University of North Texas Athletics
NT Hoops Closes Regular Season At DU Sunday
2/24/2012 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
North Texas (16-11, 9-5 SBC) vs Denver (20-8, 10-5 SBC)
Magness Arena • Denver (7,200)
Feb. 26, 2012 • 2:00 p.m. CST
TV: None
Radio: MGRN • Hank Dickenson, Steven Bartolotta
Webcast & Live Stats: DenverPioneers.com
Series: NT leads 14-10
Last: NT won 75-74 (OT) on Jan. 21, 2012 in Denton
GAME NOTES
DENVER – With a first-round bye in its back pocket, the North Texas basketball team heads to the Mile High City to take on Denver in the regular season finale. Tip off from Magness Arena is slated for 2 p.m. Central and can be heard on the Mean Green Radio Network (88.1 KNTU-FM, 100.7 KWRD-FM).
Depending on the outcome of Sunday’s Denver game, NT will either be the No. 4 or No. 5 seed in the upcoming SBC Tournament. If NT beats Denver, the Mean Green will earn the No. 4 seed and face No. 5 Denver in the quarterfinals. If Denver wins Sunday, NT would be the No. 5 seed and face No. 4 Louisiana-Lafayette. Either way, the game will take place on Sunday at 6:15 p.m. in Hot Springs, Ark.
North Texas has won seven of the last eight meetings with Denver, and leads the overall series 14-10. In the Johnny Jones era (2001-02 to present), the Mean Green is 13-8 overall against the Pioneers and 10-1 in the Super Pit. Denver leads the series 7-4 in the Mile High City.
The last time these two teams got together was a dandy of a game at the Super Pit. Alzee Williams tipped in a Roger Franklin jumper at the buzzer to give NT a 75-74 overtime win over Denver on Jan. 21. Tony Mitchell tallied 30 points and 17 rebounds, and Franklin also notched a double-double with 18 points and 10 boards.
Chris Udofia and Mitchell, who both played high school ball in Dallas, play similar roles for their teams as high scoring, shot-blocking paint players. Mitchell and Udofia average 16.4 and 14.9 points per Sun Belt game, which ranks 1st and 2nd in the league. Both players also rank in the top five in the Sun Belt in field goal percentage and blocks.
NT has held each of its last three opponents under 33 percent shooting from the floor. North Texas’ last three opponents are shooting a combined 54-of-172 (31.4 percent), including a 13-of-58 (22.4 percent) mark from 3-point.
