University of North Texas Athletics
Mean Green In Basketball Country To Battle Sycamores
11/22/2008 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
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TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (11/22/08) Fresh off its streak-snapping win at Sam Houston State, the Mean Green basketball team travels to the land of Larry Legend for a Sunday afternoon tilt with Indiana State. Action from the Hulman Center begins at 12:30 p.m. (CST) on the Mean Green Radio Network.
North Texas is 4-5 versus Division I schools in the state of Indiana, but lays its 4-1 record on the line against the home of basketball great Larry Bird on Sunday in Terre Haute. This season marks the 30th anniversary of Bird and Indiana State’s run to the NCAA title game versus Magic Johnson and Michigan State, widely considered one of the greatest games ever played.
Last season, the Mean Green topped Indiana State, 78-69, thanks to Collin Dennis’ 20-point outing last year at the Super Pit.
The two squads share a Missouri Valley Conference connection, which North Texas was a member of from 1957-75. The Sycamores joined the Missouri Valley just three seasons later. NT won in its only other trip to Terre Haute, a 79-72 victory over the Sycamores on Dec. 8, 1970.
What To Watch For
Before Thursday night’s 76-71 win at Sam Houston State, the last non-conference opponent to beat the Bearkats in Bernard Johnson Coliseum was Texas A&M in Dec. of 1998. The 45-game streak was the second longest in the nation behind only Duke’s 58-straight non-conference home wins.
Always steady from the free throw line, Josh White has taken that to a new level in his sophomore season. After shooting 84.8 percent as the Sun Belt Freshman of the Year in 2007-08, White is 18-of-19 from the line this season. White hasn’t missed a free throw since the 5:32 mark of the first half of the season opener against Cameron - a streak of 17 straight makes.
Just three games into his North Texas career, George Odufuwa has already notched back-to-back double-doubles. The Arizona State transfer notched 10 points and 13 boards at Oklahoma State, and 15 points and 11 rebounds at Sam Houston State.
The Mean Green once again has a trio of formidable shot blockers. George Odufuwa (six blocks), Eric Tramiel (5) and Kedrick Hogans (5) are combining to average 5.3 blocks a game through three outings this year. On their backs, NT has out-blocked its opponents 17-8.
Once again one of the deepest teams in the nation, North Texas’ bench is out-scoring its counterparts by an average of 12.7 points per game.
