Confident UTSA visits Southern Miss as ‘bonus play’ looms

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Freshman Adokiye Iyaye says his UTSA teammates have a high level of confidence as they embark on a two-game trip this week to Southern Miss and Louisiana Tech. – Photo by Joe Alexander

After a clunky start to the season last fall, UTSA has transformed itself into a smooth operation, a basketball team that expects to win.

The Roadrunners have won 15 of their last 20 leading into a key Conference USA road trip this week to Southern Miss and Louisiana Tech.

Moreover, they’ve moved into a virtual tie for first in the C-USA with Old Dominion, all of which has made UTSA coach Steve Henson proud of his players for their efforts.

“Proud of the way they handled it early on when we weren’t winning, when we weren’t playing great basketball,” Henson said. “You know, our guys stayed together. They believed in each other. They knew they had enough talent in the locker room to turn it around.

“Early in the season, we talked about our leadership and maturity, and those things really came through when we needed them to.”

Old Dominion (20-6, 10-3) and UTSA (15-10, 9-3) lead the C-USA race as teams around the conference forge ahead into the last weekend before a four-game, ‘bonus play’ phase of the schedule commences next week.

In all, the Roadrunners will play six more games to complete the regular season, including Thursday night at Southern Miss and Saturday afternoon at Louisiana Tech.

At Southern Miss, the Roadrunners will play in a venue where they’re 0-5 all time, including 0-2 in two trips during the Henson era.

In addition, the fifth-place Golden Eagles (15-9, 7-5) have won four straight.
Given all that, Southern Miss can expect a serious challenge from the Nos. 1 and 3 scorers in the conference – UTSA guards Jhivvan Jackson and Keaton Wallace.

That winning feeling

The two have taken turns in leading the Roadrunners to important C-USA victories over North Texas, Old Dominion and Marshall.

“Whenever we step on the court, we just feel like we’re going to win every game,” UTSA freshman Adokiye Iyaye said. “That’s our approach.”

Coach Steve Henson says UTSA faces a tough six-game schedule to close the regular season. – Photo by Joe Alexander

After sweeping Florida International and Florida Atlantic last week, the Roadrunners learned late Saturday that they had clinched a spot in the top tier of bonus play.

In other words, UTSA will be grouped with the C-USA’s top five teams after Saturday to play its last four games.

“Well, it’s interesting,” Henson said. “It’s nice. I guess.

“It guarantees us six really, really tough games (to close the regular season). I know that. But it also gives us a chance to play the other teams that are fighting for the league championship.

“That’s the thing that’s unique. There’s a feeling that we’re starting something new, but in reality, it’s still regular season play.

“We know that we’re going to have four really tough games. Two at home. Two on the road. That’s all we know at this point.”

New schedule origins

The new scheduling format was voted in last spring in an effort to help the conference get more than one team into the NCAA Tournament.

It was also designed to help an NCAA qualifier, or qualifiers, get higher seeds in the 68-team bracket.

Henson said it doesn’t look like the C-USA will get a second team in the NCAA field this season.

The coach said it’s unlikely that anyone beyond the C-USA tournament champion will make it because teams didn’t do enough in pre-conference games for the ‘bonus play’ matchups to help.

Asked if he thinks C-USA will elect to employ the ‘bonus play’ experiment next year if, as expected, a second team doesn’t make it, Henson declined to speculate.

“Well, it’ll be interesting,” the coach said. “We’ll go to those league meetings. Everybody will start out the meeting trying to figure out what’s best for the league, and then in the end, everyone starts fighting for their own territory.

“You know, it’s hard. You got to get 14 people on the same page. You have to look at the big picture. We all are in agreement (that) we want to be a two-bid league. A three-bid league. We’ll agree that the teams at the top are good enough.”

Searching for answers

Henson pointed out that the one C-USA entry in the NCAA field each of the past four seasons has won at least one game against a higher-seeded opponent.

“You know, we go to the NCAA Tournament every year, and we win … four straight years, against elite opponents,” he said. “We go in with a low seed and knock off good teams. We know the potential is there.

“We just have to figure out the best way to do it.”

Texas Longhorns continue to search for consistency

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Inconsistency continues to plague the Texas Longhorns leading into a Saturday afternoon home game against Oklahoma State.

