2017–18 UT Arlington Mavericks men's basketball team

2017–18 UT Arlington Mavericks men's basketball
ConferenceSun Belt Conference
Record21–13 (10–8 Sun Belt)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
  • Greg Young
  • Zak Buncik
  • Kenneth Mangrum
Home arenaCollege Park Center
Seasons
2017–18 Sun Belt Conference men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
Louisiana 16 – 2   .889 27 – 7   .794
Georgia State † 12 – 6   .667 24 – 11   .686
Georgia Southern 11 – 7   .611 21 – 12   .636
Texas–Arlington 10 – 8   .556 21 – 13   .618
Louisiana–Monroe 9 – 9   .500 16 – 16   .500
Troy 9 – 9   .500 16 – 17   .485
Appalachian State 9 – 9   .500 15 – 18   .455
Coastal Carolina 8 – 10   .444 14 – 18   .438
South Alabama 7 – 11   .389 14 – 18   .438
Texas State 7 – 11   .389 15 – 18   .455
Arkansas State 6 – 12   .333 11 – 21   .344
Little Rock 4 – 14   .222 7 – 25   .219
† 2018 Sun Belt Conference tournament winner

The 2017–18 UT Arlington Mavericks men's basketball team represented the University of Texas at Arlington during the 2017–18 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Mavericks, led by 12th-year head coach Scott Cross, played their home games at the College Park Center as members of the Sun Belt Conference. They finished the season 21–13, 10–8 in Sun Belt play to finish in fourth place. They defeated Appalachian State and Louisiana to advance to the championship game of the Sun Belt tournament where they lost to Georgia State. Despite having 21 wins, they did not participate in a postseason tournament.

On March 26, 2018, Cross was fired after 12 seasons at UT Arlington, along with his entire staff, with UTA's Athletic Director citing a change in the program's leadership.[1] On April 6, the school hired former Texas Tech assistant Chris Ogden as head coach.[2]

Previous season

The Mavericks finished the 2016–17 season 27–9, 14–4 in Sun Belt play to win the Sun Belt regular season championship.[3] In the Sun Belt tournament, they defeated Coastal Carolina[4] before losing in the semifinals to Texas State.[5] As a regular season conference champion who failed to win their conference tournament, they received an automatic bid to the National Invitation Tournament.[6] There they defeated BYU[7][8] and Akron[9] before losing in the quarterfinals to Cal State Bakersfield.[10][11]

Offseason

Incoming transfers
Name Position Height Weight Year Hometown Previous school
Deon Barrett G 5'10" (1.78 m) 150 lb (68 kg) Sophomore Lancaster, Texas Lancaster H.S.
Transferred from UTEP
Edric Dennis G 6'3" (1.91 m) 188 lb (85 kg) Junior Dallas, Texas Desoto H.S.
Transferred from Jackson State

Under NCAA transfer rules, Barrett and Dennis will have to sit out for the 2017–18 season. Barrett will have three seasons of eligibility remaining, while Dennis will have two seasons.[12]

Roster

2017–18 Texas–Arlington Mavericks men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown
G 1 Erick Neal 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) 155 lb (70 kg) Sr Lincoln H.S. Dallas, Texas
G 2 D. J. Bryant 5 ft 11 in (1.8 m) 180 lb (82 kg) So Riverview H.S. Sarasota, Florida
G 3 Nathan Hawkins 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Sr Rowlett H.S.
Nebraska 		Garland, Texas
G 4 Davion Turner 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Jr Cedar Hill H.S.
Hill College 		Cedar Hill, Texas
G 5 Kaelon Wilson 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 192 lb (87 kg) Jr Lancaster H.S. Lancaster, Texas
C 13 Johnny Hamilton 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 230 lb (104 kg) GS Virginia Tech Rio Claro, Trinidad and Tobago
F 15 Scott Muirhead 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 206 lb (93 kg) RS So Ennis H.S. Ennis, Texas
F 20 Julian Harris 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 235 lb (107 kg) Sr Lake Ridge H.S. Mansfield, Texas
G 21 Pedro Castro 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 170 lb (77 kg) Fr Brewer H.S. Fort Worth, Texas
C 22 Link Kabadyundi 7 ft 1 in (2.16 m) 274 lb (124 kg) Sr Alma Academy
TCU
Blinn College 		Montreal, Quebec
G 23 Mairega Clarke 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 184 lb (83 kg) Sr Holy Cross H.S.
Carl Albert State College 		Queens, New York
F 25 Kevin Hervey 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 230 lb (104 kg) Sr Bowie H.S. Arlington, Texas
G 30 Patrick Binzer 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 183 lb (83 kg) Jr Weatherford Christian School Weatherford, Texas
F 34 Tim Holland 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Fr Cedar Ridge H.S. Round Rock, Texas
F 44 Nils Huizenga 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Fr Byron Nelson H.S. Trophy Club, Texas
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster

