EDINBURG, Texas – UT Arlington men's basketball (6-3) is looking to get back into the win column on Thursday, Dec. 11, as the Mavericks travel to Edinburg, Texas, to take on former WAC foe UTRGV (3-5). Thursday night's game will be broadcast live on ESPN+ and on the radio on the Varsity Network App with the Voice of the Mavs, Josh Sours. At 6-3, UTA is off to its best start since 2017-18, when the Mavs opened the year 7-1.
 
UTA fell at Arkansas State on Dec. 2, 83-63, in Jonesboro last time out, while UTRGV is coming off of a 63-50 home win against Austin Peay.
 
The Mavs and Vaqueros have met 36 times, with UTA holding a slight 19-17 advantage. The last meeting came on Feb. 17, 2014, as the Mavs won comfortably, 89-70, in Edinburg.
 
UTRGV is led by first-year head coach Khalil Fennel, who joined the Vaqueros following the past two seasons as an assistant at BYU. Fennell helped lead BYU to 23 wins and the NCAA Tournament last season. In his first season with BYU, Fennell helped lead the program to 19 wins and a spot in the West Coast Conference Tournament Championship Game. Throughout his tenure, Fennell was the player development and defensive coordinators while working with the wing position group.
 
Prior to his tenure at BYU, Fennell spent four seasons at Louisville (2018-22), where he started as the Cardinals' Director of Basketball Operations before being promoted to assistant coach in 2021-22. Prior to joining the staff at Louisville, Fennell spent one season (2017-18) as an assistant at Portland State and started his collegiate coaching career at UT Permian Basin (UTPB) serving as an assistant coach in 2015-16 before being promoted to associate head coach in 2016-17. Fennell started his coaching career as a junior varsity coach and an assistant varsity coach at Alameda (Ca.) High School in 2014-15.
 
The Vaqueros are led by a pair of players who average double figures. Junior G Koree Cotton, a Jacksonville State transfer averages a team-high 12.3 ppg and 5.0 rpg, while graduate G Marvin McGhee III, a transfer from Cal State Bakersfield, is averaging 11.3 ppg and 5.4 rpg through the team's first eight games.
 
The Mavs and Vaqueros have met 36 times, with UTA holding a slight 19-17 advantage. The last meeting came on Feb. 17, 2014, as the Mavs won comfortably, 89-70, in Edinburg. UTA has won 11 of the past 12 meetings, and 17 of the past 20, dating back to 1989.
 
UTA is paced by a trio of double figure scorers in senior forward Raysean Seamster (16.3 ppg and 6.9 rpg), senior guard Marcell McCreary (12.0 ppg and 4.6 rpg) and sophomore guard Cash Chavis (10.2 ppg and 5.0 apg). UTA enters play ranking third in the country in defending the three (24.3%) and will look to limit the Vaqueros from beyond the arc. The Mavs have opened the season at 2-2 on the road, just one win shy of their 2024-25 road win output.
   
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