ARLINGTON – Winners of five out of its last seven, the UT Arlington men's basketball team concludes an important late-season home weekend on Saturday, Feb. 24, when the Mavericks welcome Utah Tech for a 2 p.m. tipoff.
 

GAMEDAY INFORMATION
Game 28	UT Arlington (14-13, 9-7 WAC) vs. Utah Tech (10-16, 6-9 WAC)
Date | Time	Saturday, Feb. 24 | 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 | Utah Tech
WAC Rankings	Standings | Seeding System
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 PROMOTIONS & INFO

• Canned Food Drive
  • Fans receive one (1) free ticket for bringing two (2) non-perishable canned/boxed food items to the game.

OPENING TIP(s)

• After starting WAC play 1-3, UTA has moved into sole possession of 4th place in the league standings with a 9-7 record, and also resides in 4th in the resume-seeding system. If the season ended today, UTA would receive a 1st-round bye in the WAC Tournament as a result of being in the top 4.
   
• The Mavs are 5-2 over their last seven games, with their only losses in that stretch coming by a combined three points at California Baptist (64-63) and versus Tarleton State (80-78). In both of those contests UTA had chances to win or force overtime in the final seconds.
   
• UTA erased a 15-point deficit on Thursday en route to a 90-85 win over Southern Utah. The 90 points are the 2nd most the Mavs have scored against a Division-I opponent this season (91 vs. UT Rio Grande Valley on Jan. 18). After scoring 21 points in the first 16 minutes of Thursday's game, UTA tallied 69 in the last 24 minutes.
   
• The Mavs scored 53 points in the 2nd half – their most in any half this season – but allowed Southern Utah to shoot 51.7% (30-58) from the floor for the game. That is only the third time since 2017 that UTA has won when allowing 51+%. The Mavs overcame that thanks to a season-low-tying 11 turnovers.
   
• On Thursday, Aaron Cash reached double-figure points in consecutive games for the first time this season with 15; Cash is just 22 points shy of 1,000 for his collegiate career across all levels. Phillip Russell issued a season-best eight assists versus SUU. After Russell scored 15 1st-half points, DaJuan Gordon had 18 2nd-half points on his way to a team-most 23 – one shy of tying his career high – as he just missed his WAC-leading 11th double-double by a single rebound by corralling nine.
   
• Gordon leads the WAC in double-doubles with 10; combined with Shemar Wilson's seven (2nd in the WAC), the 17 double-doubles from Gordon and Wilson are three more than three WAC teams total (14): Southern Utah (4), Seattle U (5) and Stephen F. Austin (5). As a team, UTA's 18 double-doubles (Cash has the other) are three more than the next closest (Grand Canyon: 15).
   
• 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). Wilson (13) and Gordon (10) rank 1st and 2nd in the WAC in terms of double-figure rebound games this year; the next closest players have eight.

TWEETABLES
1) UTA is in search of its 15th win of the season, which would be its most since going 17-16 in 2018-19; the Mavs reached the Sun Belt Conference Tournament Final that year. All 14 of UTA's wins have come when it scores at least 70 points.
2) This is the first time that UTA has been multiple games over .500 in WAC play since re-joining the league in 2022-23.
3) The Mavs are 10-3 at home this year, marking the first time they have won double-figure contests at the College Park Center since going 13-2 in 2017-18.
4) Over the past three games, Gordon is shooting 76% (22-29) from the field and a perfect 100% from 3-point range (4-4).
5) Four of UTA's seven WAC losses have come against the current top-2 teams: Grand Canyon (2x) and Tarleton State (2x). Those four losses came by an average of 4.2 points. The Mavs were tied with GCU both times with under 90 seconds remaining, and had final shots to win – or force overtime – against Tarleton.
 
AMONG THE WAC'S BEST

• In WAC games, UTA leads the conference in 3-point percentage (36.4) and is 2nd in points (77.5), assists (15.2) and scoring margin (+4.06); the Mavs are 4th in free throw percentage (73.5) and field goal percentage defense (41.6).
• UTA's 140 made 3-pointers in league games are 24 more than any other team (Seattle U: 116) and 53 more than Utah Tech (87). Incredibly, the Mavs do not have a single player in the top 13 in terms of makes (seven players between 13-23 made 3s).
• Similarly, despite having the 2nd-highest scoring offense in the conference, the Mavs do not have a player in the top 7 in individual scoring average.
• Gordon and Wilson both rank in the top 5 in the following categories: Gordon: rebounding (2nd, 8.3), steals (T-2nd, 1.9) and field goal percentage (3rd, 51.0); Wilson: blocks (4th, 1.9) and rebounding (4th, 8.1).

ABOUT THE MATCHUP

• In the first meeting this year, UTA never trailed, shot 48% from the floor and dominated the rebounding battle (46-32) on its way to an emphatic 87-66 win over Utah Tech on Feb. 3 in St. George.  The Mavs led by double figures for 31 minutes and by as much as 25. Coupled with a win at Southern Utah two days prior, UTA completed a road conference sweep for the first time since 2021.
   
