University of North Texas Athletics
Green Gang Blog In Hot Springs: Day Three
3/5/2012 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
10:38 p.m. - We're putting out the call for any and all fans to make their way to Hot Springs tomorrow morning for the game. We need to have more people and drown out the Western Kentucky fans! The Spa City is a lot closer than you think, just do it!
10:31 p.m. - The seventh seeded Hilltoppers of Western Kentucky take down the third seeded Denver, 67-63, to earn the right to play the Mean Green in tomorrow night's Sun Belt Championship game. North Texas defeated WKU in the only meeting this season, 84-67.
9:53 p.m. - Western Kentucky and Denver are almost halfway through the second half and WKU leads the Pioneers 46-43 with 11:20 to play. Winner faces the Mean Green.
9:25 p.m. - If there are any students back home that would like to make the trip to Hot Springs for the SBC Championship game tomorrow, the athletic department will be staging a bus in the Fouts Field parking lot near the ROTC building that will haul you up to the game and take you back afterwards. The bus will start loading up at 10:30 a.m. and is scheduled to leave at 11 a.m.
9:22 p.m. - Western Kentucky leads Denver 34-31 ath the half. For those of you that want to see just how high Tony Mitchell can get to block shots, here is a still frame from the highlights that Jordan Foreman sent us. His hand is over the box for this one.
8:53 p.m. - VIDEO Highlights of tonight's Mean Green semifinal victory over Arkansas State.
8:50 p.m. - An hour later and we're back on. North Texas beat Arkansas State to advance to its third straight Sun Belt Conference Championship game, 76-72 tonight. Jacob Holmen finished with 21 points and last night's hero Brandan Walton notched a go-ahead layup with less than a minute left to give the Mean Green a lead it wouldn't relinquish. Denver vs. Western Kentucky has begun and the Hilltoppers lead the Pioneers 10-7 with 14:30 to go in the first half. Winner gets to face North Texas tomorrow at 6 p.m. for the Sun Belt automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
7:50 p.m. - The wireless internet has been terrible, but finally getting a chance for an update. Mean Green lead 74-69 with 22.6 seconds left!
7:26 p.m. - Jacob Holmen just set his career-high in points (21) with over 10 minutes to play in the half. Tie ball game though, 54-54 with just under 10 minutes to play now.
6:50 p.m. - Halftime here at Summit Arena. North Texas leads Arkansas State 38-34. Holmen hit his fourth three-pointer (a career-high mark) of the game just before the end of the half, giving him 16 points on the night. His career high mark is 20 points earlier this season against FAU.
6:42 p.m. - We're at the under four minute media timeout and the Mean Green lead 32-26 over the Red Wolves. Jacob Holmen has 13 points so far.
6:33 p.m. - VIDEO GoPro camera on cheerleader Allison Strempke for tonights team entrance and starting lineups.
6:21 p.m. - Jacob Holmen has come out on fire, hitting three-straight three-pointers to give the Mean Green a 21-11 lead with 12:06 to play in the first half.
6:06 p.m. - Starting line up for North Texas features Jacob Holmen, Brandan Walton, Alzee Williams, Tony Mitchell and Roger Franklin.
6:00 p.m. - It is national anthem time here in Summit Arena. You can check out the broadcast of the game on the Sun Belt Network and ESPN3.com. The radio call can also be heard in KNTU 88.1 FM and 100.7 FM The Word.
5:45 p.m. - Both teams are on the court and we're under 15 minutes left on the pregame clock. It's almost time to start this Sun Belt Conference Semifinal matchup with Arkansas State.
5:40 p.m. - VIDEO Pregame interview with Coach Jones for Mean Green Radio Network.
5:33 p.m. - VIDEO Footage of the team making the trek from the Austin Hotel to the arena from earlier this evening.
5:20 p.m. - VIDEO Here's Tony Mitchell's thunderous dunk from last night.
5:18 p.m. - VIDEO A preview of tonights matchup with Arkansas State, featuring Hank Dickenson and Stephen Howard talking with ASU radio play-by-play man Matt Stolz (who happens to be a North Texas graduate).
4:56 p.m. - The Mean Green men have arrived to Summit Arena. First two players out on the court are Alonzo Edwards and Brandan Walton. North Texas will wear white for the game tonight as the highest seed.
4:52 p.m. - Here's a picture of coach Jones hopping on the bus to head to the arena! Just over an hour out from game time!
4:34 p.m. - Summit Arena is clear of fans from the first games and the cleaning crews are hard at work getting ready for tonight's session. The Mean Green send-off at the hotel is underway and the staff at the arena is finding their places for the game. We're an hour and a half from first tip. Below is a picture from the send-off.
4:19 p.m. - Even though the North Texas' women lost yesterday, it does not mean that Karen Aston went home early. Coach Aston and coach Jalie Mitchell were spotted at the Summit Arena during the women's games this afternoon. It's one of Karen's favorite parts of the conference tournament--being able to watch other teams to glean information for next season.
4:01 p.m. - There is about five minutes left in the second women's semifinal, so the Mean Green vs. Arkansas State game should begin as expected at 6 p.m. Right now, it looks like UALR will win this one and face Middle Tennessee in the final. The Trojans are up 52-36 on FAU at the moment.
3:38 p.m.- VIDEO Here's another GoPro video we shot last night. Thanks to cheerleader Christin Whitefield for agreeing to wear the camera!
