FRISCO, Texas – The UTSA men's basketball team has earned the No. 4 seed in the 2019 Air Force Reserve C-USA Men's Basketball Championships, presented by Baylor Scott & White Sports Performance Center at The Star.
UTSA earned a first-round bye in the tournament and will play its first game as a quarterfinal matchup on Thursday at 6:30 p.m. on Court B at The Star in Frisco, Texas. UTSA will face the winner of the Wednesday game vs. fifth-seeded UAB and 12th seeded Middle Tennessee.
The game will air on STADIUM on Facebook and can also can be heard live on the Ticket 760 AM with the pregame show beginning at 6 p.m. with the Voice of the Roadrunners, Andy Everett, calling the action. The radio broadcast also can be heard live via the free iHeartRadio app and online at goUTSA.com/mbb_audio.
UTSA Roadrunners (17-14, 11-7 C-USA) vs. TBD
6:30 p.m. • Thursday, March 14, 2019
Ford Center at The Star • HattFrisco, Texas
Live video: STADIUM on Facebook
Radio: Ticket 760 AM | goUTSA.com/mbb_audio
Headlines and Storylines
• The Roadrunners own a 1-1 record vs. UAB in 2019, including a win on March 3 in the home finale at the Convocation Center, a 76-70 result. UAB posted an 83-73 win over UTSA on Jan. 19 in Birmingham, Ala. UTSA suffered an 89-86 loss at Middle Tennessee in the lone meeting between the two schools.
• A pair of dynamic sophomore scoring guards pace the UTSA offensive attack, in Keaton Wallace and Jhivvan Jackson. Jackson leads the league with 22.4 points per game – in just 30.7 minutes per contest – while Wallace leads the team with 34.7 minutes per game and owns 20.5 points per outing.
• After Jackson, the 2017-18 C-USA Freshman of the Year, suffered a season-ending injury late in his debut season and missed the first three games of the season, all UTSA losses, he returned on a minutes restriction for the next five outings before being inserted in the starting lineup over the last 23 games. During his last 23 outings, UTSA is 15-8 and Jackson is averaging 23.7 points in 33.3 minutes per game.
• UTSA's No. 4 seed marks its highest in its time in the C-USA and its longest since 2005 in the Southland Conference. UTSA is seeking its fifth NCAA Tournament berth and its first since 2010-11.
• For the last two games, the Roadrunners have been without senior forward Nick Allen, a 6-foot-9 native of Suprise, Ariz., who ranks third on the team in points per game (9.0). Allen suffered a broken toe in the matchup with ODU on Feb. 28 and played off the bench in the win over UAB on senior day. Allen owns the program record for games played in his career (128).
• The Roadrunners are under the direction of third-year head coach Steve Henson, the 2017-18 C-USA Coach of the Year.
Scouting Middle Tennessee
• Middle Tennessee has won two straight games entering the C-USA Tournament, both wins over UTEP.
• Antonio Green leads the team with 18.3 points per game, adding four rebounds an outing. Reggie Scurry averages 11.6 points and 6.1 rebounds per game. Donovan Sims averages 11.6 points and 4.3 rebounds per game and Karl Gamble averages 6.1 rebounds and 7.3 points per game.
Scouting UAB
• UAB is coming into the C-USA Tournament fresh off one of its biggest wins of the year, a 14-point home win over league champion Old Dominion on Saturday.
• Guard Zack Bryant leads the offensive for the Blazers, posting 14.3 points and 3.4 rebounds per game. Lewis Sullivan averages 11.9 points and a team-high 6.8 rebounds per game. Jalen Perry sports 10.7 points and 4.0 rebounds per game. Makhtar Gueye owns 8.3 points and 6.7 rebounds pre game.
Series histories
• UAB leads the all-time series with UTSA, 4-3.
• The Roadrunners bested UAB on March 3 in senior day at the Convocation Center, 76-70. In the meeting earlier in 2018-19, UAB used strong runs to post a 83-73 win in Birmingham on Jan. 19, 2019.
• Middle Tennessee leads the all-time series with UTSA, 6-1.
• The Blue Raiders have won five consecutive meetings in the series.
Conference tournament history
• UTSA is making its 12th straight and 30th overall conference tournament appearance in its 38th season. The Roadrunners are 26-25 all-time in league tournament games. UTSA has captured four conference tournament crowns in seven championship game appearances, claiming the 1988 Trans America Athletic Conference (now Atlantic Sun) title and winning the Southland Conference Tournament in 1999, 2004 and 2011. UTSA is 18-14 in neutral site conference tourney contests. The Roadrunners have made four NCAA Tournament appearances, including in 1988, 1999, 2004 and 2011. Last year UTSA went 1-1 in the event, earning a win over No. 12 seeded UTEP before falling vs. No. 4 seed Marshall.
• A No. 4 seed is UTSA's highest in its history in C-USA and its highest since earning a No. 4 seed in 2005.
