SAN ANTONIO – Winners of four of the last five games, UTSA men's basketball will travel to face Grand Canyon on Thursday, with tipoff at the GCU Arena slated for 8 p.m. CT in a broadcast live on ESPN+ and Ticket 760 AM.
UTSA (5-3) has opened the year with wins in five of eight games, equaling the best start since the 2017-18 team went 5-3. It marks just the second time UTSA has won five of its first eight games in the last 10 years.
The Roadrunners are coming off wins over Lamar last Wednesday and a win over St. Mary's [Texas] on Monday night at the Convocation Center. UTSA has ridden strong performances from junior guard Dhieu Deing in each of the wins, with Deing going for 26 points in the Lamar win and a career-high 27 points and 11 rebounds in the win over St. Mary's.
UTSA is in the midst of a season that must see the Roadrunners replace the top two scorers in program history, guards Jhivvan Jackson and Keaton Wallace, and UTSA has begun to build a solid playing rotation of 10-11 weapons in the first year removed from the dynamic duo.
The Roadrunners have been led in scoring by Deing, who averages 17.4 points and 6.4 rebounds per game. Sophomore guard Jordan Ivy-Curry, a selection to the 2020-21 C-USA All-Freshman Team, averages 14.6 points and 2.6 rebounds per game, with a team-leading 21 assists. Junior center Jacob Germany averages 12.9 points and 4.3 rebounds per game.
Senior forward Cedrick Alley Jr. averages 6.9 points and a team-high 7.6 rebounds per game.
The Roadrunners have shot 38.6 percent as a team in 2021-22, holding foes to a 44.8 percent clip. UTSA averages 38.9 rebounds, 12.1 assists, 6.6 steals and 3.0 blocks per game as a team.
Grand Canyon (6-1) is under the direction of second-year head coach Bryce Drew, who took over the Lopes after three years at Vanderbilt, following a historic run at his alma matter, Valparaiso. GCU went 17-7 last year in the stout Western Athletic Conference, winning the league and advancing to the NCAA Tournament. The Lopes are known for a rowdy atmosphere in Phoenix and have averaged 6,941 fans per game through five home dates on the year.
The Lopes have won six of seven games in 2021-22, with the lone loss coming to Wyoming on Nov. 22. GCU owns wins over Grambling, North Florida, Prairie View A&M, LIFE Pacific, Pepperdine and most recently, Loyola Marymount on Monday.
Jovan Blacksher Jr. leads three Lopes players averaging double-figure points, sporting 15.6 points and 2.9 rebounds per game. A year ago, Blacksher averaged 12 points and 3.7 rebounds per game as the third-leading scorer. Holland Woods averages 13.8 points, while Gabe McGlothan sports 10.4 points and 7.1 rebounds per game.
GCU averages 72.9 points per game holding foes to 58.7 points per outing. The Lopes have shot 43.5 percent as a team and held opponents to 40.6 percent. GCU averages 42.4 rebounds, 13.6 assists, 8.3 steals and 1.6 blocks per game.
This is the first meeting between the two teams in series history.
The game marks a homecoming to Phoenix for UTSA freshman guards Lamin Sabally, a product of Bella Vista Prep, and Christian Tucker, who prepped at Gilbert Perry High School in Chandler, Ariz. Sabally was a three-star prospect according to 247Sports, who ranked him as the 12th-best prospect in Arizona. Sabally has started two straight games for the Roadrunners after coming off the bench in three outings.
Tucker has emerged as UTSA's leading back-up point guard after missing the first two games of the year. He is coming off a career-high 18 minutes played on Monday and went for a career-high nine points in a win over Lamar. Tucker led Gilbert Perry to the regional championship and was named all-region and honorable mention all-state after averaging 16 points, five assists and five rebounds per game a year ago.
Following the matchup at GCU, UTSA returns to Texas to face Sam Houston on Dec. 11 in Houston, before traveling to face Illinois State in Normal, Ill., on Dec. 21 and hosting Our Lady of the Lake in a non-conference finale on Dec. 22.
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