SAN ANTONIO – Facing the possibility of only playing two games in a 24-day period heading into the postseason, UTSA men's basketball has added a non-conference game for Thursday, hosting Southwest Adventist at 6 p.m. at the Convocation Center. The game will be broadcast live on CUSA TV and Ticket 760 AM, with the Voice of the Roadrunners, Andy Everett, calling the action.
UTSA (13-10, 9-7 Conference USA) closed its regularly scheduled regular season with a win over UAB on Saturday.
UTSA was next scheduled to play in the C-USA Championships in Frisco, Texas, as the No. 4 seed in the Western Division on March 10. That would mark a 24-day stretch for the red-hot Roadrunners – who have won eight of their last 10 games – with only two contests, the pair last weekend vs. UAB. The Roadrunners were able to add the game with Southwestern Adventist, a NCAA Division II program in Keene, Texas.
The Roadrunners have closed the season on a tear, winning eight of their last 10 games, including five of the last six. UTSA has posted an 11-2 record at home in 2020-21 and finished the C-USA regular season with a 9-7 mark – featuring wins in eight of the last 10 after opening the year 1-5.
The Roadrunners have secured the No. 4 seed in the Western Division and will play a team yet to be determined on Wednesday, March 10 in the C-USA Championships at The Star in Frisco. C-USA has used the additional week of flexibility, built into the schedule as part of its health and safety protocols, to make up postponed contests during the regular season. Nine league games are slated to be played over the week, with Louisiana Tech and Rice each hosting Our Lady of the Lake in non-conference play.
The Roadrunners will use the game as a final tune up and a last chance to celebrate senior guards Jhivvan Jackson and Keaton Wallace at The Convo. The duo has formed the top two scorers in team history and had a senior day celebration on Saturday in a rout over UAB, combining for 54 points. Jackson averages 20.5 points and 4.0 rebounds per game, while Wallace chips in 15.8 points and 5.4 rebounds per game.
Sophomore center Jacob Germany has averaged 10.3 points and 6.1 rebounds per game, shooting 48.7 percent from the field and 73.2 percent from the line. Juniors Cedrick Alley Jr. and Eric Parrish have had instant impacts on the roster in their debut seasons, with Parrish averaging 7.3 points and 4.2 rebounds per game, and Alley chipping in 6.6 points and 4.6 rebounds per game. Freshman guard Jordan Ivy-Curry has provided a scoring punch – and helped UTSA to a 6-2 record as a starter – averaging 6.9 points and 2.7 rebounds per game.
As a team, UTSA averages 77.7 points, 38 rebounds, 14 assists, 12 turnovers, 6.2 steals and 3.2 blocks per game. UTSA has shot 43.9 percent and 33.4 percent from range so far in 2020-21, holding opponents to a 43.2 percent clip and a 34.3 percent mark from 3-point distance.
Jhivvan Jackson ranks second in C-USA history and 70th in NCAA history in career scoring (2,505), while Keaton Wallace checks in 588th all-time in college basketball history and seventh in C-USA annals (2,007). The pair have combined to score 4,512 career points, ranking fourth among players from the same recruiting class in NCAA history. Only Duke's Johnny Dawkins and Mark Alaire (4,640), Lamar's Mike Oliver and B.B. Davis (4,602) and Oral Roberts' Caleb Green and Kenn Tutt (4,522) have combined to score more points among players from the same class.
Wallace is just points away from passing several notable names on the NCAA's all-time scoring list, including Oklahoma's Stacey King, Morehead State's Kenneth Faried, Duke's Jim Spanarkel and Maryland's John Lucas. Jackson is poised to take over spots on the all-time scoring list over Wofford's Fletcher Magee, Virginia's Bryant Stith, Utah's Keith Van Horn and Arizona's Sean Elliot. Jackson needs 51 points to move into the NCA's top 50.
This marks the first meeting between SW Adventist University and UTSA.
The Knights (2-7) have played eight games in 2020-21 and had eight cancelled. They last played in the league tournament, posting a first-round win over Dallas Christian before falling on Feb. 25 vs. Barclay.
- UTSA -