3:26 p.m.- There is just about an hour before the Mean Green men's send-off at the Austin Hotel. When you're in the arena, make sure you check out the SBC Champions Corner in the concourse of Summit Arena. You can take your pictureas a participating player, or even hold a miniature Sun Belt Championship trophy!
3:20 p.m - The ticket office 800 number is back running again, but the best way to get tickets for tonight's game is still at the North Texas Player Will Call Gate for $10 cash--it ensures you will be with Mean Green fans for tonight.
2:53 p.m - North Texas fans easily have outnumbered the fans of Troy, FAU and Louisiana-Lafayette in the three tournament games so far, and have played a huge part for the Mean Green, but Arkansas State has brought fans of their own, writes Jim Harris, so be loud tonight!
2:44 p.m. - VIDEO Another installment of our iPad Sun Belt Alumni Trivia, this time featuring WKU Athletic Director Ross Bjork.
2:30 p.m. - For all of the Mean Green fans that are in Hot Springs, I just wanted to offer up a reminder that the send-off for the North Texas men's basketball team is just two hours away at 4:30 p.m.. The Mean Green Pep Band and North Texas spirit squads will be at the Austin Hotel to help see the men off to their game at Summit Arena!
2:09 p.m. - Fans who are making the five hour drive from Denton to Hot Springs for the first time today, be aware that the best way to get tickets is from the North Texas ticket office reps at the Player Pass Gate in Hot Springs. Tickets are available for $10 cash. The office's 800 number is down today.
2:00 p.m. - VIDEO A quick look inside the TV production truck duing the first game today.
1:28 p.m. - The first women's game has turned out to be a good one. Middle Tennessee leads FIU by two, 50-48 right now. Mean Green fans can be spotted around the arena watching the early game. Everyone just seems to be killing some time before North Texas makes its way over to Summit Arena. T-minus four and a half hours until tip-off!
1:01 p.m. - VIDEO Gumby was at the game last night. We put a GoPro cam on him. Mean Green fans, we present to you...GUMBYCAM!
12:39 p.m. - Just received word that the send-off for the men's basketball team will be at 4:30 this afternoon at the Austin Hotel. The Mean Green Pep Band will be there as well as the North Texas spirit squads.
12:21 p.m. - Although Tony Mitchell only finished with five points last night, he contributed in a huge way in other aspects of the game. His 11 rebounds were a game high and his six blocks were two more than the entire Louisiana-Lafayette team. Mitchell has now been held under double-figures scoring in two straight games. The only other time this season that has happened was against UALR and Troy earlier in the year. The following game he erupted for 34 points and 16 rebounds in a win at South Alabama.
11:54 a.m. - North Texas and Arkansas State have played twice this season already, with the teams splitting the series. The first game saw the Red Wolves notch a buzzer beater at home to down the Mean Green 75-72. Game number two was more decisive. North Texas head coach Johnny Jones recorded his 200th career victory in a 76-64 win at the Super Pit.
11:52 a.m. - VIDEO Here's another angle of Walton's game-winning shot last night, with George Dunham and Hank Dickenson of the Mean Green Radio Network providing the call.
11:34 a.m. - CollegeBasketballTalk's Rob Dauster writes on Middle Tennessee's shocking loss to Arkansas State last night, and opines on the value of conference tournaments. Not much here on the Mean Green, but Dauster writes that "the door is wide-open for Denver and North Texas."
As for the value of conference tournaments, it's real similar to why the College World Series is in Omaha--you have to go to truly understand. It's great for the fans, the student-athletes and television. I don't know what else you can ask for.
11:05 a.m. - On press row at Summit Arena and the MGRN's Steven Bartolotta is getting ready to call his ninth game of the tournament for the SBC Extra webcast. "My throat feels like the surface of the sun," Bartolotta claimed. "One more full day of games and I can claim my second straight year of 12 games and three days."
10:55 a.m. - Fans who follow the Sun Belt knew the bracket was blown wide open last night, with 3 of the top 4 seeds falling, but people have noticed nationally as well, including Jeff Borzello from CBSSports.com. He writes:
"An intriguing team could be North Texas. The Mean Green have the league's most dominant player, freshman forward Tony Mitchell. He is capable of carrying the team at both ends of the floor. Moreover, Mitchell struggled in the quarterfinals, but North Texas still had four players score in double-figures. The Mean Green face No. 9 Arkansas State in the semis on Monday."
10:25 a.m. - VIDEO Here are the Sun Belt All-Conference and Academic Awards presentations for both the women's basketball team and the men's basketball team.
10:04 a.m. - We've just arrived at Summit Arena and Denver is on the court for practice, so we're banished to the media room until they're done. I can hear the crews already packing up the Convention Center Court where the Mean Green men defeated ULL last night in dramatic fashion. Looking back, that game was as close to back-and-forth as it gets. There were 20 lead changes and the last came with less than a minute and a half to go. We'll have much more for you on tonight's matchup with Arkansas State as the day goes along.
8:56 a.m. - Students, don't forget that if you would like to come up for the game tonight, there will be a free bus leaving the Fouts Field parking lot at 11 a.m. to bring you guys to Hot Springs for the game. The bus will turn around and return to Denton following the game.
8:53 a.m. - Another good morning to the Mean Green nation out there! It's another beautiful, sunny day here in the Spa City. North Texas men's basketball is set to take on Arkansas State in the SBC Semifinals this evening in Summit Arena. The semifinal that will take place after the Mean Green vs. ASU game will matchup Western Kentucky vs. Denver. The winners of both games will square off tomorrow night in the Sun Belt Championship game.