When the Longhorns tip off against the Cowboys at noon, the Longhorns will try to gain some traction after having lost seven of their last 11.

Their latest stumble?

Well, let’s just say the Kansas State Wildcats thoroughly enjoyed themselves Tuesday night in downing the ‘Horns 71-64 in Austin.

Big 12-leading Kansas State shot 54.9 percent from the floor and held Texas to 25 points in the second half.

Maddening stuff for Longhorns fans after watching their team chalk up non-conference victories over Arkansas, North Carolina and Purdue in November and December.

On the strength of its non-conference schedule and some solid efforts during that stretch, forecasters still believe Texas is an NCAA Tournament team.

But how many more times can it afford to score 61 points at home and still be regarded as worthy of an NCAA at-large bid?

Records

Kansas State 19-5, 9-2
Texas 14-11 6-6

Freshmen pace No. 14 Kansas past TCU, 82-77, in OT

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Kansas coach Bill Self started four freshman in Fort Worth Monday night in hopes of lighting a spark for the 14th-ranked Jayhawks.

Two of them answered with standout performances in a 82-77 victory in overtime against the TCU Horned Frogs at Schollmaier Arena.

In a game Kansas needed to win to stay in the race for its 15th-straight Big 12 title, freshmen guards Devon Dotson and Ochai Agbaji combined for 45 points.

Dotson produced a career-high 25 and also pulled down 10 rebounds. Agbaji added 20 points and 11 rebounds.

Desmond Bane led the Horned Frogs with 18 points.

Trailing by 12 with nine minutes remaining, TCU rallied with a 20-8 run to tie it at the end of regulation.

TCU had a chance to win at the buzzer, but guard Kendrick Davis couldn’t get a shot off in time.

Kansas played without senior guard Lagerald Vick (leave of absence) and sophomore forward Marcus Garrett (injury).

Standout power forward Dedric Lawson and two other Kansas players fouled out, leaving the Jayhawks scrambling to win it in the extra period.

Down by five early in overtime, the Horned Frogs rallied to tie on a JD Miller hook shot with 1:29 remaining.

Dotson, a 6-2 guard from Charlotte, N.C., answered for Kansas by making six of six free throws down the stretch.

Records

Kansas 19-6, 8-4
TCU 17-7, 5-6

Houston rises to No. 9 in Associated Press poll

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The Houston Cougars on Monday moved up to No. 9 in the weekly Associated Press Top 25 college basketball poll.

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

UTSA clinches berth in C-USA’s top tier for ‘bonus play’

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

Conference USA scoring leader Jhivvan Jackson says UTSA is ready for heightened competition in the next six regular-season games, including the last four in ‘bonus play.’

The UTSA Roadrunners knew immediately after Saturday’s victory over Florida Atlantic that they would have a good chance to qualify for the top tier in Conference USA’s new ‘bonus play’ format.

After the results of other C-USA games rolled in Saturday night, it was confirmed.

The Roadrunners have clinched a spot in regular season-ending, round-robin play involving the top five teams in the conference standings, a school spokesman said in a text Sunday.

As a result, the Roadrunners will play at Southern Miss on Thursday and at Louisiana Tech on Saturday, before getting slotted into a two-week, four-game bonus play schedule against the rest of the best in the conference.

C-USA scoring leader Jhivvan Jackson said Saturday that he believes the Roadrunners will be ready to stand up to what promises to be a rigorous test of their ability.

“We’re prepared for our next one,” Jackson said. “We take it one at a time. But, I mean, our team is really prepared. You know, our preparation for the games is outstanding. We key in on things that a lot of teams don’t key in on. I mean, we just come out to the games, and just show it.

“The next six (games are) going to be as tough as any we’ve played, but we’re ready. We’re just focused on Southern Miss right now.”

The schedule for the bonus play round is expected to be sorted out by the conference office after Saturday night. Possible dates for the games are Feb. 23, Feb. 28, March 3, March 6 and March 9.

Other pods in bonus play will include teams from Nos. 6-10 and 11-14 in the standings.

The C-USA tournament is March 13-16 in Frisco at The Ford Center. The winner of the event in Frisco will clinch the C-USA’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

Adding sizzle to the top-tier designation, the top five teams in the bonus-play round will be playing for the top four seeds in the tournament.