Four student-athletes honored on senior day
• UTSA honored five players and four student-athletes during senior day in a win over UAB. The Roadrunners celebrated seniors Nick Allen and Toby Van Ry and juniors who will graduate in just three years, Giovanni De Nicolao and Mitar Stanojevic.
• UTSA also celebrated student manager Danny Soto.
Jackson, Wallace named all-conference USA
• Sophomores Jhivvan Jackson and Keaton Wallace have earned All-Conference USA honors, in a voting of league coaches & media.
• A native of Bayamon, Puerto Rico, Jackson was tabbed to the first-team while Wallace – a product of Dallas – earned second-team accolades. It marks the second straight year for an all-league honor for the duo, as Jackson earned second-team accolades in 2017-18, Freshman Team honors and was voted as the league's freshman of the year. Wallace was named to the Conference USA Freshman Team.
• The leading scorer in C-USA, Jackson ranks 15th in the NCAA in averaging 22.4 points per game. He has added 4.0 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.2 steals per game. In league play, Jackson paces the circuit with 23.3 points, adding 4.2 rebounds per game. He has connected from 3-point land 99 times to rank second in UTSA single-season history and is shooting 83.7 percent (103 of 123) from the free-throw line. He has scored 20 or more points in 22 games this season, ranking second in UTSA single-season history and just behind Derrick Gervin's 24 games of 20+ points.
• A product of Euless Trinity High School in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, Jackson topped 30 points three times in 2018-19, including a career-best 46 points in an overtime thriller at Western Kentucky, 30 points in an overtime winner at Marshall and a 32-point, 10-rebound double-double vs. Southeastern Oklahoma State. Jackson has totaled the third-highest career scoring average (20.4) in program history in just 57 games and 33 starts. He owns 1,162 career points, ranking ninth in school history.
• Wallace, who prepped at Richardson High School, ranks third in C-USA with 20.5 points per game, adding 5.1 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.4 steals per outing. He owns the school-record with 120 makes from 3-point land in 2018-19, while ranking third in the league in free-throw percentage (83.7), 10th in 3-point percentage (39.0), first in 3-pointers made (3.9), 14th in blocks per game (0.7) and seventh in minutes played per game (34.7). He has 16 games with 20 or more points, including a stretch of seven consecutive games that included a 45-point outburst in a win at Marshall. He owns a pair of double-doubles in 2018-19, including 11 points and 10 boards vs. North Texas and 24 points and 10 boards at Middle Tennessee.
• Wallace has added 22.1 points, 5.8 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.5 steals per game in league play. Over his 66-game career, Wallace averages 15.6 points per game and has totaled 1,032 points to become the 17th member of the UTSA 1,000-point club.
Jackson tabbed USBWA All-District
• UTSA sophomore guard Jhivvan Jackson has been tabbed All-District by the United States Basketball Writers Association in a voting of its national membership, it was announced on Tuesday afternoon.
•He was one of 10 players across the states of Texas, Arkansas and Louisiana to be voted to the all-district team. Jackson is the first UTSA player to earn the USBWA All-District accolade since LeRoy Hurd in 2003-04.
A win would ...
•Make UTSA 18-14 and 12-7 vs. Conference USA foes in 2018-19
• Push UTSA into the C-USA Semifinals for the third consecutive season
• Make Coach Steve Henson 3-2 all-time in league tournaments
Nation's fourth highest scoring duo
• UTSA boasts the nation's fourth-highest scoring duo and the top scoring pair among backcourts, sophomore guards Jhivvan Jackson and Keaton Wallace, who combine to score 42.9 points per game.
Top NCAA Scoring Duos (as of games played 3/10) * NCAA ranks from 3/10
1. South Dakota State (45 ppg)
Mike Daum (Sr., F) – 25.3 ppg (4th in NCAA)
David Jenkins (So., G) – 19.7 ppg (50th in NCAA)
Duke (45 ppg)
R.J. Barrett (Fr., G) - 23.4 ppg (11th in NCAA)
Zion Williamson (Fr., F) – 21.6 ppg (26th in NCAA)
3. CSUN (44 ppg)
Lamine Diane (Fr., F) - 24.8 (7th in NCAA)
Terrell Gomez (So., G) - 19.2 (64th in NCAA
4. UTSA (42.9 ppg)
Jhivvan Jackson (So., G) – 22.4 ppg (15th in NCAA)
Keaton Wallace (So., G) – 20.5 ppg (41st in NCAA)
5. Justin Wright-Foreman (26.5) and Eli Pemberton (15.5), Hofstra [42.1]
6. Chris Clemons (30.0) and Andrew Eudy (11.9), Campbell [41.9]
7. Grant Riler (22.3) and Jarrell Brantley (19.4), College of Charleston [41.7]
8. Jermaine Marrow (25.3) and Kalin Fisher (16.0), Hampton [41.3]
9. R.J. Cole (21.7) and Charles Williams (18.4), Howard [40.1]
10. Markus Howard (25.0) and Sam Hauser (14.8), Marquette [39.8]
Elite guard play
• UTSA's two dynamic sophomore guards, Jhivvan Jackson and Keaton Wallace have shouldered the scoring load in 2018-19. Wallace has been a fixture in the lineup, with team highs in minutes (34.7) and ranking second in points per game (20.5). Jackson returned from injury to come off the bench in five straight games before making the last 23 consecutive starts as his minutes restriction has been lifted.
