The UT Arlington Mavericks will be at Strahan Coliseum to challenge the Texas State Bobcats in a Sun Belt matchup. Action begins at 9:00 pm ET on Tuesday, Feb. 9 and can be seen on ES2 and ES3.
The Bobcats are hoping to rebound after their 66-62 loss to Georgia Southern on Saturday. Emani Gant put in a solid effort despite the loss for Texas State, recording 14 points and 11 rebounds to earn his fourth double-double of the season. The Mavericks are coming off a 90-69 win against Georgia State on Saturday. Kaelon Wilson had a good game, accumulating 15 points, eight rebounds, and three assists.
It will be a tale of two tempos, as the fast-breaking Mavericks (ranked 13th in the nation in possessions per game) take on the slow-paced Bobcats (333rd).
The Bobcats are looking to improve on their records of 9-11 Straight Up (SU) and 7-7 Against The Spread (ATS). The Bobcats have seen an uptick in scoring as of late, averaging 81.7 points during the last 10 games compared to their season average of 66.3 points per game. The Texas State defense has done poorly against opposing offenses during the last 10 games, allowing an average of 76.2 points per game, well above their season average of 63.6.
On the other side, the Mavericks head into the game with records of 13-7 ATS and 15-7 SU. The Mavericks will be looking to pick it up in this one after recent offensive struggles. In their most recent 10 games, their scoring has dropped to 62.0 PPG, compared to 66.3 for the duration of the season. UT Arlington is one of the better rebounding teams in Division I. The Mavericks average 44.3 rebounds per game, making them the second-best team in the country for that category. Shifting to the other side of the court, teams with weak ball handling have not fared well against the Mavericks, who rank 30th in the nation with 8.0 steals per game.
This is the first meeting of the season for Texas State and UT Arlington. The last time they played, UT Arlington came out on top, moving its SU record against Texas State to 8-2 in their most recent head-to-head meetings. Furthermore, UT Arlington leads the matchup ATS with a record of 6-1. UT Arlington held the edge in field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers twice, while Texas State was never able to do so in their most recent five games.
Predictions: SU Winner – Tx-Ar, ATS Winner – Tx-Ar
Notes
The UT Arlington Mavericks average 81.2 points per game, ranking 23rd in the nation. The Texas State Bobcats rank 17th in points allowed with 63.6.
In its last game, UT Arlington won by a margin of 21 points. Texas State is 4-2 in games decided by a margin of 18 points or more. UT Arlington has a 9-0 record in blowouts.
The UT Arlington Mavericks rank 94th for their offensive rating of 109.3. The Texas State Bobcats have a defensive rating of 97.8 (ranked 66th).
Texas State has an average field goal percentage of 42.7%. UT Arlington is an underachieving 3-6 when opponents have a similar or higher field goal percentage.
The Texas State Bobcats rank higher based on their field goal percentage (252nd) than their effective field goal percentage (297th). The UT Arlington Mavericks rank higher based on their effective field goal percentage (233rd) than their field goal percentage (273rd).
The UT Arlington Mavericks rank 14th in assists per game, making an average of 17.5. The Texas State Bobcats are among the worst in the country with 11.7 assists per game (ranked 291st).
Ranked second in the nation, UT Arlington averages 44.3 rebounds per game. Texas State ranks lower at 280th with 34.1 RPG.
UT Arlington ranks third in offensive rebounding, placing it among the best in the nation. Texas State ranks a poor 333rd in defensive rebounds.
Though Texas State is one of the best in the country in forcing turnovers with opponents averaging a TO% of 23.5% (ranked eighth), UT Arlington is undefeated (4-0) when its TO% is 23.5% or greater.
