University of North Texas Athletics
NT, WKU To Meet Saturday On ESPN2
2/10/2011 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Bowling Green, Ky. • E.A. Diddle Arena (7,326)
Feb. 12, 2011 • 3:05 p.m. CST
Radio: KWRD 100.7-FM, KNTU 88.1-FM • Hank Dickenson
TV: ESPN2 • Bob Picozzi (PBP), Bruce Bowen (Analyst)
Live Stats
Series: WKU leads 11-3 overall, 5-2 at E.A. Diddle
Last: NT 84 at WKU 83 (OT) on Jan. 28, 2010
Game Notes
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. - The eyes of the college basketball world will be on North Texas and Western Kentucky on Saturday, as the teams responsible for the last four Sun Belt titles square off on ESPN2. Tip off from E.A. Diddle Arena is slated for 3 p.m.
North Texas seems to have solved the riddle of E.A. Diddle. After falling in its first four trips to WKU's historic venue, the Mean Green has taken two of the last three meetings at the arena, including last year's 84-83 overtime victory.
In that OT win, NT scored seven straight points to take a 75-72 lead with 13 seconds left in regulation, but WKU's Steffphon Pettigrew hit a spectacular 40-footer to send the game into OT. NT's Eric Tramiel took over in the extra frame, hitting the game winner with 10 seconds left. WKU's A.J. Slaughter had a look at the potential game winner, but Josh White stole the ball to seal the win.
The Hilltoppers and the Mean Green have combined to bring home the last four Sun Belt Conference titles. North Texas, the defending champs, also won in 2007. WKU won back-to-back titles in 2008 and 2009. Western Kentucky and North Texas are also the only Sun Belt squads to win at least 20 games in each of the last four seasons. Only 32 teams nationwide can make that claim.
North Texas will enter Saturday's matchup fresh thanks to the snow storm that blanketed much of the nation. The Mean Green was forced to reschedule its game at UALR on Thursday night, and will enter Saturday having not played since Feb. 3.
NT's George Odufuwa is one of just five players in the nation to average a double-double in each of the last two seasons. The senior ranks 20th in the NCAA with 10.1 rebounds per game in 2010-11 and has 11 double-doubles.
North Texas has made a habit of surging in February over the last five years. As a matter of fact, NT is 35-13 (72.9 percent) in February and March since the 2006-07 season.