• Since Jackson's return to the playing rotation on Nov. 19 vs. UC Irvine – the fourth game of the season – Wallace is averaging 21.3 points per game and 5.3 rebounds per outing, with the pair combining for 56 percent of UTSA's scoring punch over the last 27 games.
• In addition to the scoring duo of Jackson and Wallace, junior guard Giovanni De Nicolao is a veteran leading the offensive attack. De Nicolao ranks fourth in UTSA history in games started.
• The dynamic guard play is old hat for UTSA coach Steve Henson, who has mentored some of the top scoring guards in college basketball history, including former national player of the year Buddy Hield while at Oklahoma.
Jhivvan the microwave
• UTSA's scoring punch has been powered for a second consecutive year by dynamic guard Jhivvan Jackson. A six-foot scoring machine, Jackson - the 2017-18 Conference USA Freshman of the Year - suffered a season-ending injury late in the campaign a year ago. He missed the first three games this year and returned on a minutes-restriction for the following eight contests.
• A two-time C-USA Player of the Week in 2018-19, Jackson has been a force, leading the league with 22.4 points per game in 28 games with 23 starts.
• Jackson's 40-minute averages are staggering: 29.2 points, 5.2 rebounds and 3.1 assists. He is averaging 0.7 points per minute.
• Jackson is averaging 33.3 minutes, 23.7 points and 4.6 rebounds per game since returning to the starting lineup.
• He had a streak of eight straight games with at least 20 points, the second-longest streak in program history, just shy of Derrick Gervin's nine straight in 1984-85. His current streak stands at 20-or-more points in 19 of the last 23 games.
• Over the last five games, Jackson is averaging 20.8 points and 4.2 rebounds per game. Over his last 10 games, Jackson is averaging 24.2 points and 4.8 rebounds per outing, with 11 steals.
• In league play, Jackson averages 23.3 points and 4.2 rebounds per game.
• Jackson made his return from injury at the Gulf Coast Showcase on Nov. 19-21. The sophomore guard averaged 13.7 points in limited minutes (15.0 mpg) in the three neutral-site contests. Jackson drained nine 3-pointers and dished out five assists to help the Roadrunners to a 1-2 record, including scoring 21 on the strength of five treys to help UTSA to a 76-65 victory over Florida Gulf Coast on the final day of the tournament.
• In UTSA's win at Houston Baptist, Jackson went up to 21 minutes, collecting 21 points on a career-high 11 free throws. Days later in a rivalry matchup with Texas State, Jackson got off to a sluggish start but finished with a flourish, owning a team-high 22 points and connecting on five 3-pointers. In a non-conference win over Mid-America Christian, Jackson poured in 28 points.
• With UTSA off to a sluggish, post-Christmas-break start vs. SE Oklahoma State, Jackson put together career highs in points (32) and rebounds (10) in his first career double-double, earning C-USA Player of the Week accolades. He earned his second player of the week honors after splashing a game-winning vs. previously league-unbeaten UNT.
• Jackson notched a game-best 28 points in a 45 point win over Charlotte, including six 3-pointers.
• Jackson exploded in a 46-point outing on Jan. 31 at WKU, setting a career high, ranking third in UTSA single-game history and checking in second in C-USA history in points in a game. A day later, he went for 30 points in a win at Marshall. He returned to WKU to lead UTSA past the Toppers in overtime on March 6 in C-USA Bonus Play, going for a game-best 29 points.
• The second-team all-conference selection set the UTSA freshman scoring record with 534 points and led the team with 18.4 per game. He shot 43.1 percent from the field for the season and tallied three 30-point, 14 20-point and 25 double-figure scoring performances.
Wallace emerging as do-everything threat
• Sophomore guard Keaton Wallace has emerged as a steady all-around weapon for UTSA through the first 31 games this season. While his scoring punch was a known commodity through the first 66 games of his career, it has been his emergence as an above-the-rim contributor during a breakout sophomore season that has been a weapon on the UTSA roster.
• The 6-foot-3 Wallace ranks second on the team in rebounding in conference play with 5.8 rebounds per game, while averaging 22.1 points, connecting from 39.5 percent from 3-point land and hitting 66 of 77 free-throws vs. C-USA foes.
