The UT Arlington Mavericks (11-2) look to continue their six-game winning streak when they compete against the struggling Appalachian State Mountaineers (2-11) at Holmes Convocation Center. Action begins at 7:30 pm ET on Thursday, Jan. 7 and can be seen on ES3.
The Mountaineers are hoping for a better outcome after their 79-58 loss to Louisiana-Lafayette in their last matchup. Frank Eaves finished with 19 points to lead the team. The Mavericks are coming off a 92-72 win against Georgia Southern in their last game. Kevin Hervey claimed his seventh double-double of the season with 25 points and 13 rebounds.
The Mountaineers might struggle to find the bottom of the net as they face off against one of the nation’s best defenses. The Mavericks rank 10th in defensive efficiency, while Appalachian State ranks 314th in offensive efficiency. The Mavericks could also control the offensive glass in this matchup, as they rank seventh in the nation in OR% at 41.1%. The Mountaineers, meanwhile, place near the bottom of the nation (330th) on the defensive backboards with a DR% of 64.5%.
Appalachian State is a heavy 13-point underdog in this game and the Over/Under (O/U) is 152 points. The Mountaineers are looking to improve on their records of 2-11 Straight Up (SU) and 4-5 Against The Spread (ATS).
As for their opponent, the Mavericks have records of 10-1 ATS and 11-2 SU. In the last 10 games, UT Arlington has a 9-1 SU record, but have played well with a perfect record ATS (8-0). Offensively, they average 81.7 points per game, which is good for 37th in the country. The Mavericks have controlled the glass with a Division I-best 45.7 rebounds per game. When it comes to stealing the ball, the Mavericks are one of the best in the nation with an average of 8.5 steals per game.
Appalachian State and UT Arlington will be squaring off for the first time this season. In their most recent meeting a season ago, UT Arlington came out on top, evening up the two teams’ head-to-head record (1-1). The teams also have an even 1-1 record ATS.
Predictions: SU Winner – Tx-Ar, ATS Winner – Tx-Ar, O/U – Over
Notes
Appalachian State is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Appalachian State’s last 5 games.
Appalachian State scores an average of just 66.7 points per game (ranked 304th). UT Arlington ranks 58th in points allowed, giving up 65.4 points per game.
UT Arlington scores 75.0 points per away game (ranked 68th). Appalachian State ranks a poor 339th in points allowed at home, allowing 80.8 points.
The UT Arlington Mavericks have a defensive rating of 89.7 (ranked 10th), while the Appalachian State Mountaineers have an offensive rating of 95.9 (ranked 314th).
UT Arlington beats Appalachian State in both possessions per game and points per possession. The Mavericks average 74.1 possessions and 1.102 points per possession, while the Mountaineers average 69.6 possessions with .959 points per possession.
The Appalachian State Mountaineers average an effective field goal percentage of 46.0% this season. The UT Arlington Mavericks have a stellar 7-2 record in games where opponents have an eFG% of 46.0% or greater.
The Appalachian State Mountaineers average 20.0 three point attempts per game and have an underachieving 1-6 record when attempting at least 20 in a game. The UT Arlington Mavericks average 27.0 attempts and have a superb 10-2 record when attempting 20 or more.
The UT Arlington Mavericks are the best rebounding team in the nation with 45.7 rebounds per game. The Appalachian State Mountaineers rank 307th, rebounding 33.4 times per game.
The Appalachian State Mountaineers are among the worst defensive rebounding teams (ranked 338th), while the UT Arlington Mavericks are one of the country’s top offensive rebounding teams (ranked 137th).
On average, Appalachian State forces a turnover rate of 17.7%. When UT Arlington turns over the ball at a similar or higher rate, the team has an exceptional 8-2 record.
