AUSTIN – The UT Arlington men's basketball team closes out its 2023-24 non-conference schedule at #21 Texas on Monday, New Year's Day, with a 1 p.m. tipoff on the Longhorn Network.
OPENING TIP(s)
- UTA has played the nation's 18th-hardest schedule, and that will likely go up after facing the Longhorns as Texas is ranked #21 in the Associated Press Poll and 50th in the NET – representing the third-straight Quad 1 or 2 opportunity for the Mavericks.
- Of UTA's nine non-conference Division-I opponents, six played in the postseason last year and the Mavs are 2-3 so far against that group. Texas will represent the last of those as the Longhorns won the Big 12 Tournament in 2023 and reached the Elite 8 of the NCAA Tournament.
- This is one of just five games in the country on New Year's Day. Of the 10 teams playing, five of them reside in the state of Texas: UTA at Texas, Texas A&M-Commerce at TCU and Texas Tech versus North Alabama.
- DaJuan Gordon needs just eight rebounds to reach 600 for his career. The grad transfer is one of only four players this year to come off the bench against a D-I foe and record at least 15 points and grab 15 rebounds when he accomplished the feat versus Air Force on Dec. 16.
- In his third game with UTA after getting eligible on Dec. 16 as a multi-time transfer, Phillip Russell was held to just seven points last time out at North Texas on Dec. 23. That is only the second time in the last 37 games that the junior guard has been held to single digits (six points on 1-4 shooting at Southern Indiana on Dec. 29, 2022).
- UTA boasts the following top-60 team and individual national rankings:
Team
Rebound Margin: 47th (+6.8)
Assists: 48th (16.4)
Offensive Rebounds: 49th (13.1)
Shemar Wilson
Offensive Rebounds: 20th (3.6)
Double Doubles: 44th (4)
Blocks: 50th (1.8)
Free Throws Attempted: 51st (76)
Rebounds: 58th (8.8)
DaJuan Gordon
Defensive Rebounds: 43rd (6.5)
Double-Doubles: 44th (4)
TWEETABLES
1) Brandyn Talbot (7 points per game) has not played the last two games after suffering a concussion against Air Force, and he is questionable for Monday's tilt with Texas.
2) All six of UTA's wins have come when it has scored 70+ points; five of its six losses have occurred when the Mavs have failed to score at least 70 (exception: 82-80 at New Mexico).
3) UTA is coming off season lows in points (52) and field goal percentage (30) in a 78-52 loss at North Texas. UNT tied a season high with 12 made 3-pointers, seven of which came in the first 10 minutes of the game – its season average for a game.
4) UTA's nine double-doubles leads the WAC:
Shemar Wilson (4), Gordon (4) and
Aaron Cash (1). The next closest team is Grand Canyon – receiving votes in the national polls – with seven.
5) UTA has totaled season lows in points in each of the last two 1st halves with 25 at Texas Tech and 19 at North Texas.
ABOUT #21 TEXAS
- This will be the sixth time in program history that UTA faces Texas when it is ranked in the Associated Press Poll, the most of any opponent (next closest: Houston, three times).
- UTA head coach KT Turner was an associate head coach with Texas during the 2020-21 season, and current UTA assistant coach/Director of Operations & Recruiting Cody San Miguel was a Coordinator of Video & Operations on that same team.
- The Longhorns won their 10th game of the year on Friday night by defeating a quality UNC Greensboro team, 72-37. UNCG entered the contest ranked 13th nationally in 3-pointers made, but UT held the Spartans to just 3-19 (15.8%) from beyond the arc.
- Max Abmas is the nation's active career scoring leader by a mile with 2,767 points – one of just two players with more than 2,000 (Maryland's Jahmir Young: 2,206). The grad transfer from Oral Roberts is in his first year with the Longhorns and leading a quintet of double-figure scorers at 17.1.
- Chendall Weaver won WAC Freshman of the Year last year with UTA, but transferred to UT this summer and is averaging 4.1 points and 2.6 rebounds in 14.6 minutes per contest this season.
PROLIFIC OFF THE BENCH
Gordon became just the sixth player in the nation this year – and only the fourth versus a D-I opponent – to come off the bench and record at least 15 points and 15 rebounds in a game when he accomplished that feat against Air Force. Furthermore, he's now only the second player to achieve those totals off the bench in a winning effort against a D-I foe (Missouri State's N.J. Benson with 17 points and 16 rebounds in an 87-69 victory over fellow WAC member Abilene Christian on Nov. 20).
