University of North Texas Athletics
NT Slated For First-Ever Matchup With LSU
12/21/2010 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Baton Rouge, La. • Pete Maravich Assembly Center (13,472)
Dec. 22, 2010 • 7:00 p.m.
Radio: KWRD 100.7-FM, KNTU 88.7-FM - Hank Dickenson
TV: LSU TV Network (Available on CST only)
Webcast
Live Stats
Series: First Meeting
Game Notes
DENTON, Texas - Wednesday's game won't just be the first-ever meeting between North Texas and LSU on the basketball court. The Sun Belt versus SEC matchup will be a homecoming for Mean Green skipper Johnny Jones, better known as "the Bullet" in Baton Rouge, La. for his laundry list of accolades while playing and coaching for the Tigers.
Jones wore No. 12 for LSU as a four-year letterman from 1981-84, and later spent 13 seasons as an assistant coach under the legendary Dale Brown. Jones, in his 10th year at North Texas, went to the 1981 Final Four as a player and the 1986 Final Four as an assistant. He piled up 271 career assists, which ranks 11th in school history (2.2 per game). Jones led the Tigers with 124 assists in 1984, and is tied for the school record for games played by a freshman at 36.
Jones' Mean Green squad couldn't be on a better run entering the contest on Wednesday night. Playing in its 12th game of the year, North Texas has a chance to notch its 10th win at LSU, which would be quickest an NT squad reached 10 wins since 1976-77 (11 games). As a matter of fact, only five squads in program history would have reached 10 wins faster; 1976-77, 1975-76, 1952-53, 1922-23 and 1921-22.
George Odufuwa led NT to a 23-point win over Texas State with a career-high 20 points, eight rebounds and five assists - all team highs. As a matter of fact, this was the second time in Odufuwa's career where he led the team in points, rebounds and assists, which brings him into an exclusive club of three other players in the Johnny Jones era that accomplished that feat more than once. Josh White is also a member of that club, as is Quincy Williams and Chris Davis.
NT seems to have found its shooting touch in the month of December. NT is 129-of-254 (50.8 percent) from the floor in five games this month. By comparison, NT was 152-of-341 (44.6 percent) as a team in November. Kedrick Hogans and George Odufuwa are the biggest culprits for NT's turnaround, shooting 68.6 and 67.5 percent, respectively, this month.
