To kick off the tournament season, the Southern Utah University men’s basketball team will head down to St. George, Utah to face Utah Tech University in the Western Athletic Conference play-in game on Tuesday, Mar. 10, at 2:30 p.m.
This game will be played in the Burns Arena and can be streamed live on ESPN+.
The winner of this game will play Utah Valley University on Wednesday, Mar. 11, at 7 p.m. in Las Vegas at the Orleans Arena.
Southern Utah
After starting the season hot, the T-Birds faltered in the back half of the regular season, losing 10 of their last 13 games. SUU finished 12-18 in the regular season and 4-12 in the WAC.
Despite the struggles at the end of the regular season, Southern Utah is 2-0 against Utah Tech this season, including an 82-75 win against the Trailblazers on Feb. 27 in St. George.
One reason for the success against Utah Tech is the play of Jamir Simpson and Dominique Ford. Simpson ranks No. 2 in the WAC in scoring. Simpson is averaging 16.1 points per game and averaged 20 points in his two games against Utah Tech.
Although Ford has had some inconsistent play since coming back from his injury on Feb. 8, he has dominated against Utah Tech. Ford scored a season-high 29 points against the Trailblazers on Feb. 27.
Utah Tech
Like Southern Utah, Utah Tech has struggled in the back half of the regular season. Utah Tech finished 6-25 on the year, 2-14 in WAC play, and finished the season on a 14-game losing streak.
Even though the Trailblazers finished 0-2 against SUU on the season, Utah Tech shot the ball particularly well. UTU shot 45.8% from the field and 40.4% from three.
If Utah Tech wants to head to Las Vegas, they will need their guard, Noa Gonsalves and Beon Riley, to play at a high level. Gonsalves is second in the WAC in three-pointers made with 69.
Riley is second on the team, averaging 13.2 points per game. In two games against SUU, Riley averaged 15.5 points per game on 40% shooting from the field.
Author: Jack Paul
Photographer: SUU Athletics
Editor: Chevy Blackburn