• The Trailblazers are coming off a last-second 66-65 loss at home to Seattle U last Saturday; Utah Tech was the lone WAC team to not play on Thursday.
   
• This will be Utah Tech's 500th game at the NCAA level, which began in 2006-07.
   
• In the only other meeting between the two schools last season, UTA claimed a 71-69 overtime triumph on Senior Day. In a game that appeared destined for double overtime, Cash converted a putback tip-in just before the final buzzer.

HOME SWEET HOME
UTA is 10-3 at the College Park Center, but just 3-10 on the road (1-0 neutral). At home this season, UTA is averaging 79.4 points while holding opponents to 69.0 for a +10.4 differential. On the road, the Mavs average 70.5 points and surrender 77.6 for a -7.2 margin.

Additionally, in home tilts UTA secures 40.2 rebounds per contest and out-rebounds its foes by an average of 9.2; on the road they corral 36.8 and are out-rebounded by an average of 0.9. Twelve of UTA's 14 wins this year have come when it out-rebounds its opponent; the Mavs are 2-7 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 9th-hardest non-conference schedule as the Mavs faced six NET Quad 1 opponents, all of them away from home. The other 10 WAC teams combined have only faced 23 total Quad 1 foes this season.
 
GORDON PLAYER OF THE WEEK
For the second time this season, Gordon was named WAC Player of the Week on Monday. Gordon averaged a double-double over a pair of games last week with 18 points and 10.5 rebounds while also adding 3.5 assists and 1.5 steals in leading the Mavs to a 1-1 record. Over the two contests, the 6-5 guard shot a gaudy 82.4% (14-17) from the floor, a perfect 2-2 from beyond the arc and seven of the 21 rebounds he corralled came on the offensive end.
 
UTA has had three-different players win either WAC Player of the Week or Newcomer of the Week this season: Gordon (Player, Nov. 13 and Feb. 19), 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.
 
LUCKY THIRTEEN
All 13 UTA players who dressed – currently the entire healthy roster – scored at least one point last Saturday at UT Rio Grande Valley. No other team in the nation this season has had that many players or the entirety of the roster score in a game against a D-I opponent. Below are those teams that have had 100% of their players in uniform score against a D-I foe:
 
13: UT Arlington @ UTRGV (Feb. 17)
11: Creighton vs. Central Michigan (Dec. 9)
10: Creighton vs. Florida A&M (Nov. 7)
9: Oakland vs. IUPUI (Feb. 17)
7: Charleston Southern vs. USC Upstate (Jan. 13)
 
ANOTHER NEW FACE
Redshirt freshman Chauncey Gibson made his collegiate debut against SFA on Feb. 10 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.
 
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, 3x), Fabio Basili (15), Bradyn 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, Gordon (6x – 1 tie), Wilson (5x), Russell (4x), Williams (4x – 1 tie), Douglas (3x), Cash (3x), Basili (1x) and Vining (1x) have led UTA in scoring.
 
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). 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
1) The Mavs held Stephen F. Austin to just 1-15 from 3-point range in a 71-63 overtime triumph on Feb. 10. 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).
 
2) Two times this year Wilson and Gordon have both recorded double-doubles in the same game: at New Mexico on Nov. 16 and at Abilene Christian on Jan. 20.
 
4) Gordon had 15 points, 17 rebounds and six assists at Utah Tech on Feb. 3 to become one of only four players in the nation this year with at least a 15-17-6 stat line.
 
8) The Mavs are a perfect 8-0 this season when Talbot makes at least two 3-pointers in a game.
 
9) Nine 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) UTA has used 11 different starting lineups this season, which is tied for the 13th most in the nation (leader: Milwaukee and Eastern Michigan, 17). Nine of those lineups have won a game, which is tied for the 4th most in the country (Long Beach State, Milwaukee and Kansas City: 10).
 
14) Fourteen 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).
 
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.
 
21) Williams has made 21-straight free throws dating back to Feb. 8 at California Baptist.
 
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 – have been ranked in the Associated Press and Coaches polls during the season.
 
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.
 
78) UTA lost when scoring 78+ points in regulation at home for only the third time in the last 15 years when the Mavs dropped an 80-78 decision to Tarleton State on Feb. 15; the other two occurrences: 85-78 to FGCU on Dec. 9, 2017, and 92-89 to Louisiana on Feb. 6, 2014.
 
85) 85% of Douglas's points (105 of 123) 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).
 
700) Gordon eclipsed 500 career rebounds in the season opener, and now boasts 714 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 hits the road for the final time during the regular season when the Mavs head to Seattle U to face the Redhawks on Feb. 29 at 9 p.m. CT before traveling to battle Utah Valley on Mar. 2.
   
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).