Middle Tenn. faces N. Texas in CUSA tourney

Published Mar. 9, 2021 6:45 a.m. ET

Associated Press

Middle Tennessee (5-17, 3-13) vs. No. 3 seed North Texas (13-9, 9-5)

Conference USA Conference Tourney Second Round, Ford Center at The Star, Frisco, Texas; Wednesday, 10 p.m. EST

BOTTOM LINE: Middle Tennessee is set to face off against North Texas in the second round of the CUSA tournament. North Texas lost 65-61 to UAB on Saturday, while Middle Tennessee came up short in a 63-54 game against Florida Atlantic on Friday.

PLENTY OF EXPERIENCE: Senior leadership could play a big role in the outcome of this game. Javion Hamlet, Zachary Simmons, James Reese and Thomas Bell have collectively accounted for 65 percent of all North Texas scoring this season. For Middle Tennessee, Jordan Davis, Jo'Vontae Millner-Criss, Jalen Jordan and DeAndre Dishman have collectively accounted for 52 percent of all Middle Tennessee scoring, including 58 percent of the team's points over its last five games.

SPARKING THE OFFENSE: Hamlet has either made or assisted on 55 percent of all North Texas field goals over the last three games. The senior guard has 24 field goals and 12 assists in those games.

SLIPPING AT 67: Middle Tennessee is 0-12 when it allows at least 67 points and 5-5 when it holds opponents to less than 67.

ASSIST RATIOS: The Mean Green have recently converted buckets via assists more often than the Blue Raiders. North Texas has an assist on 36 of 66 field goals (54.5 percent) over its past three matchups while Middle Tennessee has assists on 28 of 54 field goals (51.9 percent) during its past three games.

DID YOU KNOW: The North Texas defense has allowed only 62.5 points per game to opponents this season, ranking the Mean Green 20th among Division I teams. The Middle Tennessee offense has averaged 62.3 points through 22 games (ranked 317th, nationally).

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