ARLINGTON – The UT Arlington men's basketball team will wrap up a three-game homestand and also begin Western Athletic Conference play on Wednesday, Nov. 29, at 7 p.m. against Abilene Christian inside the College Park Center.
 

GAMEDAY INFORMATION
Game 7	UT Arlington (3-3) vs. Abilene Christian (3-3)
Date | Time	Wednesday, Nov. 29 | 7 PM (Doors: 6 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 | Abilene Christian | WAC
Game Program	Digital

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

OPENING TIP(s)

• This will be UTA's earliest conference game in program history; the previous record was Dec. 7, 2000, when the Mavericks played at UTSA in the 2000-01 Southland Conference opener as part of a league-commencing weekend which also included a trip to Texas State on Dec. 9.
   
• The reason for the WAC-wide two conference games this week (Utah Tech will only play one) is due to the league expanding to a 20-game conference schedule. This will be the seventh time in program history UTA will play 20 league contests in a season: 2000-03 Southland; 2014-16 and 2019-20 Sun Belt Conference.
   
• Eight of UTA's 20 WAC games year will be against opponents that played in the postseason last year (will face each twice): Grand Canyon (NCAA Tournament), Utah Valley (NIT semifinalist), Southern Utah (CBI semifinals) and Tarleton State (CBI). The WAC last season ranked as the 11th-best conference in the country (out of 32, and ahead of the typical multi-bid Atlantic 10 Conference).
   
• Once again this year, the WAC resume-seeding system will be in effect. Conference record will determine the eight schools that qualify for the WAC Tournament in Las Vegas; however, once those eight are set, the season-long KenPom-created algorithm will seed those eight teams. This is the second year of the seeding system, and more information is included later in this release.
   
• UTA boasts the following individual and team national rankings:
  
             Individual
  • Offensive Rebounds: 3rd, Shemar Wilson: 4.5/gm
  • Defensive Rebounds: 13th, DaJuan Gordon: 7.8/gm
  • Double-Doubles: 17th, DaJuan Gordon & Shemar Wilson: 3 Total
  • Rebounds: 18th, Shemar Wilson: 10.5/gm
                       29th, DaJuan Gordon: 9.8/gm
  • Blocks: 39th, Shemar Wilson: 2/gm
    
    Team
  • Rebounds: 19th, 43/gm (T-WAC Lead – California Baptist)
  • Rebound Margin: 34th, +9.2/gm
  • Assists: 38th, 17.3/gm (Leads WAC)
  • Offensive Rebounds: 52nd, 13.3/gm

TWEETABLES
1) In 2021, #14 seed Abilene Christian defeated #3 seed Texas in the NCAA Tournament, 53-52. UTA head coach KT Turner was the associate head coach on that Longhorns' team.
2) While UTA ranks 19th nationally in rebounds per game (43), ACU is 316th (32.3). The Mavs also possess a +9.2 rebound margin (34th nationally), while the Wildcats are -6.5 (331st).
3) DaJuan Gordon did not score against Texas State on Saturday, but pulled down eight rebounds before fouling out. He is just the fifth UTA player since 2010 to secure 8+ rebounds in a game and not score (Montez Young Jr., Jabari Narcis, Kevin Hervey and Stuart Lagerson).
4) The Mavs went just 2-15 (13%) from the 3-point line versus the Bobcats, representing just the second time since 2019 that UTA has made two or fewer 3-pointers at home (two versus Stephen F. Austin on Dec. 31, 2022).
5) UTA has already scored 75+ points three times this year against Division-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.
 
ABOUT THE MATCHUP

• UTA and ACU were both founding members of the Southland Conference in 1963. UTA remained in the league until 2012; ACU left the league in 1973 to join the Division-II Lone Star Conference before re-joining the Southland and D-I in 2013, and the WAC in 2021.
   
• ACU assistant coach Cinco Boone was an assistant coach for UTA last season.
   
• ACU went to Stillwater and knocked off Oklahoma State in the season opener on Nov. 6, 64-59. The Wildcats are coming off a 2-1 performance at the Virgin Islands Paradise Jam Nov. 17-20, defeating San Jose State and Fordham before losing to Missouri State.
   
• In the WAC Preseason Poll, ACU was picked to finish 5th (60 points). Ali Abdou Dibba leads the Wildcats at 13 points per game, while Hunter Jack Madden (12.5) and Airion Simmons (12.2) round out the trio of double-figure ACU scorers. Simmons paces ACU on the glass at 5 per outing.

WAC RESUME SEEDING SYSTEM
The aforementioned WAC resume-seeding system will determine how the eight teams at the WAC Tournament will be seeded. The WAC has sent at least two teams to the NCAA Tournament in 28 of the past 47 seasons. In an effort to continue enhancing its at-large prospects and protecting top seeds in March, the resume-seeding system was introduced for the first time in 2022-23.
 
An algorithm will rate performance against all D-I teams faced in the regular season, not just conference play. Using this resume-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. The seeding will be updated daily, and the first edition this year is scheduled to be unveiled in early December.

CLEANING UP THE WEEKLY AWARDS
With Gordon (Nov. 13) and Wilson (Nov. 20) claiming WAC Player of the Week honors, the duo became 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 Mavs 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
 
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), Kade Douglas (20), Akili Vining (14, 2x), Makaih Williams (14), Dwayne Koroma (12), Brandyn Talbot (12), 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 will be out indefinitely.
 
BY THE NUMBERS
0) Vining did not have a turnover while issuing eight assists against Alcorn State on Nov. 22, becoming just the fourth UTA player since 2010 to have at least 8 assists and 0 turnovers versus a D-I foe, joining Javon Levi, Brian Warren and Erick Neal. Additionally, with 7 points and 5 rebounds to go along with the 8 assists and 0 turnovers, Vining was 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 D-I opponent.
 
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.
 
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.
 
24) 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).
 
38) Douglas came off the bench and knocked down five 2nd-half 3-pointers against UT Tyler on Nov. 11, finishing with 18 points. He poured in a career-high 20 versus Alcorn State with six 3-pointers as 38 of his 45 points this year have come from those two games.
 
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 travel to Phoenix to face the defending WAC Tournament Champions and preseason favorites this year in Grand Canyon. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. CT (6 p.m. local) on Saturday, Dec. 2. After that matchup with the Lopes, who are off to a 4-1 start this season, UTA will dive back into non-conference play when it hosts UNT Dallas on Wednesday, Dec. 6, with a special start time of 4 p.m.
   
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).