Both UT Arlington basketball programs began conference play this past week...and that's about the highlight. Both preseason favorites look beatable and it hard to say that either team can claim to be the favorites.
The men took to the road and played two teams that arguably make the second easiest travel pair in the conference, and looked terrible in the process. They started in Conway, South Carolina against Coastal Carolina, finished in Boone, North Carolina versus Appalachian State and came away with an 0-2 start to SBC play.
I can't begin to relay how disappointed, frustrated and utterly disgusted at what I saw this past week.
Tuesday, January 2, 2018
Tuesday, December 26, 2017
Non-Conference in the Books
The UT Arlington basketball teams concluded the non-conference portion of their schedule to mixed results, but it looks like more of the same ole, same ole for the Mavericks team.
On the men's side, they finished with a home win against Cal-Poly of the Big West, but a stretch of three losses in four games have really hurt the Mavericks in a way UTA never really has had to worry about until recent years. The setbacks came against Northern Iowa on the road, Florida Gulf Coast at home and a ranked Creighton team on the road. It was the FGCU home loss that was the most damaging, as it came to a team sitting out of the top 100 in RPI (they are now not in the top 200).
More importantly to me, that showed a team that was easily rattled and had a lack of composure, something I haven't seen from a team wearing a Mavericks jersey in a good long while. Three different Mavericks earned a technical foul and FGCU seemed to be able to make the Mavericks play their game, not the other way around.
In the losses and even many of the wins, UTA exhibited a lack of consistency for a full forty minutes. It was shown against Alabama. Creighton is another example. For 30 minutes in that game, UTA played better and scored more than the Bluejays. But that ten minutes that went to the opponent was horrendous. UTA held a l3-11 lead slightly less than mid-way through the first half. But, as would be the case all game, UTA couldn't stop the Creighton long-range shot and Creighton made five three's by the last media timeout. A made free throw after a made bucket gave Creighton six three point possessions in that stretch. UTA also went cold, getting only five points to allow the Bluejays to build their lead to a game-high 25 points with roughly two minutes left. The final margin of victory was only five points.
On the men's side, they finished with a home win against Cal-Poly of the Big West, but a stretch of three losses in four games have really hurt the Mavericks in a way UTA never really has had to worry about until recent years. The setbacks came against Northern Iowa on the road, Florida Gulf Coast at home and a ranked Creighton team on the road. It was the FGCU home loss that was the most damaging, as it came to a team sitting out of the top 100 in RPI (they are now not in the top 200).
More importantly to me, that showed a team that was easily rattled and had a lack of composure, something I haven't seen from a team wearing a Mavericks jersey in a good long while. Three different Mavericks earned a technical foul and FGCU seemed to be able to make the Mavericks play their game, not the other way around.
In the losses and even many of the wins, UTA exhibited a lack of consistency for a full forty minutes. It was shown against Alabama. Creighton is another example. For 30 minutes in that game, UTA played better and scored more than the Bluejays. But that ten minutes that went to the opponent was horrendous. UTA held a l3-11 lead slightly less than mid-way through the first half. But, as would be the case all game, UTA couldn't stop the Creighton long-range shot and Creighton made five three's by the last media timeout. A made free throw after a made bucket gave Creighton six three point possessions in that stretch. UTA also went cold, getting only five points to allow the Bluejays to build their lead to a game-high 25 points with roughly two minutes left. The final margin of victory was only five points.
Saturday, November 25, 2017
UTA FB Vol. 5 Gm. 13 - Finishing on a High
We end this volume of This Day in UTA Football History with the 1972 season. This really was the tale of two seasons. UT-Arlington started the year 0-6. The first five games were not close. The Mavericks opened the year with a 38-17 loss to Southern Mississippi, followed by a 21-3 loss to Oklahoma State, a 38-24 setback to Toledo, a 38-14 drubbing to TCU and 35-14 conference-opening defeat to Louisiana Tech. UTA lost by an average margin of almost 20 points in these games. It felt like the same ole, same ole of the past two seasons to UTA fans.
Then they started to get it. The following game against New Mexico State, only a 17-12 road loss, the offense started to click. In no coincidence, this was the game where star running back Dexter Bussey figured out how to be the star. The Oklahoma transfer ran for 146 on 21 carries for his first 100-yard game of the season. Sid Sims ran for 106 yards in that game as well.
It wouldn't be the last 100-yard game for either. Bussey ran for a program record 225 yards against Abilene Christian (that record still stands today) in a 36-22 win, 130 yards against West Texas State in a 20-7 victory, 114 yards versus Lamar in a 10-3 triumph. The only win where he didn't get over 100 was a 7-0 squeaker of Southwestern Louisiana, but the lone touchdown came at his doing
Then they started to get it. The following game against New Mexico State, only a 17-12 road loss, the offense started to click. In no coincidence, this was the game where star running back Dexter Bussey figured out how to be the star. The Oklahoma transfer ran for 146 on 21 carries for his first 100-yard game of the season. Sid Sims ran for 106 yards in that game as well.
