Waco, TX – A couple of undefeated programs from the Lone Star ranked Baylor Bears entertain Arlington.
For the Mavericks, this is their first road game of the season, even though they still are not leaving the state. Most recently, the team tangled with North Texas at home on Tuesday and was rewarded with a 97-64 romp over the Mean Green.
As for the Bears, who are actually in competition for attention these days with their female counterparts who are ranked first in the nation, they too were in action last night as they dismantled South Carolina State in a 70-50 final. The win was the fourth in as many tries for Baylor which is in the midst of a six-game homestand to kick off the 2011-12 campaign.
With respect to the all-time series between these two schools on the hardwood, the Bears have won all but one of the previous 13 meetings, all of which have taken place in Waco. The lone victory for the Mavericks came in 1980 by a score of 94-80.
UTA has never beaten a nationally-ranked opponent, coming up empty in 18 previous attempts. The most recent battle against a ranked squad came last year with the Mavs were taken out by third-ranked Kansas in late December by a score of 82-57. UTA did come close to getting the job done against Utah two decades ago, losing by just a single point (58-57) against the 14th-ranked Runnin' Utes.
Against the Mean Green, Jordan Reves led five players in double figures as he tallied 13 points on a perfect 4-of-4 shooting from the floor, adding six rebounds along the way. LaMarcus Reed and Kevin Butler both tallied 12 points, while reserves Bradley Gay and Cameron Catlett tacked on 10 points apiece in a total of just 31 minutes of playing time. Brandon Edwards dominated the glass with 13 rebounds as the team posted a 41-30 advantage on the glass and forced 24 turnovers on the night. Butler is currently tied with Bo Ingram for the scoring lead with 12.7 ppg, the latter getting the job done from three-point range with 42.9 percent accuracy. Reed is in for another 11.0 ppg as the program generates a whopping 88.0 ppg from 50.5 percent accuracy from the floor and not so much a mere 59.0 percent shooting at the charity stripe.
Anthony Jones knocked down nine of his 14 field goal chances, including 3-of-4 behind the three-point line, as he finished with 21 points in the win over South Carolina State. Pierre Jackson responded with 11 points in just 16 minutes of action for a team that shot almost as well from three-point range (.421) as it did from the floor overall (.456). However, like UTA the Bears are not the strongest shooting program at the free-throw line, hitting on just 10-of-18 (.556) at the stripe on Tuesday. On a team that is outscoring opponents by an average of more than 20 points per game, the Bears are dividing up the offense as best they can with Quincy Miller posting 14.8 ppg, Jones 13.5 ppg, Quincy Acy 11.8 ppg and Brady Heslip another 10.3 ppg which means no one player is having to shoulder too much of the burden.
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