SAN ANTONIO – Riding a two-game win streak, the UTSA men’s basketball team (10-19, 4-12 AAC) heads back to the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex to square up with the SMU Mustangs (19-9, 10-5 AAC) on Saturday afternoon at Moody Coliseum. The Roadrunners went back-to-back in the win column on the road at North Texas and at home against Tulsa. Saturday’s game will tip off at 2 p.m. and will be carried live on ESPN+ alongside the radio broadcast on Sports Radio AM 760 The Ticket.
On the Air and on the Web
Saturday’s matchup at Moody Coliseum will air live on the radio with Andy Everett (play-by-play) live in Dallas. The radio 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.
The live stream of the game will run on ESPN+ for subscribers. John Liddle (play-by-play) Brian Burton (color) and Breanna Sorenson (reporter) will be on the call.
SMU Athletics will also provide LIVE STATS from Moody Coliseum.
Last Time Out
‣ The Roadrunners earned their second consecutive victory while returning the favor for a lopsided road affair, running away with a 16-point home victory over Tulsa on the strength of 14 three-pointers against the visiting Golden Hurricane.
‣ The Roadrunners shot 42 percent (14-of-33) from long distance and 44 percent (28-of-63) overall while rocking the Golden Hurricane in the league rematch.
‣ Jordan Ivy-Curry led UTSA with 20 points, dropping in a trio of three-pointers and going 7-for-10 at the free-throw line.
‣ Christian Tucker was finding opportunities for his teammates everywhere, tying the 38-year-old UTSA single-game assists record at 14, while also tying the AAC standard posted by Kendric Davis of SMU in 2021.
‣ After a slow start by both teams, the Roadrunners put down their first 10 shots from three-point range to build up a 20-point advantage down the stretch in the first half.
‣ That lead ballooned to 27 points as Dre Fuller Jr. hit his third triple of the half with just under two minutes to go in the half. However, Tulsa hit an 8-0 run to close the gap to 53-34 at the break.
‣ The Golden Hurricane only got the deficit to 15 one time and then never came closer than 16 for the rest of the second half, as UTSA kept up the pressure on both ends to finish off the 89-73 victory at the Convocation Center.
‣ Six UTSA players scored in double-figures with Ivy-Curry at 20 and Chandler Cuthrell at a career-high 14, ahead of Fuller (12), Tucker (12), Trey Edmonds (11) and PJ Carter (10).
‣ Ivy-Curry logged his ninth 20-point performance in 19 tries, leading UTSA with a 16.9 ppg, recording 14 games with double-figure scoring. He’s also dishing the ball as UTSA’s No. 2 assist-giver at 3.21 apg and third on the boards with 5.3 rpg. The junior guard is sixth in conference scoring with 17.88 ppg against AAC opponents.
‣ Tucker made a well-deserved rise back to his rightful position as the conference’s assist leader – where he paced the AAC for 15 consecutive weeks. Tucker tops the AAC and is 31st in the NCAA with 155 assists, averaging a league-high (34th NCAA) 5.3 apg.
‣ A junior guard, Tucker has overcome No. 4 Devin Gibson (2007-08) in the UTSA single-season assists records and trails No. 3 Lloyd Williams (1999-2000) by three, then Gibson again at No. 2 by 28.
‣ Tucker continues his AAC leadership at the line in his seventh week topping the AAC in free throw percentage, now at 87.3 percent (117-134), coming in at 46th nationally.
‣ With 40 boards in the tank against Tulsa, the Roadrunners have put up at least 40 rebounds in four of the last five games, continuing their journey atop The American with a 40.14 rpg average, ranking 18th in the NCAA.
‣ Consecutive wins are showing the Roadrunners’ patience paying off after a more-than-meets the eye record that includes 11 setbacks by single digits, eight single-digit losses in league play and six outings decided by six points or less.
‣ The Roadrunners rank fourth among AAC scoring offenses at 78.0 ppg, knocking down a league-high 9.8 threes per outing, which ranks17th in the NCAA. Powered by Ivy-Curry’s efforts, UTSA ranks sixth in the nation with an AAC-high 32.34 bench points per game.
Series with SMU
Saturday will mark just the fifth time these programs have met and the first, and potentially only time as members of The American. The series is split even at 2-2 dating to 1990, with UTSA claiming the 80-75 victory in the last outing, played in Dallas Dec. 29, 2008. The series sits at 1-1 in Dallas heading into Saturday’s matchup.
Scouting SMU
‣ Coming off a late-season break of six days, the SMU Mustangs are 19-5 and 10-5 in AAC play, sitting in a tie for fourth under second-year coach Rob Lanier – already paying dividends form a notable transfer class after last year’s 10-win season.
‣ The Mustangs have dropped the last two to the league’s front-runners in South Florida and Florida Atlantic, on the heels of beating Memphis at home by 27 points.
‣ Following a very productive sophomore campaign, junior guard and Preseason All-AAC selection Zhuric Phelps returned to SMU after withdrawing from the NBA Draft, and leads the Mustangs with 14.6 ppg on 40.2 percent shooting, also chipping in 4.3 rpg, 2.75 apg and a team-high 1.93 spg.
‣ Senior Butler-transfer guard Chuck Harris is the leading perimeter shooter with 58 on the year, averaging 13.1 ppg on 42.5 percent shooting, while also topping SMU with 98 assists.
‣ Senior forward Samuell Williamson is holding down the boards with 7.3 rpg with 9.1 ppg, while senior Oklahoma State transfer forward Tyrek Smith leads the team with 49 blocks and grabs 5.6 rpg.
‣ The Mustangs are hot on offense and play sound defense, leading the AAC with a 10.5 ppg scoring margin, while ranking fifth on offense at 77.1 ppg and third on defense at 66.7 ppg. SMU is the top team at stopping the three, holding opponents to 30.1 percent long-range shooting. They’re also the top offensive rebounding team in the AAC (14.36 o-rpg), while sitting only second to UTSA in total rebounds at 39.96 rpg.
Up Next
The Roadrunners catch a breather ahead of Senior Day on March 10, taking seven days out of action before hosting Temple in the final regular season game. The AAC Championships are at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth and the opening round kicks off March 13.
- UTSA -