SAN ANTONIO – The UTSA men’s basketball team (8-8, 2-2 AAC) are on a roll after peeling off two consecutive American Athletic Conference wins in the past week. The Roadrunners return to the friendly confines of the Convocation Center with North Texas (12-4, 3-1 AAC) coming to San Antonio on Saturday, Jan. 18. Saturday’s Salute to Educators game will air on UTSA radio and be streamed live on ESPN+ with a 3 p.m. tipoff. The Roadrunners are 5-2 at home on the year.
Ticket Information
2024-25 Single Game Tickets
Direct Link: am.ticketmaster.com/utxsanant/buy / Educators ticket special
Adults: $15
Juniors (ages 3-18): $13
Seniors (ages 65+): $13
Military (with ID): $13
Students: Free Admission with UTSA ID, download tickets at goUTSA.com/studentlogin.
Calling All Students!
With classes starting back up next week and UTSA students rejoining the on-campus community, Roadrunner students are invited to come and cheer UTSA to victory over North Texas. UTSA Athletics will be providing free pizza to students in attendance with their student ID.
Salute to Educators
There is a ticket special for educators for buy-one, get-one tickets at $15 that can be purchased here. UTSA Most Valuable Professors have been invited by the players and recognized on court, in addition to recognition for all educators in attendance. The Coaches will wear Fight for Literacy pins and there will be promotions of the campaign throughout the game.
On the Air and on the Web
Saturday’s matchup at the Convocation Center will stream live on ESPN+ with Karl Schoening (play-by-play), UTSA Hall-of-Famer Devin Brown (analyst) and Taylor Guajardo (reporter) on the broadcast call.
The radio broadcast will appear on Sports Radio AM 760 The Ticket with Andy Everett (play-by-play) and former coach Tim Carter (analyst) covering the action. As always, the broadcast will feature a 30-minute pregame and 15-minute postgame show – available online at Ticket760.com or via the free iHeartRadio app.
UTSA Athletics will also provide Live Stats.
About the UTSA Roadrunners
After a challenging start to the American Athletic Conference schedule, the Roadrunners have put some pieces together quickly and reeled off two consecutive league wins in thrilling fashion over the past week. Last Saturday, the Roadrunners lit it up beyond the arc to put away Wichita State, 88-75, at home. On Tuesday, UTSA went on the road and defeated Rice with a triple-tandem effort from Primo Spears, Marcus Millender and Raekwon Horton, which amounted to 71 points in UTSA’s 90-84 victory – that 90 points coming against one of the stingiest defensive teams in the AAC.
The third-highest scoring team in the AAC, the Roadrunners average 80.3 ppg as a team, aided by a conference-topping 9.9 three-pointers per game (36th NCAA) and nationally second-ranked 81.8 free throw percentage. If the Roadrunners aren’t killing at the line or from distance, then it’s in transition, where UTSA is fifth nationally with 17.5 ppg off fast breaks. The entire season to date, that stat has been fueled by an 11th-ranked 10.1 steals per outing.
The spotlight continues to shine on senior guard Spears, who boasts an NCAA fifth-best 21.7 ppg, coming off a 26-point outburst against Rice – his 10th 20+ game this season. Spears also averages 3.8 assists and 1.7 steals per game, shooting 43.5 percent from the floor and 87.1 percent at the free throw line. Sophomore point guard Millender has been coming on strong lately, dropping 20+ points in each of the past two games, including a season-high 25 against Rice in his hometown of Houston into his 11.8 ppg – along with 3.3 assists on average. The almost unsung hero has been senior Horton in the post, who averages 11.5 ppg and 7.0 rpg on the season, but has broken out for 15.6 points, 7.8 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 2.0 steals across the past five games. UTSA is one of only two teams in The American with five players averaging double figures, as Tai’Reon Joseph has been strong since debuting in December with 10.7 ppg, while Damari Monsanto leads the conference with 3.2 three-pointers per game toward his 10.3 ppg average. On the glass, Jonnivius Smith is third in the AAC at 8.1 rpg and also third with 1.6 bpg.
About the Series
One of the Roadrunners’ longest-running rivalry series, Saturday will mark the 35th meeting between UTSA and North Texas in the series dating to the first UTSA season in 1982. After UTSA’s 64-62 surge past the Mean Green last season in Denton, UTSA trails in the series 13-21, with an 8-10 record at home in the Convocation Center. Head coach Austin Claunch will meet UNT for the first time on Saturday, while UNT’s Ross Hodge is is 2-1 as head coach against the Roadrunners. Last season’s win snapped a four-game UTSA losing skid in the series. UTSA has fallen the past two home outings, with the last home victory coming in January 2021 with a 77-69 final.
About the North Texas Mean Green
North Texas comes into Saturday with a 3-1 league record and is 12-4 overall in the second season since Hodge was elevated to head coach. Testing the Roadrunners’ offensive fortitude in consecutive games, North Texas leads the AAC and ranks fifth in the NCAA in scoring defense, holding the opposition to 58.8 points on average. The Mean Green’s opponents have shot 42.1 percent from the field and 33.1 percent from three, while forcing an AAC second-most 14.3 turnovers and 8.9 steals – sitting directly behind UTSA in both stats. North Texas’ tempo is also key in keeping the scoring low, as they score 69.2 ppg with a mostly half-court offense and limit transitions with the 360th-ranked pace of play and 359th average possession length. The Mean Green are also the highest NET-rating squad the Roadrunners have faced since opening conference play at 57th.
Leading the charge in scoring, senior guard Atin Wright is in his second UNT season and averaging 13.6 ppg as the most constant shooter, long-range threat at 40 percent outside and league leader at the free throw line on 94.1 percent shooting. Former Florida Atlantic guard Brenen Lorient is averaging 12.1 ppg coming off the bench each night. Fairfield transfer Jasper Floyd paces the team with 3.8 assists in addition to 7.9 points. On the boards, where UNT only collects 32.4 per game, it’s a group effort but Moulaye Sissoko tops the squad at 5.7 rpg in his third UNT season.
Up Next
The Roadrunners head back out to Alabama to face league-leading UAB on Tuesday in Birmingham, their third conference road game of the season. Tipoff between the Roadrunners and Blazers is set for 6:30 p.m. at Bartow Arena on Jan. 21. Next Saturday will again see the Roadrunners return to the Convo, hosting a resurged Temple squad on Jan. 25.
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