Mean Green Can Move Within Striking Distance Against South Alabama

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DENTON, Texas (1/20/10) - With the Sun Belt West Division lead just an arm's length away, North Texas welcomes South Alabama to the Super Pit on Thursday night.

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North Texas forward George Odufuwa picked up his fifth double-double of the year with 16 points and 12 rebounds, but it wasn't enough to stop West Division leader Arkansas State on Saturday night. The junior leads the Sun Belt in rebounding with 9.7 per game, and will lead his charges against South Alabama on Thursday at the Super Pit. NT won the last matchup with the Jaguars in Denton, 70-68, in 2008.

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Eric Tramiel has made the most of his return from a wrist injury by racking up 11 points at Troy and 12 points against Arkansas State, and combining to shoot 58.8 percent in the two games. The senior missed four games with the injury.
The last three meetings between South Alabama and North Texas have produced memorable finishes. Those three games were decided by a total of six points, including a 1-point overtime game in 2007 at the Mitchell Center.
North Texas has crashed the boards and made the most of its second chance opportunities lately. Over the last five games, North Texas has grabbed an average of 13.2 offensive rebounds, and has turned them into 13.4 second chance points per game. Not surprisingly, George Odufuwa has been the main culprit with 18 offensive rebounds over that span. The junior ranks second in the SBC with 3.3 offensive boards per game.
South Alabama leads the all-time series with North Texas 13-4, including a 5-3 edge at the Super Pit. The Mean Green won the last game in Denton against the Jaguars, 70-68, on Jan. 31, 2008.
The Jaguars have won three of the last four Sun Belt regular season championships, and have represented the league in the postseason in three of the last four years. USA played in the NCAA Tournament in 2006 and 2008, and the NIT in 2007. South Alabama fell to Western Kentucky in last season's SBC final, 64-56, in Hot Springs.
South Alabama is led by Tim Williams, who is averaging team-highs in points (14.7) and rebounds (7.4) per game. Williams ranks 10th in Sun Belt in scoring and fifth in rebounding. Martino Brock and Bryan Sherrer are also averaging double figures with 11.8 and 10.9 points per game, respectively.
The Jaguars defense is one of the best in Sun Belt. USA has held its opponents to 39.5 percent shooting, which leads the league. They also rank second in 3-point field goal defense with a mark of 29.9 percent.

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