SAN ANTONIO – Looking to battle back from three consecutive losses and close out the calendar year with a victory in the final non-conference game, UTSA men’s basketball (5-7) hosts Prairie View A&M (5-6) on Thursday, Dec. 28 at the Convocation Center. UTSA Athletics is hosting a “Blue Out” in the contest with the Panthers, tipping off at 7 p.m. on Thursday, with the radio broadcast airing on Sports Radio AM 760 The Ticket and the telecast streamed on ESPN+.
On the Air and the Web
Thursday’s game will tip off at 7 p.m. at the UTSA Convocation Center and will air live on the Radio with Andy Everett (play-by-play) on the call alongside Tim Carter (analyst). The broadcast will appear on Sports Radio AM 760 The Ticket and, as always, will feature a 30-minute pregame and 15-minute postgame show – available online at Ticket760.com or via the free iHeartRadio app.
To watch the game live, subscribers can check out ESPN+. Lincoln Rose (play-by-play) and UTSA/San Antonio Sports Hall-of-Famer Devin Brown (analyst) will cover the broadcast call.
UTSA Athletics will also provide LIVE STATS from the Convo.
Men's Basketball Tickets:
Single-Game Tickets
UTSA Men’s Basketball Home Schedule
Direct Link: https://bit.ly/UTSATix
Single Game Adult $13
Single Game Military/Youth (ages 3-18)/Senior (ages 65+): $11
Students: Free Admission with UTSA ID, download tickets at goUTSA.com/studentlogin.
WEAR BLUE
For the second game in the three-game men’s basketball homestand, UTSA will be holding a Blue Out, so we encourage fans to make sure and wear all the UTSA blue they have!
Coaches Show Coming Up Fast
The maiden date for this year’s UTSA Basketball Coaches show is coming up on Jan. 8 at Chicken N Pickle, on the east side of I-10 off UTSA Blvd (5215 UTSA Boulevard, 78249) features men’s basketball head coach Steve Henson and women’s basketball head coach Karen Aston.
Last Time Out
‣ Coming off a heartbreaking one-point, last-second loss at Oregon State, the Roadrunners had a tough offensive night against Army West Point in the last game on Dec. 21 at the Convo.
‣ Gaining an upper hand in the first half, UTSA scored on three straight possessions into the under-12 timeout via back-to-back threes from Adante' Holiman and Isaiah Wyatt, building up a six-point lead. However, an 8-0 Army run down the stretch halted the Roadrunners, sending the game to half with Army West Point on top 35-30.
‣ The Roadrunners could never find their offensive footing for very long in the second half and the Black Knights built up a game-high 15-point advantage.
‣ Although UTSA turned around the defensive effort down the stretch, holding Army without a field goal for six minutes late, the Roadrunners also delivered just one field goal in 14 tries during a key stretch heading to the final four minutes.
‣ Wyatt snapped that slump with a three at 3:36, followed by five consecutive points from Christian Tucker to slice the deficit to only six with 47 seconds remaining. However, Army recovered and held off the rally to a 63-53 final.
‣ Trey Edmonds finished with a double-double of 10 points and 10 rebounds to lead UTSA, while Tucker had 10 points, six rebounds and Wyatt had 10 points with four boards.
‣ Ever since he opened the season with eight dimes against Western Illinois, Tucker has sat atop the American Athletic Conference assist rankings. Now he heads into his eighth straight week leading the AAC in total assists (66) and assists per game (5.5), ranking nationally at 34th and 32nd, respectively. With a 2.64 ratio, Tucker also lists at 65th in the NCAA and fifth in the AAC in assist-to-turnover ratio.
‣ Tucker leads all Roadrunners in scoring at 13.1 ppg, ahead of Wyatt (10.5) and Dre Fuller Jr. (10.2). Wyatt tops UTSA and ranks fourth in the AAC with 28 three-pointers on the year, averaging a league fourth-best 2.33 per game.
‣ Edmonds has taken over as UTSA’s top rebounder for the first time this season, averaging 6.7 rpg, including an AAC fourth-best 2.67 per game on the offensive glass. Fuller is just behind at 6.3 rpg and Carlton Linguard Jr. grabs 6.2 rpg.
‣ The Roadrunners are averaging 76.7 ppg as a team on 40.7 percent shooting and rank 34th nationally (second AAC) with 41.00 rpg. The team averages 11.5 turnovers and a 1.5 assist-to-turnover ratio.
Series with Prairie View A&M
Thursday will mark the ninth meeting between these programs and the third meeting in the past five years – fifth straight played in San Antonio in the series. In the last outing, Nov. 22, 2022, the Roadrunners won 82-75 as UTSA’s three primary guards dropped in 59 points. UTSA was outrebounded, but shot 52.2 percent from the field and 45.8 from three. The series dates back to the 1983-84 season and UTSA holds a 6-2 advantage. UTSA won last year, but PVAMU got the upper hand in 2019 with a 79-72 win.
Scouting Prairie View A&M
‣ Playing under ninth-year head coach Byron Smith, the Prairie View A&M Panthers are off to a 5-6 start and coming off an 82-56 loss to fellow AAC squad Rice on Dec. 20 in Houston.
‣ PVAMU averages 71.2 ppg on 39.5 percent shooting but are light on the glass with only 34.1 rpg. Prairie View averages 5.3 made threes per game. The Panthers average 13.4 turnovers with a 0.7 assist-to-turnover ratio.
‣ One of Prairie View’s biggest long-range threats, grad-transfer guard Charles Smith IV has faced the Roadrunners before while at Old Dominion and averages 13.2 ppg on 38.5 percent shooting with 13 threes to date. He chips in 4.0 rpg.
‣ Another grad guard, Javontae Hopkins came from Tarleton and averages 11.9 ppg and 4.3 rpg
‣ Junior forward Brian Myles collects a team-high 7.0 rpg to go with 8.5 ppg and a team-high 10 blocks. Meanwhile, freshman point guard Orlando Horton, Jr. leads the team with 20 assists.
Up Next
Into 2024 for the Roadrunners, who make their inaugural American Athletic Conference debut at home on Jan. 2 in a nationally televised (ESPNU) game against familiar foe UAB in the AAC opener, closing out the three-game homestand. The next two dates see UTSA hitting the road to face Rice (Jan. 6) and nationally-ranked Memphis. UTSA’s next appearance at the Convo is an ESPN2 contest versus Charlotte on Jan. 13.
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