Men's Basketball Begins Season Tuesday

Tuesday, November 9

Denton

7:30 PM CT

University of North Texas

Oklahoma Christian

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11/8/2021 11:30:00 AM | Men's Basketball

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DENTON — The North Texas men's basketball team, the back-to-back defending Conference USA champions who are coming off a historic season that included the program's first NCAA Tournament win, open the 2021-22 season Tuesday with a home-opener versus Oklahoma Christian.

Tuesday's game is scheduled to start at 7:30 p.m. CT from the Super Pit and will be streamed on CUSA.tv and YouTube. All Mean Green men's basketball games this season can be heard on the Mean Green Sports Network on KHYI 95.3FM and on the Varsity Network app with the voice of the Mean Green Dave Barnett and Hank Dickenson on the call.

Tuesday is a double header at the Super Pit with the UNT women's basketball team. The women are scheduled to host University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma at the Super Pit at 5:30 p.m. CT.

UNT posted an 18-10 overall record last season and won four games in four days at the 2021 C-USA Tournament to win the league title. It was the program's first league tournament title since 2010 and earned them their first NCAA Tournament berth since 2010 as well — their fourth trip overall. At the NCAA Tournament North Texas made more history by upsetting fourth-seeded Purdue in the first round, 78-69 (OT). It was the program's first-ever NCAA Tournament victory and first win over an opponent ranked in the AP Top 25 since 1971.

North Texas has lost three of its five starters from last season's team but welcomes nine newcomers and welcomes back redshirt senior Thomas Bell who was named to the 11-man 2021 C-USA Preseason All-Conference list. Bell returns to UNT as the program's active career leader in every major statistical category.

Tuesday will be UNT's third all-time meeting against Oklahoma Christian. They are 2-0 versus OC. They last played the Eagles in 2019 to open the 2019-20 season. The Mean Green won 79-40. Bell led all scorers with 16 points off the bench in what was his Mean Green debut. UNT enters Tuesday's contest having won 20 straight games over non DI opponents and have won eight straight season openers.

NEWS AND NOTES

Fifth-year UNT head coach Grant McCasland who is in his sixth season as a DI head coach enters Tuesday's game with 99 all-time coaching victories.
Grant McCasland is one win shy of moving into sole possession of fifth all-time in coaching wins at UNT. He enters Tuesday tied with John Reid (1924-29) with 79 wins.
North Texas plays just one true road game during its non-conference slate (Wichita St. on Dec 18). They don't play their second true road game until Jan. 13 at Marshall. In total they are scheduled to play 10 road games. UNT played four true road games last year during the non-conference schedule. This is the fewest true road non-conference games UNT has played under fifth-year head coach Grant McCasland. This is the fewest true road non-conference games UNT has had in a single season since the 1974-75 season when UNT played zero true road non-conference games. That season the Mean Green went 6-20 overall and were coached by Gene Robbins. UNT played five neutral site non-conference games that year but no true road non-conference games.
North Texas returners: Thomas Bell, JJ Murray, Jahmiah Simmons, Mardrez McBride, Rubin Jones and Abou Ousmane.
At the end of the 2020-21 season, UNT earned a No. 55 NET ranking. It's the highest they've ever been ranked in the NET/RPI. UNT has only twice finished ranked in the top 100 of the NET/RPI at the end of a season. The other time was after the 2019-20 season when UNT earned a No. 98 ranking. The RPI was officially replaced by the NET ranking (NCAA Evaluation Tool) prior to the 2018-19 season.
Under fifth-year head coach Grant McCasland, North Texas is 57-12 (.826) when they score 70 or more points. In 11 of UNT's 18 wins last season they scored over 70 points. And in nine of their 10 losses this year they scored under 70 points. UNT's winning percentage under McCasland only gets better when they score 80 or more points. They are 27-4 (.870) in games where they score 80+ Under McCasland, UNT is 12-1 when they score 90 or more points.
North Texas has six lefties on its team this season: Mardrez McBride, Thomas Bell, Jahmiah Simmons, Bryce Zephir, Arsh Mattu and Rubin Jones. That's one more than they had last year.