The last time the Maverick Rambler posted about the UTA men, they were last in the Western Athletic Conference at 0-4. Now, the streak is the same, just in the other direction as the Mavs stopped the slide with a win against Seattle (65-56), a road win at Abilene Christian (79-76 in OT) and rematch wins in Arlington versus Southern Utah (70-68) and Utah Tech (73-71).
I mentioned in the last post that Head Coach K.T. Turner was 9-4 when playing a team from the Western Athletic Conference a second and third time. The two wins this week moved that mark to 11-4 and 2-0 this year.
In the first quarter of conference play, UTA had late leads in three of the four losses. In each of the four wins, UTA had the same type of lead, but this time was able to hang on to that lead for the win. Also of note, a stomach bug or mild flu ran through the team as a couple of key contributors were missing in the latest two wins, yet they still found a way.
The Seattle win was the most impressive to me. The Redhawks are a good team, if not a WAC-title contender. Four Mavericks scored in double-digits while two Mavs grabbed double digit rebounds. UTA was a bit colder in the second half. But good defense and a great first half was enough for a good victory.
The defense held SU to percentage points lower than 31 percent shooting from both overall and three-point land. The Mavericks also limited their Achilles heel, only 11 total turnovers and had 12 total fouls.
The ACU game was a great opportunity to win their first close game. After a couple of spots in the second half of the Mavs playing from behind, UTA took a lead with near six minutes remaining. The Mavericks scored on five straight possessions, and the Wildcats were nipping from behind, to keep the Mav lead to a couple of possessions or less. ACU's senior guard Hunter Jack Madden hit a three with six seconds left for the tie in regulation and junior guard Brody Robinson's game winning shot was in-and-out for overtime.
That kinda signified a change in momentum on the season. After the three aforementioned losses with a lead, UTA gave up the first points before two straight possessions got the lead immediately after. UTA showed poise and cool-headedness as each ACU push was answered.
Of note though, UTA has to improve at the free throw line. Graduate student forward Lance Ware and junior forward Raysean Seamster do a good job of playing aggressive and getting to the free throw line, but Ware has shot .626 on 107 attempts and Seamster is at .494 on 79 attempts. If those numbers were ten to 20 percentage points better, then there could be a win or two, maybe more, in the W column.
In the ACU game, the team was 16-25 from the charity stripe. Ware and Seamster were a combined 6 of 15. However, Ware scored 18 and Seamster scored 16 in the OT win. While both totals could be higher due to the missed free throws, those two scored above average and are more than carrying their weight.
Any road win is a good one and holding serve at home against two teams who already beat UTA at least show some improvement.
The big number that sticks out comes in the form of turnovers. The lowered numbers against Southern Utah, six, and Utah Tech, seven, were the key for the Mavs to get those slim victories. Compare that to the 15 and 14 respectively in the first meeting and that sticks out as the biggest key.
Breaking down the standings like I did for the women has a similar theme, but task ahead. UTA is an even 4-4. Four teams are above UTA with a winning conference record. Four are below with a sub-.500 conference mark.
Against the bottom half, UTA is 4-2. But the Mavs are a bad 0-2 in the top half with a limited sample size. Like the ladies, the men's schedule is going to get tougher this month. Unlike the ladies, the men have a hole they are trying to dig out of entering the second half.
UTA is second in the conference in scoring offense. Early on, it looked like it was live or die by the three. Here lately, if that isn't working, there has been a good inside game that has carried the offense. When that happens, the pressure is released for the outside shooters, who then get their shot eventually.
Scoring defense is similar but flipped, second-to-last in all games and in WAC contests. They give up points. They still have a plus scoring margin, so they play entertaining basketball for sure.
This week, UTA looks to avenge the UVU loss in Orem, then travel to Seattle, who will likely be looking to avenge that game they lost in Arlington.
Against the Wolverines, it will be a good test to see if this last half month has yielded an improved Mav team, or if it was the byproduct of the teams they faced, mostly at home. If there's any hope for the season, UTA fans are certainly hoping Coach Turner keeps that trend going. Tip-off is set for 7pm.
No comments:
Post a Comment