Schedule and results

Date
time, TV 		Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
city, state
Exhibition
Oct 28, 2017*
12:00 pm 		at Oklahoma
Charity Exhibition for Hurricane Harvey Recovery 		W 99–84  —
  27 – Hervey   13 – Hervey   12 – Neal  Lloyd Noble Center 
Norman, OK
Non-conference regular season
Nov 11, 2017*
7:00 pm, ESPN3 		Loyola Marymount
Homecoming 		W 85–80  1–0
  28 – Hervey   8 – Hervey   11 – Neal  College Park Center (4,379)
Arlington, TX
Nov 18, 2017*
8:30 pm, BYUtv/ESPN3 		at BYU
Barclays Center Classic 		W 89–75  2–0
  23 – Hervey   9 – Hervey   10 – Neal  Marriott Center (13,636)
Provo, UT
Nov 21, 2017*
8:00 pm, SECN 		at No. 25 Alabama
Barclays Center Classic 		L 76–77  2–1
  24 – Hervey   6 – Tied   12 – Neal  Coleman Coliseum (11,737)
Tuscaloosa, AL
Nov 24, 2017*
6:00 pm 		vs. Western Carolina
Barclays Center Classic 		W 89–65  3–1
  30 – Hamilton   15 – Hamilton   10 – Neal  Gallagher Center (842)
Lewiston, NY
Nov 25, 2017*
6:00 pm 		vs. Niagara
Barclays Center Classic 		W 95–90  4–1
  27 – Hervey   10 – Tied   15 – Neal  Gallagher Center (809)
Lewiston, NY
Nov 27, 2017*
7:00 pm, ESPN3 		UT Dallas W 73–53  5–1
  20 – Hamilton   12 – Hamilton   13 – Neal  College Park Center (1,694)
Arlington, TX
Nov 29, 2017*
7:00 pm, ESPN3 		Rice W 69–49  6–1
  29 – Hervey   11 – Hervey   8 – Neal  College Park Center (1,649)
Arlington, TX
Dec 2, 2017*
7:00 pm, ESPN3 		North Texas W 65–60  7–1
  23 – Hervey   9 – Hamilton   3 – Neal  College Park Center (2,728)
Arlington, TX
Dec 7, 2017*
7:00 pm, ESPN3 		at Northern Iowa L 58–62  7–2
  17 – Hervey   15 – Hamilton   7 – Neal  McLeod Center (3,630)
Cedar Falls, IA
Dec 9, 2017*
2:00 pm, ESPN3 		Florida Gulf Coast L 78–85  7–3
  25 – Hervey   10 – Hervey   5 – Neal  College Park Center (2,635)
Arlington, TX
Dec 16, 2017*
7:00 pm 		at UT Rio Grande Valley W 86–65  8–3
  30 – Hervey   16 – Hervey   8 – Bryant  UTRGV Fieldhouse (774)
Edinburg, TX
Dec 18, 2017*
7:00 pm, FS1 		at No. 25 Creighton L 81–90  8–4
  24 – Hervey   11 – Hervey   8 – Neal  CenturyLink Center Omaha (15,564)
Omaha, NE
Dec 21, 2017*
7:00 pm, ESPN3 		Cal Poly W 77–56  9–4
  25 – Hervey   10 – Hervey   7 – Neal  College Park Center 
Arlington, TX
Sun Belt Conference regular season
Dec 29, 2017
7:30 pm 		at Coastal Carolina L 65–90  9–5
(0–1) 		 17 – Wilson   9 – Hamilton   6 – Neal  HTC Center (1,223)
Conway, SC
Dec 31, 2017
1:30 pm 		at Appalachian State L 76–80  9–6
(0–2) 		 27 – Neal   8 – Tied   3 – Neal  Holmes Center (891)
Boone, NC
Jan 4, 2018
7:15 pm, ESPN3 		Troy W 86–76  10–6
(1–2) 		 21 – Neal   10 – Wilson   7 – Neal  College Park Center (1,868)
Arlington, TX
Jan 6, 2018
4:15 pm, ESPN3 		South Alabama W 91–67  11–6
(2–2) 		 19 – Wilson   12 – Hamilton   5 – Neal  College Park Center (1,914)
Arlington, TX
Jan 11, 2018
7:00 pm, l 		at Little Rock L 65–77  11–7
(2–3) 		 21 – Hervey   11 – Hamilton   5 – Neal  Jack Stephens Center (2,091)
Little Rock, AR
Jan 13, 2018
7:00 pm 		at Arkansas State W 97–71  12–7
(3–3) 		 19 – Hamilton   8 – Hamilton   7 – Hawkins  First National Bank Arena (2,461)
Jonesboro, AR
Jan 18, 2018
7:15 pm, ESPN3 		Louisiana L 65–77  12–8
(3–4) 		 25 – Hervey   9 – Hervey   4 – Neal  College Park Center (2,384)
Arlington, TX
Jan 20, 2018
4:15 pm, ESPN3 		Louisiana–Monroe W 71–55  13–8
(4–4) 		 21 – Hervey   11 – Hamilton   8 – Neal  College Park Center (2,138)
Arlington, TX
Jan 25, 2018
6:15 pm, ESPN3 		at Georgia State L 75–81  13–9
(4–5) 		 22 – Hervey   13 – Hervey   8 – Neal  GSU Sports Arena (1,567)
Atlanta, GA
Jan 27, 2017
4:00 pm, ESPN3 		at Georgia Southern L 59–74  13–10
(4–6) 		 29 – Hervey   11 – Kabadyundi   4 – Neal  Hanner Fieldhouse (2,511)
Statesboro, GA
Feb 1, 2017
7:15 pm, ESPN3 		Appalachian State W 89–77  14–10
(5–6) 		 38 – Neal   14 – Hervey   6 – Neal  College Park Center (2,330)
Arlington, TX
Feb 3, 2018
4:15 pm, ESPN3 		Coastal Carolina W 87–80  15–10
(6–6) 		 20 – Tied   13 – Hamilton   6 – Hawkins  College Park Center (2,011)
Arlington, TX
Feb 10, 2018
4:15 pm, ESPN3 		Texas State W 70–68 OT 16–10
(7–6) 		 33 – Hervey   12 – Hamilton   5 – Neal  College Park Center (2,602)
Arlington, TX
Feb 15, 2018
7:00 pm 		at Louisiana–Monroe L 71–84  16–11
(7–7) 		 35 – Neal   6 – Hamilton   5 – Hervey  Fant–Ewing Coliseum (1,439)
Monroe, LA
Feb 17, 2018
7:00 pm, ESPN3 		Louisiana L 79–100  16–12
(7–8) 		 26 – Neal   9 – Hervey   4 – Neal  Cajundome (5,104)
Lafayette, LA
Feb 22, 2017
7:00 pm, ESPN3 		Georgia Southern W 83–63  17–12
(8–8) 		 23 – Wilson   9 – Hervey   8 – Neal  College Park Center (2,099)
Arlington, TX
Feb 24, 2018
4:15 pm, ESPN3 		Georgia State W 89–81  18–12
(9–8) 		 24 – Neal   12 – Hervey   7 – Neal  College Park Center (2,803)
Arlington, TX
Mar 2, 2018
6:00 pm, ESPN2 		Texas State W 85–82  19–12
(10–8) 		 22 – Tied   11 – Hamilton   10 – Neal  Strahan Coliseum (3,356)
San Marcos, TX
Sun Belt tournament
Mar 9, 2018
2:00 pm, ESPN3 		(4) vs. (5) Appalachian State
Quarterfinals 		W 84–68  20–12
  37 – Neal   9 – Hamilton   3 – Tied  Lakefront Arena 
New Orleans, LA
Mar 10, 2018
11:30 am, ESPN3 		(4) vs. (1) Louisiana
Semifinals 		W 71–68  21–12
  18 – Neal   11 – Hervey   5 – Neal  Lakefront Arena 
New Orleans, LA
Mar 11, 2018
1:00 pm, ESPN2 		(4) vs. (2) Georgia State
Championship 		L 61–74  21–13
  23 – Hamilton   14 – Hamilton   3 – Neal  Lakefront Arena 
New Orleans, LA
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Central Time.

