In the wake of a three-game skid, the Southern Utah University men’s basketball team travels to Texas to take on the University of Texas at Arlington on Thursday, Jan. 30, at 6 p.m. Following this game, SUU will face Tarleton State University on Saturday, Feb. 1, at 6 p.m.
Both these games can be streamed on ESPN+.
Southern Utah
After starting 8-2 on the year, Southern Utah is just 1-9 in their last 10 games and is 1-4 in the Western Athletic Conference. In their last three games, SUU has lost by an average of 18 points per game.
Southern Utah’s lone conference win of the year came against the Mavericks. In the win, the Thunderbirds shot 52.3% from the field and 46.7% from three. In losing against the Texans, SUU struggled from deep, shooting just 20% from three.
With injuries to Dominique Ford and Tavi Jackson, guard Jamir Simpson has stepped up offensively for the T-Birds. Simpson leads the Thunderbirds in scoring and is No. 2 in the WAC, averaging 16.4 points a game.
UT Arlington
Like SUU, UT Arlington has struggled this year as they are just 9-11 overall and 2-4 in WAC play. Despite the struggles, the Mavericks are on a two-game winning streak.
When at home, UTA is 5-2 on the season and averages 81 points per game on 44.3% shooting from the field.
In their loss to Southern Utah, the offense lacked effective production. The Mavericks shot just 20% from three and 68.8% from the free-throw line.
UTA’s primary offensive production has come from forward Lance Ware and guard Jaden Wells. Ware leads the team, averaging 14.3 points a game, while Wells is first on the roster with 57 made three-pointers.
Tarleton State
The Texans enter the week 8-13 on the year and 3-3 in the WAC. In their last matchup with Southern Utah, Tarleton State came out on top 74-66 thanks to a strong defensive performance.
Tarleton State has shown to be one of the top shooting teams in the WAC. The Texans rank No. 2 in the conference, shooting 34.6% from three. Although TSU ranks high in three-point percentage, the Texans only average 4.5 made threes per game.
One key factor to Tarleton State’s win over Southern Utah on Jan. 9 was the impact freshman forward Keitenn Bristow had on the game. Bristow scored a season-high 24 points on 9/14 shooting.
SUU is 2-2 all-time against UTA and is 2-3 all-time against TSU.
Author: Jack Paul
Photographer: Gannon Lovisa
Editor: Chevy Blackburn
