Monthly Archives: February 2019

Title-hungry UTSA can’t afford a loss today against FAU

Posted on by
Steve Henson. UTSA beat Florida International 100-67 on Thursday, Feb. 7, 2019, at the UTSA Convocation Center. - photo by Joe Alexander

UTSA coach Steve Henson leads his team into a 3 p.m. home game today against the FAU Owls. His Roadrunners need a victory to boost their conference title hopes. – Photo by Joe Alexander

For the UTSA Roadrunners, the mental approach has become almost as important as the physical challenge leading into the stretch run of a race for the Conference USA championship.

For instance, the Roadrunners scorched the FIU Panthers 100-67 on Thursday night, scoring 50 points in each half and running away with one of their best performances of the season.

Keaton Wallace. UTSA beat Florida International 100-67 on Thursday, Feb. 7, 2019, at the UTSA Convocation Center. - photo by Joe Alexander

Keaton Wallace led the Roadrunners with 27 points against FIU. -Photo by Joe Alexander.

On the other hand, the effort wasn’t good enough for them to make up any ground on their competitors at the top of the standings.

Both Old Dominion and North Texas also won, leaving the three teams in a virtual tie for first place with seven games left in the regular season.

UTSA once again will try to take the lead in the C-USA race when it hosts the Florida Atlantic Owls today at 3 p.m.

The Roadrunners worked on some FAU-related issues Friday afternoon, but the intensity wasn’t at an extremely high level, as coaches tried to make sure the players are ready for the Owls with fresh legs.

Mentally, players have been told that even though they have won eight out of 11 C-USA games, they can’t afford “slippage.”

In other words, a nine-game home winning streak is nice, the longest at UTSA in 27 years.

But they don’t want to wake up on Sunday having lost to an FAU team jockeying for position in the middle of the 14-team standings.

“We try to be real honest with them,” UTSA coach Steve Henson said.

“We try not to over-sell anything to em. On one hand, we’re in great shape. On the other hand, the standings are still pretty bunched up. We just can’t afford any slippage at this point in the season.”

Atem Bior. UTSA beat Florida International 100-67 on Thursday, Feb. 7, 2019, at the UTSA Convocation Center. - photo by Joe Alexander

Junior forward Atem Bior has scored 12 points off the bench in each of UTSA’s last two games. – Photo by Joe Alexander

Old Dominion leads at 9-3, with UTSA and North Texas at 8-3. Western Kentucky looms in fourth place at 7-4. Three other teams are tied for fifth at 6-5.

“There could be a lot of movement with three games left in this round, and you’ve got four more games left in bonus play, on top of that,” Henson said. “There’s a lot of basketball to be played. You want to keep doing what we’re doing. Preparing the same way.”

A loss to FAU could be extremely costly, as UTSA faces next week an always-difficult road trip to Southern Miss and Louisiana Tech.

Likely, UTSA needs to win two of the three games to be assured of making it to bonus play in the top tier.

In bonus play, teams will be grouped together, with five in the top tier, five in a middle tier and four in a lower tier. Each group will play four games in a round-robin format.

It’s critical for UTSA to be in the top-five tier, because teams in sixth place or below after next Saturday are effectively shut out of the chance for a top-four position going into the C-USA tournament.

Only the top five can secure a top-four seed, which guarantees a bye through the first round of the tournament.

In other words, if the Roadrunners slipped and lose two of their next three games, they could be faced with having to win four games in four days at Frisco for the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

Nick Allen. UTSA beat Mid-American Christian 104-74 on Saturday, Dec. 8, 2018, at the UTSA Convocation Center. - photo by Joe Alexander

Nick Allen had 11 points and 10 rebounds against FIU. – Photo by Joe Alexander

Considering that UTSA has played all year with a seven-man rotation, that would be a difficult task.

So, even though the Roadrunners feel good about their standing at the moment, their sense of urgency against FAU needs to remain high to avoid what could lead to an extremely uncomfortable feeling leading into next week.

“Again that’s where our maturity comes out,” Henson said. “Guys understand it’s nice to be where we’re at, but if you slip up, any day, then we’re losing ground. We won a game on Thursday, but the teams we’re competing against won, as well.

“So, we didn’t gain any ground except on the peoeple behind us. A lot of work to do.”

