THE MATCHUP
Teams: ULM (6-12, 0-5 SBC)
UT Arlington (13-5, 3-2 SBC)
Location: College Park Center/Arlington, Texas
Time: 4:30 p.m. (ESPN3)
LIVE AUDIO (Warhawk Radio Network)
LIVE STATS (Gametracker)
Live Video (ESPN3)
MONROE, La. – The ULM men's basketball team heads back on the road for a pair of road contests in Texas, starting on Saturday with Sun Belt Conference action in Arlington against UT Arlington at 4:30 p.m. Saturday afternoon's game will be available on the Warhawk Radio Network and on ESPN3 from College Park Center in Arlington.
The Warhawks enter the tilt with a 6-12 mark, coming off of a two-point loss against Georgia Southern 62-60 on Monday, while UT Arlington is 13-5, coming off a six-point win over South Alabama on Monday.
NOTABLES
Last Time Out: ULM fought to the end against Sun Belt Conference leader Georgia Southern on Monday night, however, came up just short falling 62-60 to the Eagles inside Fant-Ewing Coliseum.
Head-to-Head: The Warhawks and Mavericks meet on Saturday for the 67th time in program history. The Warhawks hold a commanding 50-16 lead in the all-time series, including having won the previous three matchups against UT-Arlington. In the teams' last meeting, the Warhawks defeated the Mavericks 82-71 to punch their ticket into the Sun Belt Conference Championship game. In that game, the Warhawks had a balanced scoring attack led by DeMondre Harvey with 21 points, as he was a perfect 9-for-9 from the floor.
Scouting the Mavericks: UT Arlington enters Saturday's contest coming off of a six-point win at South Alabama on Monday afternoon. The Mavericks are led by the SBC Preseason Player of the Year selection Kevin Hervey. Hervey is currently averaging 15.5 points per game and is averaging 7.5 rebounds per game. In four SBC games, Harvey is averaging 21.3 points per game, ranking second in Sun Belt Conference games this season.
Assist Mark: Senior Nick Coppola currently sits with 491 assists over his three-plus seasons with the Warhawks. He is just nine assists away from becoming the sixth active NCAA Division I player to have 1,000 points and 500 assists in his career. He eclipsed the 1,000-point mark earlier this season when he scored a season-high 23 points against Jacksonville State on December 10.
Sun Belt Leaders: Following the January 16 slate of SBC games, Sam McDaniel is currently seventh in the SBC with 7.0 rebounds per game and he also ranks 10th in minutes per game. Nick Coppola sits third in the Sun Belt averaging 4.6 assists per game, while he also sits in first with a 2.8 assist to turnover ratio. Coppola also leads the conference with 36.3 minutes per game so far this year. Travis Munnings sits in second in the conference averaging 8.5 rebounds per game. Munnings also ranks in a tie for sixth in minutes per game average. In conference-only games, Coppola is tied for the lead in league games averaging 38.6 minutes per game, Munnings is tied for fifth with 35.6 minutes per game.
Sharing the Basketball: The Warhawks have 238 assists on 452 made baskets so far this season. Nick Coppola leads the way with 82 assists, while Travis Munnings has 36 assists so far this season and Jordon Harris has 30 assists on the season. As a team, the Warhawks have assisted on 52.7 percent of their made baskets this season.
Controlling the Offensive Glass: As a team, the Warhawks grabbed 11 offensive rebounds against Georgia Southern on Monday night - the 11th time in 18 games that they have grabbed at least 10 offensive rebounds, with a season-high 17 boards coming at Texas. Travis Munnings leads the way with 40 rebounds and Sam McDaniel follows close behind with 36 offensive rebounds.
UP NEXT
-Following Saturday's contest, the Warhawks will travel to San Marcos, Texas to battle Texas State with tip slated for 7:00 p.m. on Monday night.
