ARLINGTON – The UT Arlington men's basketball team faces a stern test on Thursday, Feb. 15, when the Mavericks welcome the WAC's current 2nd-place team in Tarleton State for a 7 p.m. tipoff inside the College Park Center.
 

GAMEDAY INFORMATION
Game 25	UT Arlington (12-12, 7-6 WAC) vs. Tarleton State (17-7, 10-3 WAC)
Date | Time	Thursday, Feb. 15 | 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 | Tarleton State | WAC
WAC Rankings	Standings | Seeding System

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

GAMEDAY PROMOTIONS & INFO

• Presenting Sponsors, FSL Night & Black T-Shirt Giveaway
  • The presenting game sponsor is American Campus, and the first 300 fans will receive black UTA t-shirts. Additionally, Whataburger is sponsoring FSL (Fraternity & Sorority Life) Night with student-focused promotions.

OPENING TIP(s)

• In the first matchup this year between UTA and Tarleton State, UTA used a 10-0 run to tie the contest with under a minute remaining, but a 3-pointer by Tarleton with 24 seconds remaining proved to be the difference in a 78-76 Texans' win on Jan. 4 in Stephenville.
   
• In that contest, both Phillip Russell (13.8 ppg) and DaJuan Gordon (11.8 ppg) got injured in the final five minutes and did not finish the game; those two combined for eight of the 10 points during the 10-0 run. True freshman Makaih Williams stepped up with a career-high 24 points, and tied the game at 74-74 with a contested layup with 48 seconds remaining.
   
• UTA has held five-straight Division-I opponents under 70 points for the first time since Jan. 16-Feb. 6, 2020 (six in a row). The Mavs have delivered season-low performances in points allowed each of the last three games: 66 at Utah Tech, 64 at California Baptist and 63 versus SFA. Only two times all season prior to this current streak had UTA limited D-I foes under 70: 69 both by Alcorn State and Utah Valley.
   
• Redshirt freshman Chauncey Gibson made his collegiate debut against SFA after the two-time transfer – and mid-season addition – learned the day before, on Feb. 9, that the NCAA had approved a waiver to grant him immediate eligibility (more info: click here). The Clemson and Tulsa product scored 12 points, issued three assists and grabbed two rebounds in 24 minutes off the bench.
   
• Gordon leads the WAC with nine double-doubles this year, including a stretch of five in a row which was snapped this past Saturday in UTA's 71-63 overtime win against Stephen F. Austin. Combined with Shemar Wilson's seven (2nd in the WAC), the 16 double-doubles from Gordon and Wilson are more than four WAC teams total: Southern Utah (3), Utah Valley (4), Stephen F. Austin (4) and Seattle U (4). As a team, UTA's 17 double-doubles (Aaron Cash has the other) are six more than the next closest (Grand Canyon: 11).
   
• UTA is the only team in the nation to have three-different players grab 15+ rebounds in a game this season: Gordon (17 at Utah Tech), Cash (17 vs. UNT Dallas) and Wilson (16 at California Baptist).

TWEETABLES
1) In the past four games, UTA has only trailed for a total of 12 minutes and 20 seconds: 10:34 at California Baptist and 1:46 at Southern Utah; the Mavs never trailed at Utah Tech or versus SFA, despite going to OT.
2) Cash has posted double-figure points in two of the last three games and three of the past six. He had one such performance over the season's first 16 games (17 vs. UNT Dallas).
3) UTA will be looking for its 10th home win of the season, which would be its first double-figure home win campaign since going 13-2 in 2017-18. Additionally, UTA has already surpassed its overall win total from each of the past two seasons (11 each), and a 13th victory would be the most since a 13-13 COVID-truncated 2020-21 year.
4) The Mavs held SFA to just 1-15 from 3-point range in the OT triumph on Saturday. That was just the second time since 2015 that UTA limited an opponent to one 3-pointer (Coastal Carolina: 1-13 on Mar. 7, 2020).
5) All 12 of UTA's wins this season have come when the Mavs score at least 70 points.
6) UTA has used 11 different starting lineups this season, which is tied for the 13th most in the nation (leader: Eastern Michigan, 16). Nine of those lineups have won a game, which is tied for the 2nd most in the country (Long Beach State: 10).
 
AMONG THE WAC'S BEST

• In WAC games, Tarleton State leads the conference in 3-point percentage (37.6), and UTA is 2nd (36.2). However, the Texans only make an average of 6.3 per game to rank 5th, while the Mavs make a league-most 8.7.
• The Mavs' 113 triples in WAC play are 23 more than any other team (California Baptist: 83), and 43 more than Tarleton (80). Surprisingly, the Mavs do not have a single player in the top 9 in terms of makes (seven players between 8-21 made 3s).
• In conference games, UTA is tied for 1st in the WAC in field goal percentage defense (40.0), is 2nd in assists (14.7) and 3rd in scoring (75.6); however, the Mavs do not have a single player in the top 12 in scoring average.
• Wilson is 2nd in rebounding (8.5) in WAC contests, while Gordon is 4th (7.9). Gordon also is tied for 3rd in steals (1.9), and Wilson is tied for 2nd in blocks (2.1).