It wouldn't be the last 100-yard game for either. Bussey ran for a program record 225 yards against Abilene Christian (that record still stands today) in a 36-22 win, 130 yards against West Texas State in a 20-7 victory, 114 yards versus Lamar in a 10-3 triumph. The only win where he didn't get over 100 was a 7-0 squeaker of Southwestern Louisiana, but the lone touchdown came at his doing
Friday, November 24, 2017
Complete Load of ...
I needed to take a couple of days to let the pure emotion of UT Arlington's game against #25 Alabama sink in.
I need to first open with me saying how proud I am the guys fought through toughness. That road game sounded like a true test with the almost 12,000 in attendance. That's the only time I am okay with the Mavericks being outnumbered, the sixth man if you will.
But I'm going to come out and say it. In 160 plus posts on this blog you have never read the following statement. Those referees were such horse crap that they ought to be ashamed of themselves!
23 fouls to 13 isn't that big, but seven attempted free throws to 24. UTA made 31 out of 60 field goals to Alabama's 27 of 53. UTA won the FG percentage battle 51.7 to 50.9. UTA won the three-point battle in both shots made (ten to eight) and percentage (47.6 to 32). So offensively they were better. Translating that to the defensive side, UTA had the advantage. Add in the 33 to 28 rebounding margin and UTA clearly was the better defensive team.
I need to first open with me saying how proud I am the guys fought through toughness. That road game sounded like a true test with the almost 12,000 in attendance. That's the only time I am okay with the Mavericks being outnumbered, the sixth man if you will.
But I'm going to come out and say it. In 160 plus posts on this blog you have never read the following statement. Those referees were such horse crap that they ought to be ashamed of themselves!
23 fouls to 13 isn't that big, but seven attempted free throws to 24. UTA made 31 out of 60 field goals to Alabama's 27 of 53. UTA won the FG percentage battle 51.7 to 50.9. UTA won the three-point battle in both shots made (ten to eight) and percentage (47.6 to 32). So offensively they were better. Translating that to the defensive side, UTA had the advantage. Add in the 33 to 28 rebounding margin and UTA clearly was the better defensive team.
No Better Start
The young 2017-18 NCAA basketball season is barely a week old for the UT Arlington basketball teams. While it hasn't always been pretty, both teams sit undefeated to this point. It all started with homecoming wins on November 11.
And that leads me to the "it hasn't always been pretty" part. The men opened the season with high expectations as the preseason favorites in the Sun Belt Conference.Yes, there were a lot of losses with grind it out guys like Jorge Bilbao, Jalen Jones and Drew Charles gone. But with senior leadership from NBA-caliber players Eric Neal and Kevin Hervey, also known as the Sun Belt preseason player of the year, there is a lot of firepower. Those two, especial Neal on the point, make everyone better.
The big question mark going in was how the interior defensive play would shape up. After the homecoming game against Loyola Marymount, it was no clearer.
And that leads me to the "it hasn't always been pretty" part. The men opened the season with high expectations as the preseason favorites in the Sun Belt Conference.Yes, there were a lot of losses with grind it out guys like Jorge Bilbao, Jalen Jones and Drew Charles gone. But with senior leadership from NBA-caliber players Eric Neal and Kevin Hervey, also known as the Sun Belt preseason player of the year, there is a lot of firepower. Those two, especial Neal on the point, make everyone better.
The big question mark going in was how the interior defensive play would shape up. After the homecoming game against Loyola Marymount, it was no clearer.
Saturday, November 18, 2017
UTA FB Vol. 5 Gm. 12 - Winning it All
Hard for me to imagine a scenario where I go four games since last spotlighting the 1967 team, but that's how the scheduling works sometimes. I did cover them three times in five games in the first half of the This Day in UTA Football Series, but those were either big games or meant more than what the other seasons offered.
One of the notable things about this year's team was just how good they were.
The newly-named University of Texas Arlington Rebels were of a season in which they won a share of the Southland Conference Championship, but it was Lamar that owned the tie-breaker and they went to the Pecan Bowl in 1966.
One of the notable things about this year's team was just how good they were.
The newly-named University of Texas Arlington Rebels were of a season in which they won a share of the Southland Conference Championship, but it was Lamar that owned the tie-breaker and they went to the Pecan Bowl in 1966.
UTA FB Vol. 5 Gm. 11 - Ending the Season
Since we last looked at the 1961 season, the Arlington State College Rebels had just lost to McMurray. That started a mini-slide where they would lose two of three. The following week, they rebounded to a 19-14 road win at Trinity, but lost at home to Abilene Christian, 17-15 the week later.
Those last two teams would be a staple of the Rebel schedule. Both the Tigers and Wildcats first played ASC in 1960, and would do so til the early 1970's. All three were founding members of the Southland Conference.
That always made me wonder if there were other teams invited who declined to join the SLC. Louisiana Tech appeared frequently on the Reb schedule. Northeastern Louisiana, now Louisiana-Monroe did too. We they invited and declined? I don't know that we'll ever know. I have never been able to find any definitive answers. Those things are hard to find, even today.
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