• Wallace made history by setting the UTSA single-season 3-point record, while averaging 25.5 points and seven rebounds per game to earn C-USA player of the week honors during a week that included wins over FIU and FAU.
• The week prior, Wallace was also named C-USA Co-Player of the Week, along with teammate Jhivvan Jackson, after pouring in 45 points in a winning effort at Marshall and 26 points in overtime at WKU.
• He splashed the biggest shot of his career to complete a 18-point comeback vs. first place ODU, hitting a three in the corner with 15 seconds left for a 74-73 win. He had 29 points in the win.
• Wallace was blistering hot in a win over Mid-America Christian on Dec. 8, with 35 points, nine treys, nine rebounds and three blocks. His nine treys marked the second-most in UTSA single-game history.
• In a matchup with rival Texas State on Dec. 1, Wallace logged a career-high 39 minutes, collecting 19 points.
• In a pair of wins over UTEP to open league play, Wallace posted a game-high 23 points on Jan. 3, with eight rebounds and a career-high four blocks, before going for 16 points and four boards in the win on Jan. 5.
• Wallace earned his first career double-double in a win over North Texas, collecting 11 points and 10 rebounds. He followed that with his second consecutive double-double, collecting 24 points and 10 boards at Middle Tennessee.
• He followed that performance with a 33-point game at UAB, including a career-high tying nine 3-pointers. He just missed a third straight double-double with nine rebounds.
• Wallace starred in UTSA's epic comeback win over ODU in a battle for first place at The Convo, collecting 29 points and five boards with the game-winning 3-pointer from the corner with 15 seconds remaining to complete an 18-point comeback with a 22-4 run over the final three minutes, the largest comeback in UTSA history.
• A 2017-18 Conference USA All-Freshman Team selection, Wallace averaged 11.4 points last year.
Allen more than muscle
• Nick Allen has emerged as a threat from virtually anywhere on the floor, as the Surprise, Ariz., native is averaging 9.0 points and 5.3 rebounds per game to go along with 39 assists through the first 29 contests. The 6-foot-8 forward is third on the team with 30 3-pointers. In league play, Allen is averaging 9.3 points and 5.3 rebounds.
• Allen is the UTSA record holder for career games played, passing the mark during UTSA's win over FIU.
• He turned in the best outing of his career in a win over Rice, totaling a career-best 20 points, including a career-high four threes, with five rebounds. In his career, Allen has 562 career rebounds in 128 games, ranking ninth in program history.
• He earned his first double-double of the year with 11 points and 10 rebounds vs. FIU.
• Allen opened the campaign with 15 points and eight rebounds against St. Edward's and he also has scored in double figures against Oklahoma (15), South Dakota State (12), Florida Gulf Coast (13), Bethany (12), SE Oklahoma State (12), UTEP (11) and on the road at UTEP (14), Rice (20), North Texas (16), ODU (13), FIU (11) and Marshall (13). He had a streak of five straight games - including the first four in C-USA play - with double figures.
Win streak snapped at seven
• UTSA had its win streak snapped at seven games after a loss at Middle Tennessee on Jan. 17.
• It equaled the longest winning streak for the Roadrunners in 30 years.
Buzzer beaters
• UTSA's run has been boosted by a pair of last-second wins, including a game-winning jumper from Jhivvan Jackson with 1.6 seconds to beat then league-unbeaten North Texas and a game-winning shot from Keaton Wallace in a 74-73 comeback win over then first-place Old Dominion with 15 seconds left.
• UTSA has also suffered a pair of last-second losses, falling in games after fouling its opponent with under a minute in regulation vs. Texas State and St. Edwards. UTSA owned a four-point lead with a minute left and had the ball but a turnover on the ensuing possession allowed WKU to get back in the game, forcing overtime with the Toppers outscoring UTSA 18-10 in extra time.
• UTSA avenged the overtime loss at WKU with an 81-76 win at the Toppers on March 6, getting 29 points from Jackson.
Holy comeback, Batman
• UTSA trailed by 18 points in the second half of its win over Old Dominion, including a 17-point hole with just over three minutes left in regulation.
• UTSA's 18-point comeback marked its largest in program history and eclipsed the previous mark of a 16-point comeback.
• The Roadrunners went on a 22-4 run over the final three minutes to earn the win, with Keaton Wallace hitting the go-ahead 3-pointer from the corner with 15 seconds left and UTSA escaping after three ODU attempts at the go-ahead bucket in the final tallies.
• Wallace finished with 29 points and tied his career high with nine 3-pointers, with Jhivvan Jackson owning 21 points and a career-best equaling five dimes.
• ESPN's win-probability matrix had ODU with a 99.9% chance to win the game in the final minutes before UTSA's improbable comeback.
• It marks the second-largest deficit overcome in the last five minutes in NCAA Division I history.
• The comeback is tied for the largest deficit overcome, in a game that didn't require overtime, in the last five minutes in NCAA Division I history.
