SAN ANTONIO – UTSA men's basketball travels to the eastern time zone for a pair of Conference USA tilts against Old Dominion and Charlotte on Thursday and Saturday, respectively. Old Dominion currently sits tied for second in the C-USA standing, while Charlotte is 14th.
Old Dominion game overview
• UTSA continues Conference USA play Thursday evening with a road game at Old Dominion. The game will tip at 7 p.m. CT from the Constant Center in Norfolk. The contest will air on the Roadrunners Sports Network (Ticket 760) with Andy Everett providing play-by-play. The game will also be carried live nationally on beIN SPORTS with Mike Gleason (play-by-play) and Jason Capel (analyst) calling the action.
Series history vs. Old Dominion
• UTSA and Old Dominion have met five times on the basketball court since the Roadrunners joined Conference USA with the Roadrunners holding a 3-2 advantage. The first game of the series was played in 2012 with UTSA winning 79-70 in Norfolk. UTSA is 2-0 against the Monarchs at home, including a 73-55 win on March 4 last season. ODU is 2-1 against the Roadrunners on their home floor.
Charlotte game overview
• UTSA continues Conference USA play Saturday evening with a road game at Charlotte. The game will tip at 6 p.m. CT from the Halton Arena in Charlotte. The contest will air on the Roadrunners Sports Network (92.5/93.3 The Bull) with Andy Everett providing play-by-play. The game will also be televised live in the Charlotte area on WCCB and streamed globally on CUSA.tv. Bobby Rosinski will provide play-by-play, Jay Sonnhalter will serve as the analyst and Erin Summers will cover the sideline reporting duties.
Series history vs. Charlotte
• UTSA and Charlotte have played four times on the hardwood since becoming members of Conference USA. Charlotte leads the series 3-1, claiming the last three meetings. The four contests have been decided by a total of 24 points, including a one-point 49ers victory last March in the Roadrunners' Convocation Center.
Four in a row
• UTSA has won each of its last four games -- with three ranked in the top half of the C-USA standings. The Roadrunners started its streak with a dominate 82-70 road triumph at UAB on Jan. 27, then defeated Marshall (Feb. 1) and WKU (Feb. 3) at home. The victory over WKU marked only the second loss in league play by the Hilltoppers this season and the first UTSA win over an RPI top-50 team in the Steve Henson era. UTSA kept the streak going with a gritty 63-59 win at UTEP -- the program's first victory at the Don Haskins Center since Nov. 2011 -- on Feb. 10.
• The four-game win streak is the longest by the Roadrunners this season and the program's longest since posting a five-game streak in Jan. 2012 -- the Roadrunners' final season in the Southland Conference. UTSA's longest win streak in the last decade was seven from mid-December to mid-January during the 2008-09 campaign.
Stepping up the defense and rebounding
• UTSA four-game win streak has not been fueled by prolific offense, but rather on the defensive end and the glass. During the streak, UTSA's opponents are shooting a 41.6 percent from the field, but just only 24.4 percent from beyond the arc. Moreover, the Roadrunners have posted a +10.8 rebounding margin, including a +19 margin against Marshall and +13 at UTEP.
Stretch run
• UTSA is in the stretch run of the Conference USA season, playing five of its final seven away from the friendly confines of the Convocation Center.
• The Roadrunners started the stretch with a win at UTEP (Feb. 10). UTSA now travels to Old Dominion (Feb. 15) and Charlotte (Feb. 17) before closing its home schedule against Southern Miss (Feb. 22) and LA Tech (Feb. 24). UTSA finishes the season with road games at North Texas (March 1) and Rice (March 3).
Seeking conference win number eight
• UTSA stands at 7-5 in Conference USA play with six games remaining. The Roadrunners' eight league win will match the program standard since joining Conference USA prior to the 2013-14 season.
• UTSA last posted a conference record better than .500 in 2011-12 -- its final season in the Southland Conference.
Knocking on the door
• UTSA, which was selected ninth in the Conference USA preseason poll, is tied for fifth in the league standings and are one game out of fourth. The top four teams earn a first-round bye in the 2018 Conference USA Championship. UTSA is knotted for the fifth spot with North Texas -- the Mean Green defeated the Roadrunners 72-71 on Dec. 30 in San Antonio, but the squads will face off one more time in Denton on March 1.
Up Next
• UTSA plays its final two homes games of the regular season, starting Thurs., Feb. 24 against Southern Miss. UTSA then closes its home slate with its senior day celebration prior to the LA Tech contest on Sat., Jan. 26.
Tweet #RunWithUs