb. 15, 2022. Additionally, in now 2+ years in the WAC (2012-13, 2022-present), Gordon was the first Mav to garner a Player of the Week recognition as a member of the league.

DOUBLE-DOUBLE MACHINE
Gordon is one of only two UTA players in program history to begin his tenure with the Mavs by posting three-straight double-doubles. The only other was Damon Johnson in 1994 (Nov. 26-Dec. 2). No player has ever had four-consecutive double-doubles to begin a UTA career.
 
SCORING DEPTH
The Mavs have already had eight players reach double-figure points in a game this year (highs): Wilson (29), Gordon (24), Douglas (20), Vining (14), Koroma (12), Brandyn Talbot (12), Makaih Williams (11) and Freds Pauls Bagatskis (11).
 
RECORD-TYING 3-POINT PERFORMANCE
UTA tied a single-game program record with 17 made 3-pointers on Nov. 11 against UT Tyler. That mark had only been reached once previously – on Dec. 8, 2015, against Bradley. Those 17 triples are three more than any other WAC team this year.
 
LONG-RANGE THREAT SIDELINED
In that UT Tyler contest, Bagatskis knocked down three 3-pointers and scored 11-straight points for UTA in the 1st half. However, the Georgia Tech transfer has not played in a game since then, missing each of the last three contests after suffering a left ankle injury in practice the week of Nov. 13. He remains doubtful for Saturday's game.
 
BY THE NUMBERS
1) UTA defeated Oral Roberts in the season opener on Nov. 6, 75-71. It was the only game in the last 13 years that the Mavs won, scored at least 70 points and shot less than 35% from the field.
 
2) Both Wilson (29 points, 11 rebounds) and Gordon (13 points, 14 rebounds) recorded double-doubles at New Mexico on Nov. 16 to become the first UTA players since Nov. 28, 2020, to accomplish the feat.
 
3) The Mavs had three players secure double-figure rebounds versus Oral Roberts: Wilson (14), Gordon (14) and Koroma (11). That marked just the second time since 1990 that UTA had three players with 10+ boards in a game (2016 vs. Arkansas State). There have only been two games in program history – both against non-DI opponents – in which four UTA players grabbed double-figure rebounds.
 
5) Douglas came off the bench and knocked down five 2nd-half 3-pointers against UT Tyler on Nov. 11, finishing with 18 points.
 
17) Talbot has made 17-straight free throws dating back to Nov. 12 of last season when he missed late in the 2nd half against Southwestern.
 
22) UTA's 22 offensive rebounds versus Oral Roberts were its most against a D-I foe since matching that total at Texas on Dec. 1, 2015. The last time a UTA team had more offensive boards was Feb. 26, 2011, with 23 versus Northwestern State.
 
26) UTA had 26 assists on 34 made field goals versus UT Tyler. That was just the fourth time since 2010 that the Mavs had 26+ assists on 35 or fewer makes.
 
46) The Mavs shot 46% from the field and finished +9 in the rebounding column (45-36) at New Mexico, representing their only non-conference loss since 2010 when shooting at least 46% and posting at least +9 on the glass.
 
75) UTA's 75 points against Oral Roberts were its most in a season opener against a D-I opponent since notching 85 against Loyola Marymount in 2017.
 
80) Against New Mexico, UTA lost a road non-conference game when scoring 80+ points for the first time since a 90-81 setback to Creighton on Dec. 18, 2017.
 
NEXT UP
UTA will conclude its three-game homestand on Wednesday, Nov. 29, at 7 p.m. against Abilene Christian. It will represent the first to two WAC games next week for the Mavs. With the league going to a 20-game conference slate this season, every team will play two WAC opponents next week before resuming non-conference play in early December.
   
PURCHASE TICKETS
Secure your seat(s) all season long to see the re-energized UTA men's basketball program in action at the College Park Center. Purchase single game or season tickets at UTATickets.com, call 817-272-9595 or email boxoffice@uta.edu.

FOLLOW ALONG
For updates, behind-the-scenes photos, videos and more engaging and personal content, follow the men's basketball program on X (formerly Twitter) (@UTAMavsMBB), Instagram (@UTAMavsMBB) and Facebook (/UTAMavsMBB).