Monday, March 11
Fort Worth, TX
6 PM
University of North Texas
vs
No. 10 Rice
Photo by: Zach Del Bello / Mean Green Sports
Women’s Basketball Set to Begin Play at the AAC Tournament
3/10/2024 7:38:00 PM | Women's Basketball
The Mean Green will take on Rice in the quarterfinal round Monday evening
DENTON, Texas – The UNT women's basketball team will open play at the American Athletic Conference Championship against Rice Monday at 6 p.m. CT at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas.
The Mean Green earned a double bye that automatically put them into the tournament's quarterfinal round after winning a share of the regular season title. UNT went 13-5 in conference play that put them in a three-way tie atop the conference with Tulsa and Temple, marking the first time in American history that there has been a share of the regular season championship.
Tulsa claimed the No. 1 seed at the tournament with a 2-1 record over the Mean Green and Owls, while North Texas took the second seed and Temple received the third seed. Rice entered the tournament as the No. 10 seed and knocked off UAB, 71-56, Sunday evening to advance to the quarterfinals.
North Texas saw Rice only once this season and it came in the penultimate game of the regular season on March 2. DesiRay Kernal led UNT to a 63-54 road win that saw the Mean Green outscore Rice 21-10 in the fourth quarter. Kernal, the AAC Newcomer of the Year, posted the fifth of her six consecutive double doubles she had to end the regular season with 22 points and 10 rebounds.
On top of being named the conference's Newcomer of the Year, Kernal was an All-AAC First Team selection along with teammate Tommisha Lampkin. The Mean Green collected six total honors including three individual awards and three all-conference selections. Jason Burton was elected Coach of the Year by his peers, while Dyani Robinson was voted Sixth Player of the Year. UNT's six honors was the most of any team in the conference and the most in a single season in program history.
Monday's game will be streamed on ESPN+ with Tiffany Greene and Jasmine Thomas on the call. he game can also be heard on the Varsity Sports Network with Zac Babb and Michelle Brooks.
WHAT 2 WATCH 4
• North Texas begins its run at the American Athletic Conference tournament with a matchup against No. 10 seed Rice in the quarterfinals.
• The Mean Green claimed a share of the program's first conference title since 1986.
• The Mean Green collected a league-high six AAC postseason awards, including three individual honors and three selections to all-conference teams.
• Rice defeated No. 7 UAB Sunday evening to advance to Monday's matchup.
SERIES HISTORY
• North Texas and Rice will meet for the 25th time Monday with Rice holding a 15-9 advantage in the series.
• UNT has won five of the last six against
Rice, including in the most recent meeting on
March 2. North Texas outscored Rice, 21-10, in the fourth quarter to come from behind to win 63-54.
• The Mean Green are 0-2 against the Owls in neutral site games.
CAUSE YOU'RE LOOKING AT A WINNER
• Both Dyani Robinson and DesiRay Kernal are two of the winningest players in the country regardless of the division.
• Kernal has won 105 games she has appeared in over her five seasons of college basketball. In total, she has played in 143 of 144 career games, making her career winning percentage 73.4%.
• Robinson is not far behind her teammate with 97 career wins. Of note, Robinson missed the final 16 games of the 2022-23 season with a torn ACL.
THE MAGIC NUMBER IS 70
• With the UNT offense averaging 75.4 points per game, getting to 70 has proven to be an indicator of success for the Mean Green.
• North Texas is 20-1 this season when scoring 70 or more points.
• The lone loss came on Feb. 4 when North Texas fell to Tulsa 79-74.
The Mean Green earned a double bye that automatically put them into the tournament's quarterfinal round after winning a share of the regular season title. UNT went 13-5 in conference play that put them in a three-way tie atop the conference with Tulsa and Temple, marking the first time in American history that there has been a share of the regular season championship.
Tulsa claimed the No. 1 seed at the tournament with a 2-1 record over the Mean Green and Owls, while North Texas took the second seed and Temple received the third seed. Rice entered the tournament as the No. 10 seed and knocked off UAB, 71-56, Sunday evening to advance to the quarterfinals.
North Texas saw Rice only once this season and it came in the penultimate game of the regular season on March 2. DesiRay Kernal led UNT to a 63-54 road win that saw the Mean Green outscore Rice 21-10 in the fourth quarter. Kernal, the AAC Newcomer of the Year, posted the fifth of her six consecutive double doubles she had to end the regular season with 22 points and 10 rebounds.
On top of being named the conference's Newcomer of the Year, Kernal was an All-AAC First Team selection along with teammate Tommisha Lampkin. The Mean Green collected six total honors including three individual awards and three all-conference selections. Jason Burton was elected Coach of the Year by his peers, while Dyani Robinson was voted Sixth Player of the Year. UNT's six honors was the most of any team in the conference and the most in a single season in program history.
Monday's game will be streamed on ESPN+ with Tiffany Greene and Jasmine Thomas on the call. he game can also be heard on the Varsity Sports Network with Zac Babb and Michelle Brooks.
WHAT 2 WATCH 4
• North Texas begins its run at the American Athletic Conference tournament with a matchup against No. 10 seed Rice in the quarterfinals.
• The Mean Green claimed a share of the program's first conference title since 1986.
• The Mean Green collected a league-high six AAC postseason awards, including three individual honors and three selections to all-conference teams.
• Rice defeated No. 7 UAB Sunday evening to advance to Monday's matchup.
SERIES HISTORY
• North Texas and Rice will meet for the 25th time Monday with Rice holding a 15-9 advantage in the series.
• UNT has won five of the last six against
Rice, including in the most recent meeting on
March 2. North Texas outscored Rice, 21-10, in the fourth quarter to come from behind to win 63-54.
• The Mean Green are 0-2 against the Owls in neutral site games.
CAUSE YOU'RE LOOKING AT A WINNER
• Both Dyani Robinson and DesiRay Kernal are two of the winningest players in the country regardless of the division.
• Kernal has won 105 games she has appeared in over her five seasons of college basketball. In total, she has played in 143 of 144 career games, making her career winning percentage 73.4%.
• Robinson is not far behind her teammate with 97 career wins. Of note, Robinson missed the final 16 games of the 2022-23 season with a torn ACL.
THE MAGIC NUMBER IS 70
• With the UNT offense averaging 75.4 points per game, getting to 70 has proven to be an indicator of success for the Mean Green.
• North Texas is 20-1 this season when scoring 70 or more points.
• The lone loss came on Feb. 4 when North Texas fell to Tulsa 79-74.
Players Mentioned
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