Defending home court
• Under head coach Steve Henson, UTSA has posted a 34-11 record at the Convocation Center. The Roadrunners went 11-3 at home in 2016-17 and 12-4 in 2017-18.
• In 2018-19, UTSA is 11-4 at The Convo.
• Prior to the last two seasons, UTSA last posted consecutive 11-win home campaigns when the program went 11-3 in 2008-09, 2009-10 and 2010-11 as members of the Southland Conference.
• The 1991-92 team was the last Roadrunners squad to win more than 12 games at home, finishing 14-1.
Keaton Wallace earns consecutive player of the week honors
• After averaging 25.5 points and seven rebounds per game in a pair of wins, UTSA men's basketball sophomore Keaton Wallace was named Conference USA Player of the Week for the second consecutive week on Feb. 10
• Wallace, a native of Dallas and a product of Richardson High School, earned his second consecutive C-USA Player of the Week accolade after sharing the honor with fellow sophomore scoring dynamo Jhivvan Jackson. Wallace had a career high 45 points in a win at Marshall on Feb. 2, after Jackson splashed 46 points at WKU on Jan. 31.
• The 6-foot-3, 170-pound guard averaged 25.5 points, seven rebounds, three assists and two steals over two wins. He set the single-season UTSA record for 3-pointers made in a season over the week. In Thursday's rout of FIU, Wallace went for 27 points and was 11 of 13 from the field, including 5 of 6 from 3-point land. He added six rebounds and four assists in the win. On Saturday vs. FAU, Wallace went for 24 points in 36 minutes, grabbing eight rebounds.
What a week on the road
• UTSA's next-to-last road trip was a rugged, wild one that included a pair of overtime thrillers in front of electric crowds at WKU and Marshall. UTSA posted a win at Marshall, 116-106, after falling at WKU on Thursday, 96-88. Each game featured a UTSA lead late in the final two minutes before turnovers and fouls allowed WKU and Marshall to force overtime.
• The Roadrunners responded after the overtime loss at WKU - where the Toppers outscored UTSA 18-10, to rally past Marshall with a 24-14 lead in overtime, including a staggering 14 points from Keaton Wallace in overtime.
• The week featured a bevy of milestones, with Jhivvan Jackson pouring in a career-high 46 points vs. WKU, the third-most points in UTSA history and the second-highest scoring outburst in C-USA annals. He responded with 30 points and nine boards on Saturday at Marshall. Wallace went for 26 points at WKU but exploded for a career-best 45 points at Marshall on Saturday, marking the fourth-most points in UTSA history and the third-most in C-USA history.
• Overall, UTSA flew 2,048 miles and drove 399 during its two-game road swing in Kentucky and in West Virginia.
• The 116 points marked the most for UTSA in its history in C-USA and the most for the Roadrunners since putting 125 on Ottawa in 2017-18.
What they're saying about the dynamic duo
"Those two kids can shoot. They can play. What'd they have 45 and 30? And we had (Jhivvan Jackson) down to 10 points at halftime."
- Marshall head coach Dan D'Antoni
"That was one of the best individual performances that I've witnessed in a long time. Individually, that's the best I've seen. No matter what we did, how we guarded him - he made shots off the catch, he made shots off the bounce, he made shots off the dribble going left and right, had the ability to put it on the floor and get it to the rim. Those two guys had 72 points between them … That's about as good as I've seen in a long time. We survived just a great individual performance."
- WKU head coach Rick Stansbury on Jhivvan Jackson's 46-point game
"I've seen this young man twice this year against us on our home court take over games. I've never had guys do that ever consistently and that's twice in a row. We said he wouldn't get 45 tonight and he didn't. He got 29 and beat us."
- WKU head coach Rick Stansbury on Jhivvan Jackson's 29 point game at WKU on March 6
"If you can throw in a causal 46 (points), that's what he did, and it came within the framework of the offense."
- STADIUM on Facebook color analyst Tim Scarborough on Jackson's 46-point outing
Teammates share C-USA player of the week honors
• Sophomore UTSA guards Jhivvan Jackson and Keaton Wallace – who combined to score 147 points in two games – earned C-USA Player of the Week honors on Feb. 3.
• The dynamic UTSA scoring duo pieced together electric performances in a pair of road games against teams vying for first place in the league standings. Against WKU, Jackson posted a career high 46 points, the third-most in a single game in UTSA history and the second-highest scoring output in C-USA annals. In Saturday's win at Marshall, Wallace poured in a career-best 45 points, ranking fourth in UTSA annals in single-game scoring and third in C-USA history.
• A native of Dallas, Texas, Wallace also set new career highs in free-throws made (11), while going 15 of 24 from the field and 4 of 9 from behind the arc. He spurted out for 14 points in overtime in the win, helping the Roadrunners stay in a tie for first place. In the game at Marshall, Wallace went for 26 points.
