- UTSA hosts WKU on Saturday at 2 p.m. on CBS Sports Network on Facebook.
- Roadrunners split two meetings at Western Kentucky last year.
- Jhivvan Jackson ranks second in NCAA in points per game (26.9).
- UTSA looks to improve to 10-3 at the Convocation Center.
SAN ANTONIO – The UTSA men's basketball team will wrap up its two-game homestand with a matchup against the preseason favorites to win Conference USA, Western Kentucky, with tipoff on Saturday slated for 2 p.m. at the Convocation Center.
The game will be broadcast live on CBS Sports Network on Facebook, with Chris Hassel (play-by-play) and Avery Johnson (analyst) calling the action. Fans can also hear the game live on Roadrunner Sports Network, with the Voice of UTSA, Andy Everett, calling the action along with former UTSA head man Tim Carter. The game will be live on Ticket 760-AM and goUTSA.com.
UTSA (12-14, 6-7 Conference USA) posted a 72-63 win over Marshall on Thursday night to clinch a spot in the second pod of C-USA's Bonus Play, which determines the four remaining games of the regular season following UTSA's matchup vs. WKU.
The Roadrunners used a powerful rebounding effort – a school-record 67 boards, including 27 offensive rebounds – to earn the win over Marshall, as both teams shot 33.3 percent or worse from the field. UTSA got the fourth double-double of the year from junior guard Jhivvan Jackson, who had 25 points and 10 rebounds.
UTSA has been led in 2019-20 by the nation's No. 2 scorer, junior guard Jhivvan Jackson, who averages 26.9 points and 6.1 rebounds per game. Jackson, a native of Bayamon, Puerto Rico, ranks second in the nation among players six-feet and under in rebounding, just behind Caniusis College's Malik Johnson.
Junior guard Keaton Wallace averages 18.7 points and 4.5 rebounds per game and combined with Jackson the pair rank second in college basketball in scoring duos, combining to average 45.6 points per game.
Junior forward Luka Barisic averages 7.1 points and 3.0 rebounds per game, while freshman center Jacob Germany has added 4.9 points and 4.2 rebounds per game. Senior forward Atem Bior averages 4.5 points and 4.4 rebounds per game, with freshman guard Erik Czumbel adding 4.2 points and 1.9 rebounds per outing.
Senior forward Byron Frohnen, who owns program records for career starts and rebounds, averages 3.7 points and a team-leading 7.0 rebounds per game.
Western Kentucky (17-8, 10-3 C-USA) sits a full game back of first-place North Texas entering its matchup with the Roadrunners. The Hilltoppers are coming off a 67-62 win at UTEP on Thursday, getting four players in double figures, led by Taevion Hollingsworth.
The Hilltoppers have won three consecutive games entering Saturday and have won eight of their last 10 games. WKU averages 75.7 points, 34 rebounds, 11.2 assists, 12.7 turnovers, 6.5 steals and 4.1 blocks per game. WKU is shooting 46 percent as a team, including a 33.7 percent clip from 3-point range, with foes shooting 43.7 percent and 29.9 percent from range.
WKU's is led by Hollingsworth, who averages 14.9 points and 4.1 rebounds per game. Carson Williams has made all 25 starts, averaging 13.6 points and 6.3 rebounds, with Jared Savage averaging 11.6 points and a team-leading 6.8 rebounds per game. Camron Justice averages 10.3 points and 2.6 rebounds per game.
WKU leads the all-time series with UTSA, 4-3 but the Roadrunners have won three of their last four games. In games played at the Convocation Center, the series is even at 1-1.
In the last meeting, the teams split a pair of overtime thrillers in Bowling Green, Ky., last season. The teams met as part of the top pod in bonus play on March 6, with UTSA posting an 81-76 win behind a 29-point outing from Jhivvan Jackson, 17 points from Giovanni De Nicolao and 13 from Keaton Wallace. Charles Bassey led WKU with 21 points and 11 rebounds, one of four Hilltoppers in double figures, including a 17-point outing from Lamonte Bearden. UTSA shot 47.4 percent in the game with WKU shooting 42.4 percent. The Roadrunners were 13 of 27 from 3-point range and held a 37-29 margin in rebounds. The teams were locked at 36 at halftime and 68 after regulation, with the Roadrunners outscoring WKU 13-8 in overtime.
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