C-USA Standings

Old Dominion 9-3, 19-6
North Texas 8-3, 20-4
UTSA 8-3, 14-10
Western Kentucky 7-4, 14-10
Southern Miss 6-5, 14-9
UAB 6-5, 14-10
Marshall 6-5, 13-11
LA Tech 5-6, 15-9
FIU 5-6, 14-10
FAU 5-6, 14-10
Middle Tennessee 5-6, 8-16
Rice 4-7, 9-15
UTEP 2-9, 7-15
Charlotte 2-10, 5-18

Today’s schedule

FAU at UTSA, 3 p.m.
LA Tech at Southern Miss, 4 p.m.
Western Kentucky at North Texas, 5 p.m.
Old Dominion at Middle Tennessee, 6 p.m.
Marshall at Rice, 7 p.m.
Charlotte at UAB, 7 p.m.
FIU at UTEP, 8 p.m.

Wallace’s slam punctuates UTSA’s romp past FIU, 100-67

Posted on by
UTSA guard Keaton Wallace throws down a dunk in the second half of the Roadrunners' 100-67 victory over Florida International on Thursday at the Convocation Center. - photo by Joe Alexander

UTSA guard Keaton Wallace throws down a dunk in the second half of the Roadrunners’ 100-67 victory over Florida International on Thursday at the Convocation Center. – Photo by Joe Alexander

Phi Slama Jama, they aren’t.

But Keaton Wallace and Nick Allen raised some eyebrows anyway, throwing down second-half dunks Thursday night to punctuate UTSA’s 100-67 victory over the FIU Panthers.

Wallace scored 27 points to lead the Roadrunners.

An announced crowd of 1,493 at the UTSA Convocation Center watched as UTSA stormed to a 17-2 lead in the first six minutes.

Bidding for their first Conference USA title, the Roadrunners never trailed in the game and pumped the lead to 20 at halftime and to 30 with 11:43 remaining.

With the performance, UTSA extended its home winning streak to nine in a row, the longest for the Roadrunners in 27 years.

Records

FIU 14-10, 5-6
UTSA 14-10, 8-3

Title chase

Old Dominion leads the C-USA race with a 9-3 record, followed by UTSA and North Texas at 8-3.

Notable

Wallace, a 6-3 sophomore from Dallas, has averaged 32.5 points per game in his last four. Most of his damage is done outside the three-point arc, as he has hit 25 from distance in that stretch, but his second-half dunk created a stir.

Quotable

“I tried to stay calm, but I kind of wanted to jump and down like everyone else. That was pretty impressive. Keaton didn’t always show that type of athleticism a year ago. He really didn’t show it that much in the offseason. It’s just kind of happened as the season’s gone along.” — UTSA coach Steve Henson.

First half

Despite a quiet first half from leading scorer Jhivvan Jackson, the UTSA Roadrunners powered to a 20-point lead on the FIU Panthers.

Jackson, who scored 76 points in two road games last week, hit only one basket — a three-pointer — in six attempts from the field.

But Jackson’s friends more than made up for it.

Shooting 61.8 percent in the first half, the Roadrunners employed the offensive skills of several players to run away from the Panthers.

Giovanni De Nicolao had 11 points and led three players in double figures. Keaton Wallace and Atem Bio scored 10 apiece.

Individuals

FIU — Brian Beard, Jr., 14 points, 5 of 11 shooting, 3 streals. Devon Andrews, 14 points, 5 of 12. Osasumwen Osaghae, 5 points, 9 rebounds, 3 blocks.

UTSA — Keaton Wallace, 27 points, 5 of 6 from three-point range, 6 rebounds, 4 assists. Giovanni De Nicolao, 16 points, 5 rebounds. Jhivvan Jackson, 13 points, 4 of 15 shooting, 6 assists, 2 steals. Atem Bior, 12 points, 5 of 7 shooting. Nick Allen, 11 points, 10 rebounds.

Wallace’s dunk highlights victory over FIU

Posted on by

UTSA players on the bench watch the replay of teammate Keaton Wallace's second-half slam dunk on Thursday at the Convocation Center. - photo by Joe Alexander

UTSA players on the bench watch the replay of teammate Keaton Wallace’s second-half slam dunk.

UTSA had already pushed its lead to 30 points when Roadrunners sophomore Keaton Wallace threw down a thunderous dunk late in a 100-67 victory over Florida International on Thursday at the Convocation Center.

See Wallace’s dunk below:

UTSA vs. Florida International photo gallery

Posted on by

UTSA guard Giovanni De Nicolao goes in for a shot against Florida International during the Roadrunners' 100-67 victory. - photo by Joe Alexander

UTSA guard Giovanni De Nicolao goes in for a shot against Florida International.