• During that record-setting week, Jackson averaged 38 points and five rebounds, adding three steals while averaging 43 minutes played in the pair of overtime thrillers. After his 46-point outburst on Thursday, Jackson went for 30 points with nine rebounds in 42 minutes at Marshall on Saturday, playing through muscle cramps after logging 44 minutes two days prior. Jackson was 13 of 25 from 3-point land during the week and 26 of 54 from the field.
Putting a hurting on the 49ers, Panthers
• UTSA's 45-point win over Charlotte on Thursday marked its largest margin of victory in a conference game in 29 years, dating back to a 128-70 win over Georgia State in 1990.
• In holding Charlotte to just 43 points, it marked the fewest points for a conference opponent in 23 years, dating back to limiting Texas State to 42 points in 1996.
• UTSA then routed FIU in a 100-67 win on Feb. 7 at the Convocation Center, which marked its fourth 100+ point scoring outburst of the year.
Most 20+ point games in a season (since 2006-07)
• Despite missing the first three games of the season and playing the next six games on a minutes-restriction and suffering a season-ending injury in 2017-18, Jhivvan Jackson (22) is just short of equaling the program record for 20+ point games in a season, set by Derrick Gervin (24) in 1984-85.
League play breakdown
• The Roadrunners posted an 11-7 record in the regular-season in Conference USA, earning a tie for second in the standings. The league tiebreakers saw UTSA earn a No. 4 seed in the C-USA Championships, its highest seed since 2005.
• UTSA opened the 2018-19 Conference USA slate with four consecutive wins, equaling the best conference start in program history and has continued the ride into a strong conference season.
• UTSA earned consecutive wins over UTEP, before topping Rice in a 16-point win. A jumper with 1.6 seconds left from Jhivvan Jackson lifted UTSA past previous league-unbeaten North Texas to push UTSA to a 4-0 start.
• The Roadrunners had their roaring league opening snapped by a three-point loss at Middle Tennessee the following week, with UTSA taking a 14-point hole into half but a 55-point second stanza wasn't enough to complete the comeback.
• UTSA averaged 79.5 points, 37.9 rebounds, 14.2 assists, 11.3 turnovers, 6.1 steals and 2.9 blocks per game in league play. Jackson averages 23.3 points per game, with Keaton Wallace adding 22.1 points and 5.8 rebounds per game. Nick Allen averages 9.3 points and 5.3 rebounds, with Giovanni De Nicolao sporting 8.3 points and 4.9 rebounds. Byron Frohnen averages 5.5 points and 6.3 rebounds per game.
Team-first mindset in Atem Bior
• With UTSA missing dynamic scoring threat Jhivvan Jackson early in the year due to injury, the coaching staff turned to junior college transfer Atem Bior as the starting lineup replacement for the first eight games of the year. Bior has returned to the starting five over the last two games in relief of Nick Allen, who suffered a broken toe on Feb. 28 vs. ODU.
• A 6-foot-7, 220-pound native of Brisbane, Australia, Bior averages 5.7 points and 4.9 rebounds per game.
• Bior has played 19.3 minutes per game since Jackson returned to the lineup. With Jackson back in the fold as a starter, Bior is averaging 5.5 points and 4.7 rebounds per game.
• In his eight starts to open the year, Bior averaged 6.5 points, 5.6 rebounds and 24.5 minutes per game.
• Bior is averaging 11.1 points, 9.5 rebounds and 0.8 blocked shot per 40 minutes played.
• While playing 2017-18 at New Mexico Military Institute, Bior averaged 13.1 points and 8.7 rebounds and sported 7.2 points and 4.1 rebounds per game at New Mexico Highlands in 2016-17 after redshirting the 2015-16 season at NM Highlands.
The Maestro runs the point
• Junior point guard Giovanni De Nicolao is a veteran at the top of the UTSA offensive attack. The Italian has made 99 consecutive starts to open his career and has been a consistent, steady weapon for the Roadrunners.
• A renaissance man of sorts, De Nicolao is an accomplished piano player and can put on a show with the drum sticks.
• At UAB, De Nicolao grabbed a career high 14 rebounds, the most for a UTSA player in 2018-19.
• De Nicolao recorded his first career double-double in his 70th career game as the Italian scored 12 points and grabbed 10 rebounds against Oklahoma on Nov. 12. De Nicolao made four shots from the field, including two threes, and connected twice from the free-throw line. His 10 rebounds consisted of two offensive boards and eight on the defensive glass.
• De Nicolao posted a season-high 19 points, seven assists and five rebounds in a win over Rice, adding a career-best two blocks and a steal.
• In a win at UTEP, De Nicolao was a well-rounded force with eight rebounds, seven points and three assists.
• He turned in his second double-double of the year with 10 points, 10 assists and five rebounds vs. FAU, which marked the first points/assist double-double since the 2014-15 season.
• De Nicolao is averaging 7.8 points, 4.6 rebounds and a team-high 3.4 assists per game this season.
