Sam Houston State (4-3) vs. Texas Rio Grande Valley (2-5)
UTRGV Fieldhouse, Edinburg, Texas; Tuesday, 8 p.m. EST
BOTTOM LINE: Sam Houston State goes up against Texas Rio Grande Valley in a non-conference matchup. Each team last played this past Saturday. Sam Houston State won 86-51 over Randall University, while Texas Rio Grande Valley is coming off of a 55-52 loss to Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.
SUPER SENIORS: Sam Houston State has relied heavily on its seniors. Kai Mitchell, Zach Nutall, Chad Bowie and RJ Smith have combined to account for 54 percent of the team's scoring this year and 57 percent of all Bearkats points over the team's last five games.JUMPING FOR JORDAN: Jordan Jackson has connected on 23.8 percent of the 21 3-pointers he's attempted and has gone 2 for 12 over his last three games. He's also made 81.4 percent of his free throws this season.
SLIPPING AT 55: Texas Rio Grande Valley is 0-5 this year when it allows 55 points or more and 2-0 when holding opponents to fewer than 55.
ASSIST-TO-FG RATIO: The Vaqueros have recently used assists to create buckets more often than the Bearkats. Texas Rio Grande Valley has an assist on 39 of 65 field goals (60 percent) over its previous three outings while Sam Houston State has assists on 47 of 89 field goals (52.8 percent) during its past three games.
PACE OF PLAY: The upbeat Sam Houston State offense has averaged 76.8 possessions per game, the 14th-most in Division I. Texas Rio Grande Valley has not been as uptempo as the Bearkats and is averaging only 67.4 possessions per game (ranked 281st, nationally).