HISTORICAL PERFORMANCES
In its 74-37 win over UNT Dallas on Dec. 6, the Mavs had 26 offensive rebounds to tie for the 6th most in single-game program history and most in any game since 1996. Of those 26 o-boards, 25 were secured by players (one team rebound) to represent the 6th-most offensive rebounds by any team in the nation this year: South Dakota (28), Saint Mary's (28, 2OT), Texas A&M (26), South Carolina State (26, OT) and NJIT (26).
Individually, Cash – who had 17 points and 17 rebounds – was responsible for 12 offensive rebounds to tie for the most in program lore with Johnny McDowell (1992) and Sam Norton (1984). Those dozen o-boards are also the most by any player in the nation this year (three players with 11; four with 10).
Defensively, the 37 points UTA allowed were its 2nd fewest all-time behind only a 36-point performance against SMU in 1989 – a game the Mavs actually lost, 36-31. Those are the only two times in the 64+ years of the program UTA has held a team under 40 points.
SCORING DEPTH
The Mavs have already had 11 players reach double-figure points in a game this year (highs): Wilson (29), Russell (28), Gordon (24),
Kade Douglas (20),
Akili Vining (16), Cash (17),
Fabio Basili (15), Talbot (14),
Makaih Williams (14),
Dwayne Koroma (12) and
Freds Pauls Bagatskis (11).
Of those 11, Wilson (4x), Gordon (2x), Douglas (2x), Russell (2x), Basili (1x) and Cash (1x) have led UTA in scoring.
CLEANING UP THE WEEKLY AWARDS
UTA has had three different players win either WAC Player of the Week or Newcomer of the Week this season: Gordon (Player, Nov. 13), Wilson (Player, Nov. 20) and Russell (Newcomer, Dec. 18). UTA and Grand Canyon are the only schools in the WAC with three different players earning weekly awards this year.
Gordon and Wilson 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, that was 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.
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 after suffering a left ankle injury in practice the week of Nov. 13, and 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 eight assists and zero turnovers versus a D-I foe, joining Javon Levi, Brian Warren and Neal. Additionally, with seven points and five rebounds to go along with the eight assists and no 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 eight other players in the country have registered that stat line against a D-I opponent.
1) Wilson finished with eight points, 11 rebounds, five blocks and three steals at Texas Tech – the only player in the nation this year with at least those totals in a game.
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) Five times already this year UTA has scored 75+ points against D-I competition; the Mavs accomplished that feat just four times all of last season (regular and postseason). Furthermore, UTA has tallied 80+ in regulation three times this year; that occurred three times total in the previous two regular seasons.
7) UTA connected a 54.5% clip (12-22) from 3-point range against Abilene Christian on Nov. 29 in the WAC opener to tie the 7th-best percentage in single-game program history (minimum 10 makes).
8) Gordon did not score against Texas State on Nov. 25, 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, Hervey and Stuart Lagerson).
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.
25) The Mavs distributed the ball to the tune of 25 assists on 27 made field goals versus Abilene Christian. Only three other teams in the nation since 2015 have had 25+ assists on 27 or fewer makes: Minnesota in March of 2023, Davidson in February of 2020 and Pittsburgh in February of 2017.
38) Against Grand Canyon on Dec. 2, UTA shot 46.2% (24-52) from the floor while holding the Lopes to 37.5% (21-56) – representing just the second time since 2010 the Mavs lost a road game when shooting at least 46% and holding their opponent under 38% (Mar. 5, 2015, at Georgia Southern, 76-64).
40) Cash played all 40 minutes in the UNT Dallas contest, becoming just the third UTA player in the last 13 seasons to log all 40 minutes of a regulation game (Erick Neal and Lonnie McClanahan).
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.
57) Opposite ACU, UTA shot a season-best 57% (27-47) from the floor – the best any Maverick team has shot against a D-I opponent since 2018.
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) Versus New Mexico, UTA lost a road non-conference game (82-80) when scoring 80+ points for the first time since a 90-81 setback to Creighton on Dec. 18, 2017.
86) The 86 points UTA scored in its 86-71 win over Abilene Christian were its most in any regulation conference game since a 91-86 win over Sun Belt Conference member Louisiana on Jan. 15, 2021. The Mavs scored 86 despite no player making more than five field goals.
90) 90% of Douglas's points (72 of 80) this year have come via the 3-pointer (24 makes); five games of 3+ triples.
NEXT UP
UTA, which is already 1-1 in WAC play thanks to a pair of games played in late November and early December, will resume its 20-game league schedule later in the week with a pair of contests at Tarleton State (Jan. 4 at 7 p.m.) and at Stephen F. Austin (Jan. 6 at 2 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
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