Keaton Wallace scored 27 points, Giovanni De Nicolao had 16 and UTSA shot 58.0 percent for the game in a 100-67 victory over Florida International on Thursday at the Convocation Center.

UTSA to host fast-paced FIU Panthers tonight

Posted on by


Emotions overflow at the end of a memorable game on Jan. 26 at the UTSA Convocation Center. After Keaton Wallace hits a falling-down three out of the corner for the go-ahead basket, Old Dominion misses three times in the last 15 seconds, setting off a wild celebration. UTSA erased an 18-point deficit in the final 4:43 to win, 74-73.

When the Florida International University Panthers are at their best, they’re pressuring the ball, pushing the pace and scoring points in a hurry.

Led by first-year head coach Jeremy Ballard, FIU is expected to bring that mindset to San Antonio tonight in a Conference USA road test against UTSA.

The Panthers have forced opponents into 20.3 turnovers per game, turning those miscues into 20.5 points — good for 23.9 percent of their scoring.

A game with pace might not be a bad thing for the Roadrunners, who have cranked up their offense to challenge for first place in the C-USA.

UTSA is coming off a wild road trip in which it scored 204 points in two games that both went to overtime.

In a 96-88 loss to Western Kentucky, and then in a 116-106 victory at Marshall, UTSA guards Jhivvan Jackson and Keaton Wallace took turns scorching the nets for more than 40 points.

Jackson had 46 at Western Kentucky and Wallace 45 at Marshall for the third- and fourth-best scoring games in school history.

UTSA has bigger plans than simply running up big offensive numbers.

The Roadrunners, under third-year coach Steve Henson, are playing to win the C-USA title and reach the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2011.

C-USA standings
Old Dominion 8-3, 18-6
North Texas 7-3, 19-4
UTSA 7-3, 13-10
UAB 6-4, 14-9
Marshall 6-4, 13-10
W. Kentucky 6-4, 13-10
Southern Miss 6-5, 14-9
FIU 5-5, 14-9
LA Tech 5-6, 15-9
FAU 4-6, 13-10
Rice 4-6, 9-14
Middle Tennessee 4-6, 7-16
UTEP 2-8, 7-14
Charlotte 2-9, 5-17

Tonight’s schedule
Charlotte at Middle Tennessee 6:30 p.m.
Old Dominion at UAB, 7 p.m.
FIU at UTSA, 7 p.m.
Marshall at North Texas, 7 p.m.
Western Kentucky at Rice, 8 p.m.
FAU at UTEP, 8 p.m.

Fifth-ranked Kentucky starts to live up to its expectations

Posted on by

Year to year, few teams in the nation can say they live with higher expectations than the Kentucky Wildcats.

This year, it was no different.

The Wildcats opened as the No. 2 team in the nation in the Associated Press preseason poll, but after Kentucky debuted with a 118-84 loss to Duke, some started to wonder.

In coming weeks, the skepticism expanded with two more losses, one to Seton Hall, and another to Alabama.

The latter left Kentucky with a 10-3 overall record just as it moved into into the Southestern Conference phase of its schedule.

As it turns out, Kentucky may very well be a Final Four contender, after all.

After back-to-back defensive gems against Vanderbilt and Florida last week, the Wildcats have moved up to No. 5 in the AP poll.

Against Florida, Kentucky trailed by 11 with 13 minutes remaining in Gainesville and rallied to win, 65-54.

“There’s nothing really to say,” forward PJ Washington told the AP in Florida. “We know that we have to come together. You’re down 11 on the road. We just have to come together and have each other’s back and definitely just lock down on defense. We just had to dig down deep, come out and get it done.

“We didn’t want to lose.”

With an 18-3 overall record and an eight-game winning streak, the Wildcats have started to build an impressive body of work on the season.

Even though they got blown out by the Blue Devils early, they have defeated North Carolina and Kansas in two high-profile, non-conference tests.

How good are they?

Good enough for a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament?

Well, Washington is an emerging as a star, averaging 20.5 points and 10.5 rebounds in his last four games.

As a team, the Wildcats have held opponents to 59.2 points on 37.5 percent shooting during the eight-game streak.

Let’s just say, we’ll know more by the first week of March.

On Feb. 16, the Wildcats host the No. 1-ranked Tennessee Vols. On March 2, they play the Vols on the road in Knoxville.

