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DENVER (12/22/07) - Something has to give today when North Texas brings one the nation’s top offenses to Denver to battle one of the country’s top defensive units in both squads’ Sun Belt Conference opener.
The Mean Green rank among the nation’s top-20 in scoring, led by freshman Josh White’s 18.6 points per game. The Pioneers lead the Sun Belt in blocks per game at 4.6 and rank 64th in the country in scoring defense, only allowing 61.2 points per game. North Texas leads the all-time series, 8-7, after sweeping last years pair of meetings, as well as four of the last five outings.
North Texas owns an 8-7 all-time edge over Denver after sweeping last year’s pair of meetings, as well as four of the last five games. The Mean Green is 4-3 in Sun Belt openers after falling at New Orleans in double overtime last year.
The Pioneers are led by first-year head coach Joe Scott, who brings his Princeton offense to the Centennial State after three years at his alma mater, Princeton. Scott led Air Force to its first NCAA Tournament in 42 years in 2003-04, and guided the Tigers to the nation’s best scoring defense in 2006-07.
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North Texas has scorched each of its last three opponents, hitting 56.8 percent of its shots against Hartford, Southern and Centenary. Just as deadly from distance, the Mean Green has landed 50.8 percent of its three point attempts as well.
Thursday’s victory over Centenary marked North Texas’ third wire-to-wire win in only 10 games this year. The Mean Green also led the entire game against Cameron and Western New Mexico.
Only two squads in North Texas history got off to a better 10-game start than this 2007-08 team. NT tied the 1952-53 team with an 8-2 mark, which was bested only by the 1975-76 and 1976-77 seasons’ 9-1 records.
The Mean Green garnered 50 total points in CollegeInsider.com’s Mid-Major Top-25, missing the top-25 by just three spots.
