University of North Texas Athletics
Mean Green Men Unbuckle The Belt Tonight At Lafayette
12/18/2008 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
LAFAYETTE, La. - The Cajundome was the site of North Texas’ 2006-07 Sun Belt Championship run, and the Mean Green will look to recapture that magic when it opens Sun Belt play at rival Louisiana-Lafayette on Thursday night at 7 p.m.
The Ragin’ Cajuns opened the week with a convincing win over ULM, and boast a potent shooting guard in 6-foot 7-inch Travis Bureau, who ranks second in the Sun Belt with a 17.1 points per game average.
Louisiana-Lafayette holds a 15-11 edge in the all-time series, with last year’s win at the Cajundome snapping a four-game Mean Green streak. NT took all three meetings in 2006-07, including a 93-78 win in the first round of the Sun Belt Tournament, as well as the first meeting of 2007-08 on Jan. 12.
The Cajundome had been a mystery to the Mean Green before the 2006-07 season. NT hadn’t won a game in the Cajundome in eight tries before it knocked off the Ragin’ Cajuns in the regular season finale and then reeled off three straight in the arena to claim the Sun Belt Tournament title. NT fell at the Cajundome in February (63-58 on Feb. 28) to snap a four-game win streak at the venue.
What To Watch For
North Texas is starting a four-pack of super sophomores in 2008-09. Sophomore guards Josh White and Tristan Thompson lead the squad in scoring at 12.1 ppg and 11.8 ppg, respectively. Big man George Odufuwa leads the Sun Belt with 8.0 rebounds per game, and Kedrick Hogans ranks second in the SBC with a 63.2 field goal percentage.
The Mean Green has started the season at 7-2 for a third straight year, and a win over Louisiana-Lafayette would secure the best 10-game start by a North Texas squad since the 1976-77 team opened at 9-1.
NT has shown a knack for getting to the free throw line this year. As a matter of fact, only five teams in the country are averaging more made free throws, and only four are attempting more per game. The Mean Green is averaging 21.2 makes on 30.1 attempts each outing, which would could approach school record numbers if it continued for the season.
Collin Mangrum swished home a free throw against Houston Baptist in his first action since NT’s NCAA Tournament game against Memphis on March 16, 2007. The sophomore had a series of injuries that required multiple surgeries following the 2006-07 season, and was forced to miss around 19 months of action.
The North Texas inside trio of Eric Tramiel, Kedrick Hogans and George Odufuwa has turned into a formidable rotation on both ends of the floor. The trio is averaging a 53.2 percent shooting percentage and has teamed up to send back 32 shots, an average of 3.6 per game.