References

  1. ^ Humphrey, David (March 26, 2018). "UT Arlington makes sweeping changes, fires basketball coach Scott Cross, assistants". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Retrieved March 26, 2018.
  2. ^ "UT-Arlington to announce Texas Tech assistant Chris Ogden as its new men's basketball coach Friday". SportsDay. April 5, 2018. Retrieved April 6, 2018.
  3. ^ "After clinching regular-season Sun Belt title, UT Arlington chasing March Madness: 'It's a dream'". SportsDay. March 5, 2017. Retrieved December 6, 2017.
  4. ^ "Coastal Carolina vs. UT Arlington - Game Recap - March 10, 2017 - ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved December 6, 2017.
  5. ^ "Texas State vs. UT Arlington - Game Recap - March 11, 2017 - ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved December 6, 2017.
  6. ^ "UTA looks to avoid NIT letdown in first round at BYU". star-telegram. Retrieved December 6, 2017.
  7. ^ "UT-Arlington basketball routs BYU again in Marriott Center, this time 89-75". The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved December 6, 2017.
  8. ^ "UT Arlington vs. BYU - Game Recap - March 15, 2017 - ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved December 6, 2017.
  9. ^ "Akron vs. UT Arlington - Game Recap - March 20, 2017 - ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved December 6, 2017.
  10. ^ "CSU Bakersfield vs. UT Arlington - Game Recap - March 22, 2017 - ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved December 6, 2017.
  11. ^ "UTA comes up short in bid for NIT semifinals, but appears long on promise for the future". SportsDay. March 22, 2017. Retrieved December 6, 2017.
  12. ^ "Mavericks Add Pair Of Talented Transfers". University of Texas at Arlington. June 23, 2017. Retrieved November 12, 2017.