North Texas (9-8, 2-2 SBC) vs Western Kentucky (5-12, 1-3 SBC)
Denton, Texas • The Super Pit (10,500)
Jan. 12, 2012 • 7:00 p.m. CST
Radio: 88.1 KNTU-FM, 100.7 KWRD-FM • Steven Bartolotta
TV: TXA-21 (DFW only) • George Dunham, Hank Dickenson
Live Stats & Webcast: MeanGreenSports.com
Series: WKU leads 12-4 overall, 3-1 in Denton
Last: NT won 81-62 on March 7, 2011 (SBC Tourney semifinals)
Game Notes
DENTON, Texas – The North Texas and Western Kentucky basketball teams have combined to win four of the last five Sun Belt Conference titles, and on Thursday the league’s top powers battle at the Super Pit. Tip off is slated for 7 p.m. and can be seen locally on TXA-21.
Tony Mitchell’s monster performances last week earned him Sun Belt Player of the Week honors. The freshman’s 34 points and 16 rebounds against South Alabama made for the highest combined points/rebounds game in the NCAA this year, and the best by an NT player since Jesse Ratliff in 1992. His 34 points are the most by any player in the Sun Belt this year, as are the 16 rebounds. Mitchell followed that outing with five blocks at Arkansas State, which are the most by an NT player since Jeffrey Simpson in 2006.
Chris Jones, who is proving to be one of the league’s top all-around players, is atop the Sun Belt with 14.9 points per game overall. On top of his scoring ability, the freshman also ranks in the top 10 in the league in assists (3rd), steals (3rd) free throw percentage (9th), assist/turnover ratio (9th) and defensive rebounds (9th). Against Troy, Jones notched the first points/assists double-double by an NT player since 2000, and was just one board shy of the first NT triple double since 1993.
In the last meeting with WKU, North Texas eliminated the Hilltoppers in the semifinals of the 2011 Sun Belt Conference Tournament, 81-62. Tristan Thompson poured in 28 points (18 in the first half), and broke Cedric Maxwell’s SBC record of made free throws in a season with his 206th of the year. Juan Pattillo led WKU with 20 points and 11 rebounds.
WKU leads the overall series with NT, 12-4, but has enjoyed a decided home-court advantage. Thursday’s game will be just the fifth meeting in Denton, and the first since Feb. 7, 2008. Each of the last five meetings in the series have taken place in Bowling Green, Ky., or Hot Springs, Ark. Entering this season, North Texas had played a regular-season game at Western Kentucky in eight of their 11 seasons in the Sun Belt. WKU is 3-1 against NT at the Super Pit.