Getting a top-four seeding would be meaningful for the Roadrunners, who would then be in position to qualify for the NCAA Tournament with three victories in Frisco, rather than four.

It’s a key for UTSA’s team, which relies primarily on a seven-man rotation.

The Roadrunners haven’t played in the national tournament since 2011.

C-USA standings
x-Old Dominion 10-3, 20-6
x-UTSA 9-3, 15-10
North Texas 8-4, 20-5
Western Kentucky 8-4, 15-10
Southern Miss 7-5, 15-9
UAB 6-6, 14-11
Marshall 6-6, 13-12
Louisiana Tech 5-7, 15-10
FIU 5-7, 14-11
Florida Atlantic 5-7, 14-11
Rice 5-7, 10-15
Middle Tennessee 5-7, 8-17
UTEP 3-9, 8-15
Charlotte 3-10, 6-18

x-clinched top tier in C-USA bonus play

UTSA defeats FAU for its 10th straight win at home

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Everyone, it seems, wants to know the real nickname for the UTSA tandem of Jhivvan Jackson and Keaton Wallace.

Roadrunners coach Steve Henson admits he doesn’t know.

“I don’t,” he said. “I’ve been calling them the Dallas Duo. Other people have been calling them the Dynamic Duo. Somebody’s got to come up with something pretty good for ’em. They’ve been doing some special things.”

If they continue to play at their current level for the next three weeks, the issue may resolve itself by default.

By the first week of March, the nickname could become something mundane. Something like, say, “Conference USA champions.”

Jackson and Wallace scored 24 points each Saturday, pacing UTSA to an 86-74 victory over the Florida Atlantic University Owls.

The win was the 10th straight at home for the Roadrunners, who remained a half game back of first-place Old Dominion.

Records

Florida Atlantic 14-11, 5-7
UTSA 15-10, 9-3

C-USA leaders

Old Dominion 10-3, UTSA 9-3, North Texas 8-4, Western Kentucky 8-4, Southern Miss 7-5, UAB 6-6, Marshall 6-6. (The top five in the standings after next weekend qualify for the the top tier of the conference’s four-game bonus round.)

Title chase rundown

In other games involving the conference’s leaders, Old Dominion won on the road at Middle Tennessee, 55-50, to maintain a half game lead on UTSA. Western Kentucky claimed a 62-59 victory over North Texas in Denton.

Individuals

Florida Atlantic — Kevaughn Ellis 14 points, 4 of 6 on three-pointers. Anthony Adger 12 points, 11 rebounds. Michael Forrest 13 points, 4 assists.

UTSA — Jhivvan Jackson 24 points, 6 of 12 on three-pointers. Also, 9 rebounds, 3 assists. Keaton Wallace 24 points on 5 of 13 from three. Also, 8 rebounds, 2 assists. Giovanni De Nicolao 10 points, 10 assists, 5 rebounds. Off the bench, Atem Bior 9 points, 3 rebounds.

Second-half surge

With the game tied 53-53 early in the second half, UTSA reeled off 16 straight points to take control.

The UTSA defense sparked the spree by forcing FAU into seven straight missed shots and four turnovers.

De Nicolao ignited it offensively with a three-pointer. Nick Allen finished it with a driving layup to make it 69-53 with 9:21 remaining.

UTSA battled with Florida Atlantic throughout a physical first half and emerged with a seven-point halftime lead. Jackson scored 16 and Wallace 14 for the Roadrunners.

UTSA fans booed the visiting team and the referees on a few controversial plays before halftime.

On one, as seen below, Jackson drove into traffic, drew contact and fell to the floor but did not get a call.

Later, Wallace drove and got nailed, landing hard on his back and elbow. Wallace was awarded free throws, but FAU was not charged with a flagrant foul.

Notable

Jackson boosted his season average to 22.7 points per game. Wallace is averaging 21.0. They rank Nos. 1 and 3 on the updated C-USA scoring chart … Wallace’s five three-pointers gave him 101 for the season, a UTSA record … Forward Nick Allen received six stitches to repair a cut above his nose at halftime. He returned to the court with 15:56 left in the game and played most of the rest of the second half.

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

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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

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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

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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

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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.