GAMEDAY: Mean Green Face Loyola Chicago

CHICAGO — After finding out its Conference USA opener versus UAB had been postponed due to positive COVID-19 tests within the Blazers' program, the North Texas men's basketball team quickly found a replacement opponent for this weekend.

UNT (4-3) is in Chicago Saturday to face Loyola University Chicago (6-2) for a 6:30 p.m. CT tip-off. Saturday's game will be streamed on ESPN+ and on the Mean Green Sports Network Learfield IMG College. The Ramblers are three years removed from their Cinderella run to the 2018 NCAA Tournament Final Four as an 11-seed.

Though Saturday will be the first all-time meeting between the two schools, Loyola head coach Porter Moser spent three seasons as Little Rock's head coach from 2000-2003 and beat the Mean Green all three times they played.

A WIN WOULD...

Improve North Texas' record to 5-3 and be its first road win of the season.
Be Grant McCasland's third win over a MVC opponent in three tries. He beat Indiana State in 2017 and again in 2018. They are the only MVC team he's played as UNT's head coach.
Be North Texas' 34th all-time win over a Missouri Valley Conference opponent.
Be North Texas' second straight road win over a Missouri Valley Conference opponent. They beat Indiana State at Indiana State on Dec. 18, 2018.

RECORD WATCH

Redshirt senior Javion Hamlet enters Saturday's game 9 assists away from his 200th in his career.
Javion Hamlet is 23 points shy of his 600th career point. Hamlet is the program's second active leading scorer. He enters Saturday's contest with 537 career points.
Senior Zachary Simmons enters Saturday's game having played in 108 career games. He's missed just one in his career (2/22/18 at FIU). If he plays Saturday it'll be the 82nd straight game he's played, moving him into a tie with Fred Mitchell (1974-78) for 10th-place for most consecutive games played in program history. Tristan Thompson's (2007-11) 115 straight is the program record.
North Texas head coach Grant McCasland is aiming to become the first UNT head coach to win 20+ games in each of his first four seasons.

Calendar

Upcoming Events

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Javion Hamlet

Zachary Simmons

Upcoming Events