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BYU basketball: Scouting NIT opponent UT Arlington

By Nathan Cunningham

December 8, 2016; Moraga, CA, USA; UT Arlington Mavericks player Kevin Hervey (25) drives to the basket against Saint Mary's Gaels guard Joe Rahon (25) and forward Kyle Clark (33) during the first half at McKeon Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
December 8, 2016; Moraga, CA, USA; UT Arlington Mavericks player Kevin Hervey (25) drives to the basket against Saint Mary's Gaels guard Joe Rahon (25) and forward Kyle Clark (33) during the first half at McKeon Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports /
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BYU basketball is in the NIT for the second-straight year. This time, the Cougars will be facing the UT Arlington Mavericks.

More BYU basketball is never a bad thing. Well, assuming the Cougars don’t lay an egg like they did against St. Mary’s.

With any luck, BYU basketball uses that as motivation to go on a run in the NIT.

To do that, the Cougars will need to get by the UT Arlington Mavericks. At first glance, one might assume UTA poses no challenge to the Cougars. But make no mistake, the Mavericks are a quality basketball team and want nothing more than to stroll into the Marriott Center and knock off the Cougars.

It wouldn’t be the first time the Mavericks have done that to a West Coast Conference team, either.

The Schedule

UT Arlington went 25-8 this season, winning the Sun Belt regular season title and going 14-4 in conference play.

The Mavericks picked up a number of quality wins, but played a number of NCAA Tournament teams well. UTA lost to Minnesota and Florida Gulf Coast early in the season, and fell to eventual conference champ Troy.

But UTA had a number of really strong wins, that more than outweigh the losses.

The Mavericks defeated Mount St. Mary’s at home, a rebuilding Texas Longhorns team on the road, Georgia State and Texas State, but most noticeably the Mavericks knocked off then No. 12 St. Mary’s… in Moraga.

Not only did the Mavericks beat St. Mary’s, but they handled the Gaels, winning 65-51. They are St. Mary’s only non-Gonzaga loss.

The Roster

UTA primarily used a nine-man rotation, with each of those players clocking in more than nine minutes per game. However things will change some for UTA, since losing Jalen Jones to a hand injury in the Sun Belt quarterfinals. Jones was one of three Mavericks to average 10+ points per game.

The rest of the rotation players are: Sun Belt Player of the Year Kevin Hervey, Erick Neal, Jorge Bilbao, Kaelon Wilson, Drew Charles, Faith Pope and Julian Harris.

Junior forward Hervey, the team’s leading scorer, is averaging 17.1 points per game and also leads the squad with 8.6 rebounds per game.

UTA is an experienced team, with 11 upperclassmen on the roster. All nine members of UTA’s typical rotation are juniors and seniors. That could be problematic for the young BYU basketball team.

Eric Mika and Yoeli Childs will have to lock down the paint and attempt to limit Hervey’s productivity.

Other Things of Note

UTA’s head coach, Scott Cross, is the Sun Belt Coach of the Year. He’s 202-147 and is in his 11th season with the Mavericks.

UTA averaged 77.3 points per game while shooting 45.8 percent from the field and 33.7 percent from 3-point range.

The largest crowd UTA has played in front of this season was 13,587 (at Arkansas).

Next: BYU basketball player grades

BYU basketball, should it defeat UTA, would host the next round regardless of who wins the No. 2 Houston vs No. 7 Akron game, because Houston’s gym is undergoing renovations.

The Cougars and Mavericks will tip off at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, March 15 in the Marriott Center.

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