AP Top 25
1. Tennessee 20-1 SE
2. Duke 19-2 ACC
3. Virginia 20-1 ACC
4. Gonzaga 21-2 West Coast
5. Kentucky 18-3 SEC
6. Nevada 21-1 Mountain West
7. Michigan 20-2 Big Ten
8. North Carolina 17-4 ACC
9. Michigan State 18-4 Big Ten
10. Marquette 19-3 Big East
11. Virginia Tech 18-3 ACC
12. Houston 21-1 American
13. Kansas 17-5 Big 12
14. Villanova 18-4 Big East
15. Purdue 16-6 Big Ten
16. Louisville 16-6 ACC
17. Iowa State 17-5 Big 2
18. Texas Tech 17-5 Big 12
19. Wisconsin 16-6 Big Ten
20. Iowa 17-5 Big Ten
21. LSU 17-4 SEC
22. Florida State 16-5 ACC
23. Buffalo 19-3 Mid-American
24. Maryland 17-6 ACC
25. Cincinnati 19-3 American

Wild times: UTSA outscores Marshall, 116-106, in OT

Posted on by

At one point Saturday night, the stars just didn’t seem to be aligned for UTSA coach Steve Henson to celebrate a happy birthday.

His team blew a four-point lead in the last eight seconds of regulation against the Marshall Thundering Herd.

But as it turned out, birthday No. 51 emerged as one for the books for Henson and the Roadrunners.

Keaton Wallace scored 14 of his career-high 45 points in overtime as UTSA knocked off Marshall, 116-106, in a Conference USA thriller at Huntington, West Virginia.

“Last game, coach got on us, so we knew we had to step up for him,” Wallace told a television reporter for Stadium College Basketball. “Today’s his birthday. We had to get a dub for coach.”

Two nights ago, Western Kentucky beat UTSA 96-88 in overtime to spoil a career-high 46-point effort from Roadrunners guard Jhivvan Jackson.

But on the back end of a memorable two-game road trip, Wallace broke the 40-point barrier for the first time in his career and Jackson scored 30, lifting the Roadrunners into a tie for second in the C-USA standings.

“Every time somebody asks me about Jhivvan, I talk about Keaton,” Henson told the television network. “Both those guys are doing great things for us this year. Keaton’s worked incredibly hard. He’s been special all year long.

“I’m not surprised that he would have a good game like that.

“It was good for our guys to gt that win after what happened to us on Thursday. The way it happened, it was pretty special for us.”

Old Dominion leads the C-USA at 8-3, followed by UTSA and North Texas at 7-3. UAB, Marshall and Western Kentucky are knotted at 6-4.

Records

UTSA 13-10, 7-3
Marshall 13-10, 6-4

Notable

The game featured two of the most dynamic backcourts in the C-USA — Wallace and Jackson for UTSA and C.J. Burks and Jon Elmore for Marshall. Burks scored 31 points and Elmore produced 29, including a four-point play to force the overtime. Elmore hit a three from the wing, got fouled by Atem Bior with 3.1 seconds left, and then followed with the game-tying free throw.

Quotable

“When we did not win in regulation, I was kicking myself over there,” Henson told UTSA’s radio broadcast. “Again, a couple of plays that we got to avoid. Plays we’ve got to make, to win in regulation … When it happens to you two times in three nights, it’s pretty hard to bounce back. I was really, really proud of the way they played really the whole second half, and especially overtime.”

And, finally …

Bior, a junior from Brisbane, Australia, produced his first career double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds. He had eight defensive boards and four on the offensive end. He also had a steal and a blocked shot … UTSA snapped a string of three straight road losses, improving to 2-3 on the road in the C-USA … The Roadrunners are 10-3 in their last 13 games overall.

UTA silences record crowd, beats Texas State in double OT

Posted on by

Brian Warren scored 30 points Saturday afternoon to silence the largest crowd in the history of Strahan Arena, leading UT-Arlington past the Texas State Bobcats, 84-77, in double overtime.

It was the sixth win in seven games for the Sun Belt Conference’s streaking Mavericks, who are playing in their first season under head coach Chris Ogden.

Guard Nijal Pearson produced 15 points, 7 rebounds and 4 steals for the Bobcats, who were playing in front of an announced home crowd of 6,581.

Records

UTA 10-12, 6-3
Texas State 17-5, 6-3

Quotable

“I’ve said it all year, and our guys have heard it all season, that we want to be playing our best basketball in February and March. Well, this is a pretty good start to that stretch we’ve emphasized for so long … I’m so proud of these guys.” — UTA coach Chris Ogden