ABOUT THE MATCHUP

• Tarleton State is tied with Grand Canyon for the longest winning streak in the WAC at five games. The Texans are currently alone in 2nd place by 2½ games over California Baptist (7-5) and two back of GCU (12-1).
• The Texans are coming off a 72-61 win at Utah Valley in a game they trailed at halftime by 15, but outscored the Wolverines in the 2nd half, 49-23.
• KiAndre Gaddy ranks 9th in the nation with 95 offensive rebounds on the season.
• Jakorie Smith (15.5), Lue Williams (13.9), Gaddy (11.8) and Devon Barnes (11.2) are Tarleton's four double-figure scorers for the season.
• Joseph Jones was named the acting head coach on Dec. 19. He had been filling in for head coach Billy Gillispie since Nov. 18 due to medical circumstances.  

HOME SWEET HOME
UTA is 9-2 at the College Park Center, but just 2-10 on the road (1-0 neutral). At home this season, UTA is averaging 78.5 points while holding opponents to 66.5 for a +12 differential. On the road, the Mavs average 68.9 points and surrender 78.3 for a -9.3 margin.

Additionally, in home tilts UTA secures 41.1 rebounds per contest and out-rebounds its foes by an average of 9.6; on the road they corral 36.4 and are out-rebounded by an average of 1.8. Ten of UTA's 12 wins this year have come when it out-rebounds its opponent; the Mavs are 2-6 when losing or tying the rebound battle.

A large portion of those home/away statistical disparities is a result of the competition level as UTA played the nation's 10th-hardest non-conference schedule. The Mavs faced five NET Quad 1 opponents, all of them away from home. The other 10 WAC teams combined only faced 20 total Quad 1 foes this season.
 
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), Williams (24), Kade Douglas (20), Akili Vining (16), Cash (17, 2x), Fabio Basili (15), Brandyn Talbot (14), Dwayne Koroma (12) and Freds Pauls Bagatskis (11).
 
Those 11 different double-figure scorers are tied for the 2nd most in the nation (leader: Texas State, 12).
 
Of those 11, Wilson (5x), Russell (4x), Williams (4x – 1 tie), Gordon (4x – 1 tie), Douglas (3x), Cash (2x), Basili (1x) and Vining (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 and Feb. 5). UTA, Grand Canyon and Tarleton State 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.
 
PROLIFIC OFF THE BENCH
Gordon is one of just five players this year 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 on Dec. 16.
 
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 tie for the 9th-most offensive rebounds by any team in the nation this year.
 
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 (five players with 11; 11 with 10). The 17 total rebounds are tied for the most by any player in the WAC this season along with teammate Gordon.
 
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.
 
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 two more than any other WAC team this year; CBU had 15 at Stephen F. Austin on Jan. 27, and the Mavs also had 15 versus UTRGV on Jan. 18.
 
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 undergoing surgery in mid-December. He is expected to be out the rest of the season.
 
BY THE NUMBERS
2) Two times this year Wilson and Gordon have both recorded double-doubles in the same game: at New Mexico and Jan. 20 at Abilene Christian.
 
3) Gordon had 15 points, 17 rebounds and six assists at Utah Tech on Feb. 3 to become one of only three players in the nation this year with at least a 15-17-6 stat line.
 
7) UTA is a perfect 7-0 this season when Talbot makes at least two 3-pointers in a game.
 
7) Seven times this year UTA has registered 80+ points in regulation against D-I competition; that happened just three times total in the previous two regular seasons.
 
11) 11 times already this season UTA has scored 75+ points against D-I competition; the Mavs accomplished that feat just four times all of last year (regular and postseason). Furthermore, UTA has tallied 80+ in regulation seven times this year; that occurred three times total in the previous two regular seasons.
 
15) UTA knocked down 15 3-pointers (15-36, 42%) against UTRGV on Jan. 18 to tie for the 5th-most makes all-time and match the 3rd-most triples in program lore versus a D-I foe.
 
36) UTA had a stretch of 36 days in-between home contests from Dec. 6 to Jan. 11. That was the second-longest break in-season by any team in the nation this year, trailing only Delaware's 38-day gap.
 
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. The Lobos – who used a buzzer-beating layup to beat the Mavs, 82-80 – are now ranked in the Associated Press and Coaches polls at #25.
 
57) Opposite Abilene Christian on Nov. 29, 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.
 
73) Cash needs 73 points to reach 1,000 for his entire collegiate career across all levels.
 
85) 85% of Douglas's points (102 of 120) this year have come via the 3-pointer (34 makes); he has five games of 3+ triples.
 
90) UTA went 24-25 (96%) from the free throw line on Jan. 18 against UTRGV. That is the 2nd-best percentage (minimum 20 makes) in single-game program history, bested only by a 96.4% (27-28) showing on Feb. 22, 1968, at then-#1 Houston. It is also the 5th-best percentage in the nation this year among teams that have made at least 24 free throws (best: UNC Asheville going 24-24 versus USC Upstate).
 
600) Gordon eclipsed 500 career rebounds in the season opener, and now boasts 684 for his career.
 
1,000) Shemar Wilson reached 1,000 collegiate points with a free throw in the UTRGV contest with just over a minute remaining. He had 375 points in one junior college season and now 600+ in 2+ years with UTA.
 
NEXT UP
UTA will face a quick turnaround when it heads to Edinburg on Friday in advance of taking on UT Rio Grande Valley at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 17.
   
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).