DENTON (1/24/07) - Mean Green basketball action in the Super Pit continues for the second straight night as the men's team plays Middle Tennessee. Tipoff against the Blue Raiders is scheduled for 7 p.m. and can be heard on the Mean Green Radio Network.
With 10 games remaining, the North Texas men's basketball team is only one victory shy of its win total in each of the last two seasons. The Mean Green (13-6, 4-4 SBC) used a second half explosion to top Florida Atlantic, and looks to keep rolling against Middle Tennessee.
Having only met in Sun Belt Conference play, Middle Tennessee owns a 4-2 edge over the Mean Green. North Texas, however, is 2-1 at The Super Pit against the MTSU. The Blue Raiders took the first game in the series, 105-71, on Jan. 6, 2001. The Mean Green controlled the first two games at The Super Pit, knocking off the Blue Raiders in 2002 (85-63) and in 2004 (69-64). MTSU has won the last two meetings. Last season, the Blue Raiders nipped the Mean Green by two points, 62-60, after a furious NT comeback fell short.
The Mean Green is the nation’s 26th ranked offensive club, averaging a Sun Belt-leading 79.0 points per game and 46.9 shooting percentage. North Texas sits at 162 in the official RPI Ratings following the win over Florida Atlantic. NT, 1-1 against the RPI’s top 100 teams, earned a Sagarin rating of 171. One of the nation’s most potent benches, North Texas’ sideline is averaging 13.1 points per game more than its counterpart, outscoring the opponent’s bench 538-290. Something will have to give when the SBC’s top offense takes on its top defense in Middle Tennessee. The Blue Raiders are holding opponents to 64.1 ppg.
Calvin Watson was on fire from beyond the arc in the second half against Florida Atlantic. After an 0-4 first half, Watson nailed a career high 6-threes on seven second-half attempts in spurring North Texas to the comeback win over the Owls. The senior has 55 three-pointers this season, only one shy of moving him into a tie for 11th place on NT’s all-time single season list. Watson is already third in school history with 173 career three’s, only 15 short of second place.
Click here to read this week's game notes
