2017–18 UT Arlington Mavericks men's basketball team

The 2017–18 UT Arlington Mavericks men's basketball team represented the University of Texas at Arlington during the 2017–18 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Mavericks, led by 12th-year head coach Scott Cross, played their home games at the College Park Center as members of the Sun Belt Conference. They finished the season 21–13, 10–8 in Sun Belt play to finish in fourth place. They defeated Appalachian State and Louisiana to advance to the championship game of the Sun Belt Tournament where they lost to Georgia State. Despite having 21 wins, they did not participate in a postseason tournament.

2017–18 UT Arlington Mavericks men's basketball
ConferenceSun Belt Conference
2017–18 record21–13 (10–8 Sun Belt)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
  • Greg Young
  • Zak Buncik
  • Kenneth Mangrum
Home arenaCollege Park Center
2017–18 Sun Belt Conference men's basketball standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L PCT  W L PCT
Louisiana16–2 .889  27–7  .794
Georgia State †12–6 .667  24–11  .686
Georgia Southern11–7 .611  21–12  .636
Texas–Arlington10–8 .556  21–13  .618
Louisiana–Monroe9–9 .500  16–16  .500
Troy9–9 .500  16–17  .485
Appalachian State9–9 .500  15–18  .455
Coastal Carolina8–10 .444  14–18  .438
South Alabama7–11 .389  14–18  .438
Texas State7–11 .389  15–18  .455
Arkansas State6–12 .333  11–21  .344
Little Rock4–14 .222  7–25  .219
† 2018 Sun Belt Conference Tournament winner

On March 26, 2018, Cross was fired after 12 seasons at UT Arlington, along with his entire staff, with UTA's Athletic Director citing a change in the program's leadership.[1] On April 6, the school hired former Texas Tech assistant Chris Ogden as head coach.[2]

Previous season

The Mavericks finished the 2016–17 season 27–9, 14–4 in Sun Belt play to win the Sun Belt regular season championship.[3] In the Sun Belt Tournament, they defeated Coastal Carolina[4] before losing in the semifinals to Texas State.[5] As a regular season conference champion who failed to win their conference tournament, they received an automatic bid to the National Invitation Tournament.[6] There they defeated BYU[7][8] and Akron[9] before losing in the quarterfinals to Cal State Bakersfield.[10][11]

Offseason
Incoming transfers
Name Position Height Weight Year Hometown Previous school
Deon BarrettG5'10" (1.78 m)150 lb (68 kg)SophomoreLancaster, TexasLancaster H.S.
Transferred from UTEP
Edric DennisG6'3" (1.91 m)188 lb (85 kg)JuniorDallas, TexasDesoto H.S.
Transferred from Jackson State

Under NCAA transfer rules, Barrett and Dennis will have to sit out for the 2017–18 season. Barrett will have three seasons of eligibility remaining, while Dennis will have two seasons.[12]

Roster
2017–18 Texas–Arlington Mavericks men's basketball team
PlayersCoaches
Pos.#NameHeightWeightYearPrevious schoolHometown
G 1 Erick Neal 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)155 lb (70 kg) SrLincoln H.S. Dallas, Texas
G 2 D. J. Bryant 5 ft 11 in (1.8 m)180 lb (82 kg) SoRiverview H.S. Sarasota, Florida
G 3 Nathan Hawkins 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)205 lb (93 kg) SrRowlett H.S.
Nebraska		 Garland, Texas
G 4 Davion Turner 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)185 lb (84 kg) JrCedar Hill H.S.
Hill College		 Cedar Hill, Texas
G 5 Kaelon Wilson 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)192 lb (87 kg) JrLancaster H.S. Lancaster, Texas
C 13 Johnny Hamilton 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m)230 lb (104 kg) GSVirginia Tech Rio Claro, Trinidad and Tobago
F 15 Scott Muirhead 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)206 lb (93 kg) RS SoEnnis H.S. Ennis, Texas
F 20 Julian Harris 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)235 lb (107 kg) SrLake Ridge H.S. Mansfield, Texas
G 21 Pedro Castro 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)170 lb (77 kg) FrBrewer H.S. Fort Worth, Texas
C 22 Link Kabadyundi 7 ft 1 in (2.16 m)274 lb (124 kg) SrAlma Academy
TCU
Blinn College		 Montreal, Quebec
G 23 Mairega Clarke 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)184 lb (83 kg) SrHoly Cross H.S.
Carl Albert State College		 Queens, New York
F 25 Kevin Hervey 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)230 lb (104 kg) SrBowie H.S. Arlington, Texas
G 30 Patrick Binzer 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)183 lb (83 kg) JrWeatherford Christian School Weatherford, Texas
F 34 Tim Holland 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)220 lb (100 kg) FrCedar Ridge H.S. Round Rock, Texas
F 44 Nils Huizenga 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)210 lb (95 kg) FrByron Nelson H.S. Trophy Club, Texas
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster

