Each post usually takes several hours to compose, edit and, despite the errors that do make it, proofread. I'm not a fan of articles that say little and exist to be clicked on. While I could say X team did this, it was ____ and they do this next, I like to get a little more in depth. That however, takes time. The writing time is large, but manageable. The research is much larger.
I strive to get at least one post a week for the sports going at the time. Most times that morphs into late season sports getting the bulk of the attention. I want to get both basketballs into the mix, but in the last three weeks, the women's team was neglected.
That's a long-winded way of saying, I'm combining the two teams into this week's post. It fits as well as when the theme of this point in the season is similar.
When I last talked about the men's team, they had a road game against Grand Canyon and senior day on tap against Abilene Christian. Neither went well and a team that was playing for the third seed in the upcoming conference tournament is now on verge of the seventh seed.
I was disappointed in the GCU game because it is apparent that these teams do not like the other, yet the Mavs didn't play like it. After a close in Arlington, legitimately won by the Antelopes, I saw more of the same old shenanigans in Phoenix. I witnessed Senior guard Colin Moore taunt the Mav bench after a dunk. I viewed Senior guard Ray Harrison kick Graduate center Lance Ware in the head. I saw an Antelope, I think Junior forward Duke Brennan, tackle Ware on a rebound attempt, no calls whatsoever. One was even reviewed. I left that one just as disgusted by the conference and the officiating as I did last year.
As an aside, there's been news about schools leaving the Western Athletic Conference. While changing conferences is never easy and carries significant, long-term effects for the Athletic Department, I'm so ready to be done with this chapter in the WAC. After last year and watching this debacle, there's little fairness for competition. While the borderline unethical funding of GCU's Athletic Department has been challenging enough, the blatant non-calls and poor officiating just sealed it for me. The conference had a lot to $nag if G¢U won and they have the better NET ranking again, though this year is nowhere near as dominant.
I've heard complaints about the refs as Southland and Sun Belt Conference and casually dismissed them as fan talk, but the last two years have been something else entirely. I have gripes in other sports, but the marquee sport for the WAC feels stacked against most of the rest of the schools.
Back to the game, the thing that frustrated me was it looked like UTA was resigned to its fate and was a bullied kid, afraid to upset the bully. At some point, someone needs to give someone a hard foul. Moore goes on one of his cheap sprints for a dunk, someone needs to knock him on his butt. GCU fans love to call UTA poor sports or unsportsman, but that is the epitome of their team. The Mavericks aren't going to get the benefit from the stripes, might as well set a tone. UTA stares down their bench after a dunk, it will assuredly be a technical. The only way to change the tone is a hard foul. Those that have followed this blog for the last 12 years know I don't write those words lightly, as I've not written them before. But that is the state of the WAC. Doing what hasn't worked likely will continue to not work this year.
As it was UTA never had a second half lead and seemed content to just play. An 85-71 setback was fairly expected for this year's Mavericks.
The game that hurt was Saturday's home finale against Abilene Christian. After a road win in OT, UTA was searching for a season sweep, another tiebreaker in the congested third through seventh spots and ending the home season on a high.
Someone should have told the players what was at stake. Outside of senior guard Brandyn Talbot's opening bucket, UTA never lead. In shades of the Tarleton State game, ACU raced to a double-digit lead within the first eight minutes. The Mavs went to halftime trailing by nine and were able to tie it three times in the second half but could never take the lead. The discouraging part is when ACU's leading scorer for the game and season, Junior forward Bradyn Hubbard, fouled out with 4:19 left in the game, the score was tied. Ware went to the line on the foul with a chance to take a lead for the first time since that opening Talbot bucket. But as been alluded to, he did not, the Mavs never had a lead and Ware missed. He had another chance to convert an and-one a single possession later, and as has been another persistent theme, he missed...again.
Without their leading scorer, ACU built a multi-possession lead on UTA's home floor late and ACU the lead raised it to seven when UTA started the intentional fouls. The end result, 70-59, was devasting for UTA's seeding hopes. Free throws were clearly at play. Again. It's terrible to watch a talented team lose because they can't score when the clock is stopped. ACU was 19-21 from the charity stripe. The Mavs were 11 of 22. That is just plain bad. That is also the difference in the game.
