NIT Preview: Texas-Arlington Mavericks
By Mark Knight
University of Texas-Arlington (Public– Research Institution)
Mascot: Mavericks
Location: Arlington, Texas
Enrollment: 33,800
Current Record: 24-8 (15-1 in Southland Conference)
RPI: 114 SOS: 298
Coach: Scott Cross (6th season)
First Thought: This may be the only time you ever see this matchup. The Mavericks are one of the lower tier teams in the Southland conference over the last few years but this year put together the best year in their history. They won an impressive 24 games and went 15-1 in their conference.
If UW is to win this game, this will be the highest RPI win out of conference. It won’t be a walk in the park but it is a game the Huskies should win.
Best Win: 91-82 win over Lamar (RPI 108)
Worst Loss: 69-71 vs Samford (RPI 270)
Last Game: 72-92 loss to McNeese State (RPI 182) in 2nd round of the Southland Tournament
Synopsis: Texas-Arlington has had a very impressive season and they have even gone up against some quality opponents. They played Baylor and lost by 10, Texas and lost by 18, but have beaten teams like Kent State and Lamar.
They put together their best season in school history and had one of the longest winning streaks in the country at 16. This team knows how to win.
The Huskies and the Mavericks have one similar opponent from this season; Houston Baptist. Washington beat up on them 88-65 and UT-Arlington beat them 79-74. While UW played them earlier in the season and UT-Arlington played them later in the season.
My analysis: The Mavericks have had a very consistent starting five throughout the majority of the year. And 11 of their 12 eligible players have played in every game and 9 players average double-digit minutes. Coach Cross likes to rotate his team.
The players to watch are:
Lamarcus Reed III– is the best scorer on the team as he averages around 17.7 points a game. He is the go to guy for the Mavericks and also averages around 30 minutes per game. He plays the small forward or the wing spot and will most likely see a heavy matchup against Terrence Ross. Reed is also one of their major three point threats. He is shooting almost 40% from behind the arch and has attempted 159 three point shots on the season.
Jordan Reves– Is their most active big man. He measures in at 6’10 and is their best available player in the post. The Mavericks have a 7-footer on the team in Stuart Lagerson but they don’t get much production out of him. Reves is the guy to go to in the paint. He averages 9.1 points, 7.8 rebounds, 1.75 blocks a game.
Bo Ingram– Is the other major three point threat. He shoots 37% from behind the arch and has attempted the most on his team from deep, 186. He also averages 12.6 points and 4.2 rebounds a game.
Kevin Butler– is the other option for a matchup with Terrence Ross. He averages about 10.8 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 1.4 assists a game. He averages the second most minutes per game behind Reed. Butler is a big part of the Mavericks offense and defense.
Shaquille White-Miller– the point guard on the team is more of a pass first and defensive minded point guard. He only averages 4.7 points a game but has a team high of 3.6 assists a game. He will have his hands full guarding Tony Wroten.
My Prediction: UW 86 UTA 72
The Huskies are just too much to handle for the Mavericks. While they had a record setting season and almost made the NCAA tournament this UTA team is just not going to be able to handle the Huskies on the UW home court.