• De Nicolao is one of five players in school annals with at least 700 points, 300 rebounds, 300 assists & 140 steals.
99 straight starts
• Juniors Byron Frohnen and Giovanni De Nicolao are projected to make their 100th consecutive starts on Thursday. The first two signees of head coach Steve Henson in Spring 2016 have started all 99 games of their careers. Frohnen has started at both the small and power forward positions, while De Nicolao has been the stalwart at point guard.
• It is the third-longest streak in the nation, behind Lamar's Otis Livingston III (128) and Penn State's Lamar Stevens (100).
Trio among the most-experienced players in school history
• Senior Nick Allen is leaving a large mark on the program over the course of his career. He has played in 128 games and started 96 in his career, ranking sixth in starts and first in games played.
• Juniors Byron Frohnen and Giovanni De Nicolao also rank among the tops in program history in starts, checking in fourth.
Clutch buckets
• At the charity stripe when the game is on the line, over the last five minutes, Jhivvan Jackson is 36 of 39 and Keaton Wallace is 25 of 29. Jackson has 114 points (4.1 points per final five minutes) and Wallace 122 (3.9 points per final five) over the final five minutes in 2018-19.
• Junior Atem Bior has gone 11-of-13 at the charity stripe over the last five minutes during the year.
Topping the century mark
• Four times in 2018-19 UTSA has reached 100+ points in a game, all wins, with the Roadrunners owning a 43-7 all-time record when reaching the century mark.
• After a 100-67 win over FIU, UTSA has had the most 100-point games in a season since the 1990-91 season.
• With consecutive 100-point games at Marshall and vs. FIU, it marked the first time for UTSA topping the century mark in consecutive games since 1989-90 and just the third time in program history (1986-87).
• The Roadrunners earned a 116-106 win at Marshall on Feb. 2, which marked the most points scored in their C-USA history and its most since hanging 125 on Ottawa in 2017-18.
• UTSA also owns a 104-74 win over Mid-America Christian and a 101-77 win over Bethany College.
First off the bench
• UTSA freshman guard Adokiye Iyaye has become a major weapon off the bench for the Roadrunners.
• A 6-foot-3 guard out of Oklahoma City, Okla., Iyaye has joined Atem Bior as immediate impact newcomers in 2018-19. The duo have emerged as UTSA's go-to sixth men, with Iyaye averaging 18.5 minutes and 4.8 points per game.
• Iyaye turned in a huge game in an overtime win at WKU on March 6, splashing three 3-pointers.
Third season of the Steve Henson era
• The 2018-19 season marks the third of the Steven Henson era at UTSA. Henson, who came to the Alamo City from Lon Kruger's staff at Oklahoma, has guided the Roadrunners to a 51-48 overall mark to this point. Under Henson's tutelage, UTSA won a program-best 11 Conference USA contests last season and picked up UTSA's second consecutive Conference USA Tournament win. Moreover, Henson coached Jhivvan Jackson to C-USA Freshman of the Year and Deon Lyle to league Sixth Man of the Year.
Frohnen on the boards
• Junior forward Byron Frohnen leads UTSA and ranks seventh in Conference USA with 6.9 rebounds per game through the first 31 contests.
• The Las Vegas native has reached double figures on the boards in four games with 10 in the season opener against St. Edward's and 11 at Oklahoma State. In a rivalry tilt vs. Texas State, Frohnen grabbed 12 boards, adding 12 boards vs. Arkansas. Frohnen added a season-best 13 rebounds in a win over UTEP.
• Frohnen's 687 rebounds in 99 career games is fifth on the UTSA career list.
• Frohnen earned his first double-double of the year on Saturday at LA Tech, grabbing 12 rebounds and collecting 10 points.
768 straight with a trey
• UTSA has made at least one 3-point field goal in each of its last 768 consecutive games, which ranks as the 21st-longest streak in the nation entering the season. The last time the Roadrunners failed to connect from long range came on Jan. 5, 1994, in a 91-69 loss to Texas (0-for-6). To put the time frame in perspective: Bill Clinton had not yet completed his first full year as POTUS, Hero by Mariah Carey was on top of the Billboard Hot 100 chart, Mrs. Doubtfire was the No. 1 movie in the box office and the Dallas Cowboys were 15 days from winning Super Bowl XXVIII, 30-13, over the Buffalo Bills.
Bombs away the last two years
• UTSA is not shy to fire from 3-point land in 2018-19 after setting a team record for threes made in 2017-18. The Roadrunners rank 35th in the NCAA and fourth in C-USA in 3-pointers attempted.
• After making just 172 3-pointers all of 2016-17, the 2017-18 Roadrunners set the UTSA single-season team record with 353. The previous record was 272 by the 2011-12 squad.
• The Roadrunners' 10.1 triples per game led Conference USA and ranked 19th in the NCAA.
