SAN ANTONIO – Heading north this weekend to face North Texas (14-11, 7-6 AAC), the UTSA men’s basketball team (8-19, 2-12 AAC) will look to regroup after a heartbreaking missed upset opportunity against American Athletic Conference frontrunner South Florida – as the Bulls edged past the Roadrunners, 66-61. A familiar foe in the 34th incarnation of the series, Saturday’s 3 p.m. game will mark the first UTSA visit to The Super Pit as members of The American. Saturday’s game will be televised live on ESPNU, while UTSA’s radio broadcast will air on Sports Radio AM 760 The Ticket.
On the Air and on the Web
Set for a 3 p.m. tipoff at The Super Pit, Saturday’s game between the Roadrunners and Mean Green will be aired nationally on ESPNU and can be streamed on ESPN+ for subscribers. Derek Jones (play-by-play) and BJ Taylor (analyst) will provide the broadcast call from Denton.
Andy Everett (play-by-play) will broadcast the game live 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.
North Texas Athletics will also provide LIVE STATS.
Last Time Out
‣ Although UTSA fell short against the Bulls, the Roadrunners played well enough on defense to capture the win against the top team in The American on Wednesday, taking South Florida to the limit in a near-upset at the Convocation Center.
‣ In a tough defensive game, the Roadrunners clawed back from a 10-point first-half deficit, making a rally across the final seven minutes as Isaiah Wyatt sparked a rapid UTSA push by hitting back-to-back three-pointers. Christian Tucker and Chandler Cuthrell then combined to outscore the Bulls 9-2 across the final 2:18. Tucker’s driving floater at the buzzer capped off the half, leaving UTSA trailing USF by just two points at 32-30
‣ The Roadrunners and Bulls traded scores eight times with three ties in the second half.
‣ Jordan Ivy-Curry put the Roadrunners ahead 49-48 and Carlton Linguard Jr. got the foul, and one, giving UTSA a four-point lead deep in the second half.
‣ With UTSA leading 59-54, the Bulls locked down the Roadrunner shooters in the final four minutes, chipping off a pair of points on Kasean Pryor’s free throws, and back-to-back turnover scores by Selton Miguel and Jayden Reid put the Bulls back in command for the final time.
‣ A miss on a well-set three-point play with 24 seconds to go was the last opportunity for UTSA, as untimely fouls allowed South Florida to slip out of the Convocation Center with 66-61 win.
‣ Scoring more than 20 points seven times in 17 appearances, Ivy-Curry leads UTSA’s scorers at 16.5 ppg, registering 12 double-figure performances. He’s No. 2 on the Roadrunners’ assist chart this season at 3.29 apg and averages 5.2 rpg. The junior guard is sixth in conference scoring with 17.50 ppg against AAC opponents.
‣ Christian Tucker ranks third in the conference (42nd NCAA) with 5.1 assists per game. Now in his 15th consecutive week on top, Tucker has 139 assists to lead the AAC (36th NCAA) – he’s currently in sole possession of the No. 6 spot on the UTSA single-season assists list – just surpassing Devin Gibson (2009-10) and sitting one assist behind Todd Barnes (1987-88) and three behind another Gibson season (2007-08).
‣ Tucker continues his AAC leadership at the line for his sixth week topping the AAC in free throw percentage, now at 88.6 percent (109-123), coming in at 28th nationally.
‣ When shots are dropping, they are raining – UTSA is fourth in the high-power AAC with a 78.1 ppg team average, helped along by a league-leading 9.6 threes per game (17th NCAA) on 29.0 perimeter attempts per game (9th NCAA).
‣ After grabbing 48 boards against the Bulls, UTSA has registered over 40 rebounds in three consecutive games, extending its lead as The American’s top rebounding unit with a 40.33 rpg average, ranking 17th in the NCAA.
‣ UTSA has seen numerous tight contests – with 11 setbacks by single digits, including eight single-digit losses in league play and six outings decided by six points or less.
Series with North Texas
It’s been a lengthy one between the Roadrunners and the Mean Green, playing for the 34th time in the series dating to the first UTSA season in 1982. UTSA trails in the series, 12-21, and is 4-10 playing in Denton. These programs are now entering their third conference together in The American, previously sharing time in the Southland Conference and then Conference USA. The Roadrunners have dropped four straight in the series and the last meeting was Jan. 16, 2023 in Denton – a narrow 59-63 setback at The Super Pit.
Scouting North Texas
‣ Elevated after six seasons as the associate head coach, Ross Hodge has the Mean Green at 14-11 in his first season at the helm. North Texas is 7-6 in AAC play and alternated wins and losses over the last several weeks – most recently falling to UAB in Birmingham on Sunday, 62-71.
‣ Junior college import Jason Edwards leads the scoring at 19.0 ppg, putting the Mean Green on his back with 43.6 percent shooting from the field, while logging 66 threes as the biggest long-range threat. Edwards is also the most frequent, and efficient visitor to the line, going 102-for-125 for an 81.6 percent free throw average.
‣ Senior guard Rubin Jones puts in 11.7 ppg and leads the team with 53 assists.
‣ Junior wing Aaron Scott hits the glass for 6.2 rpg and scores 11.5 ppg, topping the team with 40 blocks on the year and 31 steals.
‣ Former Roadrunner John Buggs III played in 32 games last season for UTSA before transferring north in the summer. Known for the three-ball, Buggs averaged 11.0 ppg for UTSA. At North Texas, he’s averaging 7.7 ppg with 20 appearances this year.
‣ This is the toughest defense in the league, ranking fifth in the NCAA while holding opponents to just 61.1 points per game. Offensively, the Mean Green are last in the AAC with a 67.4 ppg average while shooting 43.1 percent. UNT averages 35.36 rpg and allows 11.7 turnovers per game.
Up Next
UTSA is back at The Convo next Thursday for a rematch with Tulsa on Greek Night at The Convo, Feb. 28., followed by a road swing to meet SMU on March 2.
- UTSA -