Schedule and results
Date
time, TV		 Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
city, state
Exhibition
Oct 28, 2017*
12:00 pm		 at Oklahoma
Charity Exhibition for Hurricane Harvey Recovery		 W 99–84  —
  27 – Hervey  13 – Hervey  12 – Neal  Lloyd Noble Center 
Norman, OK
Non-conference regular season
Nov 11, 2017*
7:00 pm, ESPN3		 Loyola Marymount
Homecoming		 W 85–80  1–0
  28 – Hervey  8 – Hervey  11 – Neal  College Park Center (4,379)
Arlington, TX
Nov 18, 2017*
8:30 pm, BYUtv/ESPN3		 at BYU
Barclays Center Classic		 W 89–75  2–0
  23 – Hervey  9 – Hervey  10 – Neal  Marriott Center (13,636)
Provo, UT
Nov 21, 2017*
8:00 pm, SECN		 at No. 25 Alabama
Barclays Center Classic		 L 76–77  2–1
  24 – Hervey  6 – Tied  12 – Neal  Coleman Coliseum (11,737)
Tuscaloosa, AL
Nov 24, 2017*
6:00 pm		 vs. Western Carolina
Barclays Center Classic		 W 89–65  3–1
  30 – Hamilton  15 – Hamilton  10 – Neal  Gallagher Center (842)
Lewiston, NY
Nov 25, 2017*
6:00 pm		 vs. Niagara
Barclays Center Classic		 W 95–90  4–1
  27 – Hervey  10 – Tied  15 – Neal  Gallagher Center (809)
Lewiston, NY
Nov 27, 2017*
7:00 pm, ESPN3		 UT Dallas W 73–53  5–1
  20 – Hamilton  12 – Hamilton  13 – Neal  College Park Center (1,694)
Arlington, TX
Nov 29, 2017*
7:00 pm, ESPN3		 Rice W 69–49  6–1
  29 – Hervey  11 – Hervey  8 – Neal  College Park Center (1,649)
Arlington, TX
Dec 2, 2017*
7:00 pm, ESPN3		 North Texas W 65–60  7–1
  23 – Hervey  9 – Hamilton  3 – Neal  College Park Center (2,728)
Arlington, TX
Dec 7, 2017*
7:00 pm, ESPN3		 at Northern Iowa L 58–62  7–2
  17 – Hervey  15 – Hamilton  7 – Neal  McLeod Center (3,630)
Cedar Falls, IA
Dec 9, 2017*
2:00 pm, ESPN3		 Florida Gulf Coast L 78–85  7–3
  25 – Hervey  10 – Hervey  5 – Neal  College Park Center (2,635)
Arlington, TX
Dec 16, 2017*
7:00 pm		 at UT Rio Grande Valley W 86–65  8–3
  30 – Hervey  16 – Hervey  8 – Bryant  UTRGV Fieldhouse (774)
Edinburg, TX
Dec 18, 2017*
7:00 pm, FS1		 at No. 25 Creighton L 81–90  8–4
  24 – Hervey  11 – Hervey  8 – Neal  CenturyLink Center Omaha (15,564)
Omaha, NE
Dec 21, 2017*
7:00 pm, ESPN3		 Cal Poly W 77–56  9–4
  25 – Hervey  10 – Hervey  7 – Neal  College Park Center 
Arlington, TX
Sun Belt Conference regular season
Dec 29, 2017
7:30 pm		 at Coastal Carolina L 65–90  9–5
(0–1)		  17 – Wilson  9 – Hamilton  6 – Neal  HTC Center (1,223)
Conway, SC
Dec 31, 2017
1:30 pm		 at Appalachian State L 76–80  9–6
(0–2)		  27 – Neal  8 – Tied  3 – Neal  Holmes Center (891)
Boone, NC
Jan 4, 2018
7:15 pm, ESPN3		 Troy W 86–76  10–6
(1–2)		  21 – Neal  10 – Wilson  7 – Neal  College Park Center (1,868)
Arlington, TX
Jan 6, 2018
4:15 pm, ESPN3		 South Alabama W 91–67  11–6
(2–2)		  19 – Wilson  12 – Hamilton  5 – Neal  College Park Center (1,914)
Arlington, TX
Jan 11, 2018
7:00 pm, l		 at Little Rock L 65–77  11–7
(2–3)		  21 – Hervey  11 – Hamilton  5 – Neal  Jack Stephens Center (2,091)
Little Rock, AR
Jan 13, 2018
7:00 pm		 at Arkansas State W 97–71  12–7
(3–3)		  19 – Hamilton  8 – Hamilton  7 – Hawkins  First National Bank Arena (2,461)
Jonesboro, AR
Jan 18, 2018
7:15 pm, ESPN3		 Louisiana L 65–77  12–8
(3–4)		  25 – Hervey  9 – Hervey  4 – Neal  College Park Center (2,384)
Arlington, TX
Jan 20, 2018
4:15 pm, ESPN3		 Louisiana–Monroe W 71–55  13–8
(4–4)		  21 – Hervey  11 – Hamilton  8 – Neal  College Park Center (2,138)
Arlington, TX
Jan 25, 2018
6:15 pm, ESPN3		 at Georgia State L 75–81  13–9
(4–5)		  22 – Hervey  13 – Hervey  8 – Neal  GSU Sports Arena (1,567)
Atlanta, GA
Jan 27, 2017
4:00 pm, ESPN3		 at Georgia Southern L 59–74  13–10
(4–6)		  29 – Hervey  11 – Kabadyundi  4 – Neal  Hanner Fieldhouse (2,511)
Statesboro, GA
Feb 1, 2017
7:15 pm, ESPN3		 Appalachian State W 89–77  14–10
(5–6)		  38 – Neal  14 – Hervey  6 – Neal  College Park Center (2,330)
Arlington, TX
Feb 3, 2018
4:15 pm, ESPN3		 Coastal Carolina W 87–80  15–10
(6–6)		  20 – Tied  13 – Hamilton  6 – Hawkins  College Park Center (2,011)
Arlington, TX
Feb 10, 2018
4:15 pm, ESPN3		 Texas State W 70–68 OT 16–10
(7–6)		  33 – