University of North Texas
Louisiana Tech
Mean Green Ready For Showdown At LA Tech
1/28/2022 2:00:00 PM | Men's Basketball
The Mean Green and the Bulldogs, who are both tied for first-place in the C-USA West Division, are scheduled to tip Saturday at 3 p.m. CT from The Thomas Assembly Center in Ruston, Louisiana and will be broadcast on Stadium and the Mean Green Sports Network, which can be found on The Varsity App.
"We have a ton of respect for Louisiana Tech and know it's always going to be a battle when we face them," said senior Thomas Bell. "They're super talented and it's a matchup we always look forward to every year."
Since UNT head coach Grant McCasland took over the program in 2017, the Mean Green (14-4, 7-1 C-USA) and Bulldogs (16-4, 7-1 C-USA) have met nine times. Each of the nine games has been decided by an average margin of just 4.4 points. Only once has a game been decided by more than six points.
Saturday marks North Texas' first trip to Ruston since Jan. 18, 2020 when the Mean Green beat LT 51-50 on a buzzer-beating game-winning floater by then junior Javion Hamlet. It was UNT's first win at Louisiana Tech since 1952 and ended a 16-game losing streak at LA Tech for the Mean Green.
North Texas heads into Saturday's contest riding a two-game winning streak over the Bulldogs and most recently beat them in the 2021 C-USA Tournament Semifinals, 54-48.
Returners Mardrez McBride and Thomas Bell combined to score 21 points in the victory. Bell also added six rebounds.
Longest Winning Streak In C-USA
UNT's current six-game winning streak is the longest active winning streak in C-USA.
One Of Just Six In The Country
As of Friday, North Texas is just one of six teams in the nation that has not lost a road game this season yet: No. 1 Auburn (6-0), No. 7 UCLA (5-0), No. 4 Baylor (5-0), Loyola Chicago (5-0), North Texas (4-0), No. 2 Gonzaga (1-0).
Career-High Assists and Rebounds
On Thursday at Southern Miss sophomore Rubin Jones grabbed a career-high seven rebounds and dished out a career-high seven assists.
Assist Man
UNT's Thomas Bell has dished out 24 of his team-leading 51 assists this season in the last seven games headed into Saturday at LA Tech.
Getting Hot From Deep
During North Texas' current six-game winning streak, the Mean Green are shooting 58-120 (.483) from deep. Four players are shooting above 45 percent from deep during this run: Perry, McBride, Murray, Scott. Before this current six-game winning streak, the Mean Green were shooting just 32.1 percent from deep (97-302).
Career-High 21
North Texas second-year guard Mardrez McBride scored a season-high 21 points Thursday at Southern Miss. It tied his career-high, which he set in the season opener last year, which was his Mean Green debut.
Next Up
North Texas returns home to host UTEP on Thursday Feb. 3. Tickets can be purchased online or by contacting the Mean Green Ticket Office at 940-565-2527
