Roundtable: Analyzing men’s and women’s basketball conference start

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Mean Green men’s basketball team needs to keep spark going

Ehsan Azad // Staff Writer

Four games into the Conference USA schedule, things haven’t gone the way most expected for the Mean Green men’s basketball team.

As of now, the team is 10-8 overall and 1-3 in conference play. UNT carried some momentum into conference play, as the team owned a four-game win streak before the conference opener against Southern Mississippi University on Jan. 9.  Senior guard Alzee Williams has been the lone bright spot, leading the team in points per game with 12.3.

Since conference play has started, UNT has been getting outplayed and out-hustled by opponents. In the last game against the University of North Carolina at Charlotte on Jan. 18, the Mean Green had a seven-point lead with 4:30 left in the game but still lost.

The defense and players around Williams have to step up if the Mean Green want to make some noise in the conference tournament.

Jordan Ottaway // Intern Writer

The early part of the men’s season has been filled with ups and downs, and if I had to sum it up in one word, it would be “inconsistent”. Head coach Tony Benford mentioned that he felt like the team was playing in spurts and that finding consistency is critical for the rest of the season.

Conference play has shown that inconsistency has caused the Mean Green to lose games it should have won. Take the conference opener against Southern Miss for example: UNT shot 34 percent in the first half, then came out and shot 47 percent in the second.

The offense has also been up and down. The Mean Green didn’t have a strong shooting game on Jan. 11 against Tulane University (73-62 loss), but then played relatively well Jan. 16 against Marshall University resulting in the first conference win (80-65).

Inconsistency is an issue but there have been some bright spots. UNT’s bench has shown it can step up when needed, as the bench scored 43 of 62 total points against Tulane. A late run allowed the team to nearly steal one from Southern Miss. With the first conference win against Marshall, UNT has shown some potential to put together good games.

It’s all about getting the pieces to fall into place.

Slow start for Mean Green women, but there’s time

Akshay Mirchandani // Staff Writer

At 7-10 overall and 1-3 in conference play, it’s safe to say it has not been a good start for the Mean Green women’s basketball team in the first Conference USA season.

There are a lot of reasons for the team’s poor start to the season, but the biggest one is the inability to score. Out of 16 teams in C-USA, the Mean Green is ranked 15th in field goal percentage, shooting just 37.3 percent. The team scores 66.1 points per game, which is tied for 12th in the conference and is 13th in three-point shooting percentage. The team has simply struggled to put the ball in the basket.

Despite the offensive woes, there are a few bright spots for the Mean Green. Sophomore forward Alexis Hyder has played extremely well as of late. She had 18 points and six rebounds in the Mean Green’s lone conference win on Jan. 15 against Marshall. She also put up a season high 20 points and 12 rebounds in a loss to UTSA on Jan. 18. Sophomore forward Acheil Tac is leading C-USA in field goal percentage, shooting 61.2 percent.

The Mean Green has the pieces to turn things around this season and there is still a lot of time left. But the offense must be fixed,otherwise this season will be a disappointment.

Faye Darku // Intern Writer

The Mean Green women’s basketball team has had its fair share of woes to start the Conference USA games but primary struggles lie in rough starts.

The team tends to lack energy and rhythm at the start of the games, which shows throughout the first half. The Mean Green allows opposing teams to dictate most of the first half before things eventually start to click offensively and defensively for the team. Often the team is too late.

Another area where the team is lacking is being able to finish the game. An example would be the game against Charlotte on Jan. 11. Down by 16, the Mean Green was able to get on a roll with its switch defense and aggressive offensive but was unable to finish out the game.

When its main players, including junior guard Briesha Wynn, senior guard Laura McCoy, sophomore forward Alexis Hyder, and sophomore forward Acheil Tac show up with good energy and play with aggression, the Mean Green usually gets on a roll and shows UNT’s true talent.

Feature photo Sophomore forward Alexis Hyder attempts a one-handed shot against the University of Texas at San Antonio during a home game at the Super Pit on Jan. 17. Photo by Edward Balusek / Staff Photographer 

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