Since I've rotated between weekly UT Arlington men's and women's basketball teams, non-conference games come at a sporadic pace, I haven't really covered the Lady Mavericks this month. As we exit the Christmas break, the non-conference portion of both teams schedule has concluded and there's no better time to check in with the UTA women's team.
UTA had just successfully competed in the North Shore Classic, going 2-1 against two P4 teams and an A-10 squad. In that time, they have compiled a respectable 2-2 record, defeating Little Rock in Arkansas, 62-55, losing in Houston to Rice, 75-54, defeating Texas Southern at College Park Center, 81-73 and closed out non-conference in Baton Rouge to the fifth-ranked Louisiana State Tigers, 110-45.
In the wins, UTA beat who they should have with the Trojans 30-40 spots below UTA in the NET ranking while the Tigers are 150 or so. In the losses, there wasn't anything shattering either.
The Mavs did come out cold in the last game played at CPC, trailing at one point 9-1, to a 3-6 team in TSU. I don't know whether they were road fatigued, looked past them to the other Tigers or would have played slow regardless of the opponent. But, like Little Rock, they beat who they were supposed to beat.
I was hoping for a closer margin against LSU, but the outcome was expected. Guarantee games are tough and it is what it is for a school playing with the budget UTA is. Rice was the real disappointment, though the 10-3 Owls are contenders for American Athletic Conference championship. If this kind of game is a disappointment, it does mean the expectations in Arlington are higher than they are for their peers.
In my last entry, I expressed a hope that the team can start finding a greater rhythm on offense, but an average of 60.5 points in those four games is pretty close to their season average of 61.08, good for last place in the Western Athletic Conference. They have been pretty good on defensive, though their 66.33 points per game given up if good for sixth in the seven-team conference.
UTA has played a harder schedule than its WAC peers, playing four games in Quad 1 through 3, tying California Baptist and ahead of the two games played in those rankings by four other schools. UTA was also the only one to get a win outside of Quad 4. I fully expect the average per game to rise offensively and decline defensively.
Freshman forward Kira Reynolds leads UTA is scoring at 12.1 points per game and in rebounding at 8.4 per game. He points are good for tenth in the WAC and her boards are good for fourth. The younger Reynolds also leads the team and conference with 2.9 blocks per game. She played in foul trouble against Texas Southern and that allowed the Southwestern-Athletic-Conference school to make a game of it.
No other Maverick is above ten points a game or four and a half rebounds per game. Senior guard Nya Threatt leads the team in assists, but sustained a nasty tumble against Texas Southern and did not play against LSU. Her 3.3 dimes per game is good for sixth in the WAC. She's also second in scoring at 9.6 per game. She is definitely a cog that is needed for this team to go.
The Mavericks open WAC play with the closest geographic rival on the road. Tarleton State is 6-5 on the year and have played two non-Division I games. That likely accounts for the disparity in rankings as UTA is roughly fifty spots higher in the NET. The Texans will be favored, though by slim margins when they tip off at 7 pm in Tarleton's new ECCU Center.
I'll say it in the men's version too, but for the second time in three seasons, I'm disappointed the conference scheduled a geographic rival during the holiday break. Instead of a Southern Utah or Utah Tech, it is the closest, easily traveled game for fans and students. The conference shouldn't care, but the top two teams in Utah Valley and California Baptist will visit when school is in session, and I'd still rather face them during the break than either Texas team.
Regardless, it is on the schedule. The most important part of the regular season begins tomorrow. We'll have a better idea of what to expect then.
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