As for the standings, UTA is now seventh. California Baptist, ACU and Tarleton are tied for third at 7-7. Seattle is in sixth at 6-8 and UTA is now 6-9. The WAC still uses that resume seeding system that has roundly been criticized for the tiebreakers after head-to-head. It is just a guess based on looking at the non-conference results, but ACU, CBU and SU likely have the tiebreaker on UTA. UTA should have it over Tarleton but would need them to lose twice this week and for the Mavs to get an unlikely road win in California.
While UTA has a chance to get as high as fourth, the scenario with the highest chance is seventh. If either ACU, CBU or Tarleton win one of two games, UTA cannot catch them. CBU and Tarleton play each other. The winner will finish ahead of UTA. Seattle has the two worst teams on the road and have a chance to drop both as road wins are tough to come by. Neither have a winning home record though. ACU has the top two teams in the conference in Abilene and is UTA's best opportunity to jump ahead, but I suspect the Wildcats will get at least one of those two.
The game against CBU takes place on Friday in Riverside, California. Tipoff is set for 7pm local time.
As for the ladies, I haven't covered them in a month. While that coincides with a losing streak, it wasn't the reason for the lack of Rambler coverage. When they last appeared, they were 9-1 in the WAC and on a six-game winning streak. However, as I mentioned in that last entry, they hadn't battled what I considered to be the top of the conference.
Since then, they've gone on a near identical streak of five games in the other direction. With losses to CBU (@ 90-79), GCU (@ 82-69), Tarleton (@ 67-57), GCU (72-59) and ACU (@ 81-74), UTA has gone from second to fourth.
While I won't break down each game individually, there has been a common theme in the losses:
-Against CBU, UTA went from a two-point first quarter lead to a seven-point halftime deficit.
-In the first GCU game, a four-point lead in the first quarter, a halftime tie and a third-quarter deficit of one-point turned into a 13-point loss.
-At Tarleton, a three-point first quarter lead turned into trailing by seven at halftime. UTA chipped away to only a four-point gap at the end of three then into a double-digits early in the final quarter.
-The second GCU game again had UTA leading at the end of the first. By halftime, GCU built a four-point advantage. A big 13-0 run in the third sealed the deal.
-After a 4-4 tie, UTA allowed a 17-6 run to ACU. UTA briefly tied it in the second, before the Wildcats grabbed a three near the end. After a brief lead and some ties, UTA allowed a 13-4 run. A 6-0 ACU run to start the fourth sealed the deal.
-After a 4-4 tie, UTA allowed a 17-6 run to ACU. UTA briefly tied it in the second, before the Wildcats grabbed a three near the end. After a brief lead and some ties, UTA allowed a 13-4 run. A 6-0 ACU run to start the fourth sealed the deal.
The general theme is UTA allows too many runs, but then chips away at them. In each loss, the Mavs opponent got a good run to separate, but the Mavs were unable to get one themselves of equal of greater.
The combo of graduate forwards Avery Brittingham and Koi Love combined with senior guard Taliyah Clark have contributed the bulk of the points, going double digits in four of the games each. Only senior guard Aspen Thornton's 29 against GCU saw someone else get double digits.
As far as seeding for the Conference Tournament, UTA is still in good shape, but not great. At 14-0, GCU will be the champs. CBU and Tarleton are ahead of UTA by half a game. Utah Valley and ACU are a half game behind the Mavs. Like the men, Tarleton and CBU will give one of them a loss. Unlike the men, CBU has to do it in Stephenville and then in Arlington. Tarleton and UVU battle on Saturday and that outcome could be favorable as well. GCU has ACU at home and most likely will be going for a perfect regular season.
UTA can get better than sixth if they don't get a win on Saturday. However, they will drastically help their chances with a win against CBU at College Park Center. Senior day's start time is set for 2 pm.
The usual names will have to do their normal thing, but the team itself will have to not give up runs. The defense gives up points while the offense goes cold in those stretches. If the losing streak stops, UTA will have found that answer.
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