SAN ANTONIO – Coming off a massive comeback but overtime setback at the highest-rated opponent to date this season in Saint Mary’s, UTSA men’s basketball (3-4) will complete its toughest week of the non-conference schedule, traveling to Fayetteville, Arkansas to face RV Arkansas (6-2) on Saturday afternoon at historic Bud Walton Arena. With a tip time at 1 p.m., Saturday’s seventh program meeting between the Razorbacks and Roadrunners will air live on UTSA radio and will be streamed on SEC+.
On the Air and on the Web
Saturday’s Southeastern Conference matchup will be live on the radio in San Antonio with Andy Everett (play-by-play) on the call. 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 game will also appear live on SEC+ with Brian Brownfield (play-by-play) and Steve Kroner (color commentator) on the call.
Arkansas Athletics will also provide live stats.
About the UTSA Roadrunners
UTSA earned consecutive victories last week and nearly made it a third straight, despite an exceptionally slow offensive start against No. 24 NET Saint Mary’s in Moraga, California. One of the toughest teams on the calendar as a perennial NCAA team, the Gaels also packed a formidable defense and are one of the best rebounding teams in the nation. After falling behind 30-7 in the first half, UTSA rallied not once, but twice and tied the game in the closing seconds to force overtime. SMC created just enough space to win in overtime, but the Roadrunners scored 72 on the Gaels just five days after they held USC to 36 points, also matching SMC’s 46-board effort.
Ranking 33rd nationally in adjusted pace of play, the Roadrunners are ninth in the NCAA with an average of 19.0 fast break points per game – ranking second in the American Athletic Conference. Playing into that mode, the Roadrunners are also 10th in the nation at an AAC-leading 10.6 steals per game – forcing 16 turnovers per contest. When the Roadrunners earn opportunities at the free throw line, they’ve been outstanding, pacing the AAC and sitting at fourth in the NCAA at 82.1 percent shooting.
Leading the Roadrunners with 24 points in Moraga and the fifth-highest scoring player in DI, senior guard Primo Spears averages 23.7 ppg on 43.2 percent from the floor and 86.4 percent from the free throw line, on top of 3.9 apg. Sophomore point guard Marcus Millender has been steady alongside Spears, posting 21 points at SMC, averaging 12.3 ppg along with 3.4 assists. Making 3.33 triples per game, Damari Monsanto chips in 10.3 ppg toward UTSA’s 77.0 ppg team effort. Jonnivius Smith (9.7 rpg), Raewon Horton (6.7 rpg) and Jaquan Scott (5.8 rpg) lead the Roadrunners on the boards.
Series History with Arkansas
Obviously, the first meeting between these teams with Austin Claunch at UTSA’s helm, but he has also never faced the Razorbacks or John Calipari. UTSA is 0-6 since facing Arkansas in the program’s very first game in 1981 – a 71-42 loss at the Hemisfair Arena. In the last meeting, Dec. 15, 2018, UTSA fell 79-67, despite taking a second-half lead with Jhivvan Jackson scoring 20 and Keaton Wallace adding 19 during the neutral loss at North Little Rock’s Verizon Arena.
About the Arkansas Razorbacks
With the big offseason news of legendary head coach Calipari’s move to Fayetteville and a strong transfer class, the expectations are riding high for the Razorbacks – who are receiving votes in the AP Poll and are 49th in the NET rankings at 6-2. Outside of losses to TCU and Baylor, Arkansas has faced smaller-conference opposition otherwise and are a hot-shooting, fast-paced squad. Arkansas ranks 18th in fast break points (17.25), 21st in steals per game (10.0) and 26th in field goal percentage (49.8). Meanwhile, the Razorbacks limit opponents to 40.4 percent shooting and 64.8 ppg.
Kentucky transfer Adou Thiero leads the squad at the bucket and on the boards, racking up 17.6 ppg and 5.6 rpg, along with 2.5 spg. McDonald’s All-American freshman Boogie Fland has been delivering as a rookie, starting every game and scoring 16.1 ppg, while doling out 5.0 assists on average. Rounding out the top-scoring trio, Kentucky transfer Zvonimir Ivišić has 12.0 ppg, 4.0 rpg and a team-high 2.6 blocks per outing.
Up Next
The Roadrunners will be back at home on Friday, Dec. 13, for a 7 p.m. rescheduled matchup with North Dakota at the Convocation Center. Less than 48 hours later, the teams will play again in Grand Forks, N.D.
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