• UTSA's 353 makes last season ranked fifth on the Conference USA single season list. The conference record is 375 by the 2007-08 Houston Cougars.
• Deon Lyle (who elected to depart the program to pursue a professional career in the Junior Basketball Association after his junior season), Jhivvan Jackson and Keaton Wallace led the Roadrunners from deep with 96, 77 and 74 made triples, respectively. Junior point guard Giovanni De Nicolao made 36 and senior big man Nick Allen stepped out to hit 33 threes, which was 13 more than his first two seasons combined.
• Led by Wallace's school-record 120 3-pointers, UTSA has made a league-high 285 threes through the first 31 contests this season, an average of 9.2 per game. Jackson and Wallace rank as the top two players in C-USA in three-point attempts and makes in 2018-19.
Henson awarded contract extension
• The University of Texas System Board of Regents approved on May 1 a contract extension for UTSA head men's basketball coach Steve Henson that will run through the 2023-24 season.
• The contract extends Henson's original deal an additional three seasons and raises his base salary from $280,000 to $325,000 per year.
Who is moving up in the record book?
• Giovanni De Nicolao needs three steals to equal David President (2001-05) for ninth in UTSA career history.
• De Nicolao needs 18 points to equal Roderic Hall for 26th in program history.
• De Nicolao needs one rebound to equal Rick Doyle for 25th in program history.
• De Nicolao needs to start three more games to equal Leon Watson for third in school history.
• De Nicolao needs 30 assists to move into fifth in career history.
• Nick Allen, the owner of the UTSA career games played record, could play in his 129th career game on Saturday.
• Allen needs to start one game to tie Lloyd Williams (1996-00) for fifth in UTSA history.
• Allen needs 48 rebounds to become the eighth member of the 600-rebound club.
• Allen needs 65 points to move into a tie with Reggie Minnieweather (1998-02) for 21st in UTSA career history.
• Keaton Wallace owns the single-season 3-pointers made record.
• Wallace needs 32 points to equal Ike Thornton for 14th in program history.
• Wallace needs four 3-pointers to equal Keith Horne for the program record in career 3's.
• Wallace needs five rebounds to equal a three-way tie for 50th in career boards.
• Jhivvan Jackson needs one three-pointer to equal Devin Brown (1998-02) for fifth on the UTSA career list.
• Jackson needs 59 points to equal Leon Watson for eighth on the all-time scoring list.
• Jackson needs two 3-pointers to become the second player in program history to make at least 100 3-pointers, with Wallace the program record holder with 120 and counting.
• Byron Frohnen needs 64 rebounds to equal Devin Brown for fourth in program history.
• Frohnen needs to start two more games to equal Leon Watson for third in school history.
• Frohnen needs seven points to equal Darren Webber for 35th on the UTSA scoring list.
6-11, 4-star forward; 6-7 swing-man sign in November
• The UTSA men's basketball team inked 6-foot-11 forward Jacob Germany and 6-foot-7 forward Le'Jon Doss to the 2019 recruiting class on the first day of the NCAA's early signing period.
• Germany, from Oklahoma's Kingston High, is rated a four-star prospect by ESPN and a three-star target by Rivals and 247Sports. He averaged 16.3 points, 9.5 rebounds and 2.0 blocks per game as a junior last season, earning all-state recognition. The tallest player on the Roadrunners' 2018-19 roster is 6-foot-10.
• "Jacob is a skilled, fluid and agile big guy with tremendous potential to develop into a truly great player," UTSA coach Steve Henson said in a release. "He runs the floor well, can score around the basket and gives us a presence in the paint. He has played at a high level throughout his developmental career and we look forward to that continuing here at UTSA."
• Doss plays at Fort Worth Nolan Catholic, where last season he averaged 14.8 points, 8.9 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.9 blocks per game.
• "Le'Jon is a big, powerful guy that can play multiple positions and create matchup problems all over the floor," Henson said. "He has the ability to finish around the rim and is an active rebounder."
Pace of Play — KenPom
NCAA Adjusted Tempo Rankings (through 3/10)
C-USA
1. FIU (1st in NCAA)
2. Marshall (7th)
3. UTSA (22nd)
State of Texas
1. Texas Southern (5th in NCAA)
2. HBU (10th)
3. UTSA (22nd)
4. Prairie View A&M (42nd)
5. Rice (57th)
6. UTRGV (62nd)
7. SFA (113th)
8. TCU (115th)
9. Lamar (135th)
10. UTEP (153rd)
11. Texas A&M (165th)
12. Houston (233rd)
13. Texas Tech (237th)
14. Sam Houston (244th)
15. Texas-Arlington (255th)
16. Abilene Christian (275th)
17. Baylor (288th)
18. UNT (289th)
19. Texas A&M-CC (308th)
20. UIW (312th)
21. Texas State (316th)
22. SMU (318th)
23. Texas (321st)