Following a string of impressive home court victories and a disappointing loss to Utah Tech, SUU’s men’s basketball team heads to Texas to face off against UT Arlington on Thursday, Jan. 29, at 6:00 p.m. Following that game, the team will then take on Abilene Christian University on Saturday, Jan. 31, at 2:00 p.m.
Both games will be available to stream live on ESPN+.
Southern Utah
SUU currently holds a record of 7-14 and sits at 3-5 in the Western Athletic Conference. They’re No. 5 in the WAC standings, with Tarleton State University and ACU falling behind them after SUU’s string of home-game victories.
Those victories were a bright spot in SUU’s season, coming after a rough seven-game losing streak. The most notable of these games was SUU’s win against Utah Valley University, where the score ended in an impressive 84-70 and resulted in UVU dropping from No. 1 to No. 2 in the WAC.
However, the T-Birds did lose their most recent game against rival Utah Tech University in a high-scoring battle. SUU’s road game losing streak continued despite senior Jaiden Feroah scoring 35 points and nabbing 12 rebounds for a career night.
The Thunderbirds have proven to be able to learn from their mistakes in previous games and adapt to their opponent, if the UVU win was any indication. If they want to reverse their away-game curse, they will need to adapt to their environment as well by showing that they can remain confident despite not playing on their home court.
UT Arlington
UT Arlington currently holds a 13-6 record and sits at 5-2 in the WAC, dethroning UVU for the top spot in the conference.
The Mavericks recently recorded a close victory against Tarleton State. Despite a rocky start in the first half where they scored a mere 20 points, UT Arlington clawed their way back with 51 points in the second half. Senior Raysean Seamster scored 20 of his 23 points in the second half while also snagging eight rebounds.
With this game likely to showcase the Mavericks’ adept skills in building momentum over the course of a half, SUU will have to focus in order to turn the potential stampede to a slow crawl.
Abilene Christian
ACU currently holds a 10-9 record, but lies sixth in the WAC with a 2-4 standing. They were originally tied for No.5 with the T-Birds, but fell in the standings after SUU beat them by more than 20 points.
That T-Bird victory marked another loss for the Wildcats, putting them in a three-game losing streak. This heightens the pressure on ACU going into their next game against Utah Tech, where a victory would disrupt their losing streak and could provide a much-needed morale boost for the team.
Despite this, the key to the T-Birds’ success lies in not underestimating their opponent. Even though their last games against ACU resulted in a victory, SUU can’t get too comfortable. If the Thunderbirds can adapt and learn from their mistakes like in their rematch against UVU, SUU could go on a heater.
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Author: Conner Dean
Photographer: SUU Athletics
Editor: Payson Davis
