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The Mean Green basketball teams complete their trip through the “Natural State” with a pair of matchups against Arkansas State. The men tip-off against the Indians at 3:05 p.m. and the women at 7:00 p.m. Both games can be heard on the Mean Green Radio Network.
The Mean Green men are the Sun Belt’s top offensive club, averaging a league-leading 81.7 points per game and 48.4 shooting percentage. North Texas fell to 127 in the official RPI Ratings following the loss to UALR on Thursday.
NT, 1-1 against the RPI’s top 100 teams, earned a Sagarin rating of 135. One of the nation’s most potent benches, North Texas’ sideline is averaging 13.9 points per game more than its counterpart, outscoring the opponent’s bench 456-248. Arkansas State is coming off a 77-69 loss to Sun Belt newcomer Louisiana Monroe.
The Indians bring one of the conferences’ toughest defenses, holding opponents to a 42.1 field goal percentage, while at the same time, shooting a league-high 41.1 percent from beyond the arc. The Indians maintain a 14-9 hold on the all-time series between the two programs, but the Mean Green is 3-0 in Jonesboro since joining the Sun Belt in 2000-01.
The Indians have won two of the last three game against North Texas, but NT took the last meeting 82-79 on Jan. 21, 2006 after rallying from a 10-point second-half deficit.
The North Texas women conclude their eight-game road trip with the visit to Arkansas State. The Mean Green is coming off a loss to UALR and is 2-5 on the current road trip. Arkansas State enters the game as one of the hottest teams in the Sun Belt Conference having won five straight games and are a perfect 4-0 in conference play through the first four games.
Tina Slinker is in her 18th year of coaching with an overall record of 222-257. Slinker has the most win’s in North Texas women’s basket­ball history and the second most wins among active coaches in the Sun Belt Conference. Slinker led the Mean Green to the 2005-06 SBC West Division title and has guided NT to four conference division titles. She has a 2-5 record against Arkansas State.
The Indians are led by eighth-year head coach Brian Boyer. He has the second most wins in Arkansas State history and has led the Indians to three WNIT appearances in his time. He has compiled a record of 121-100 at Arkansas State.
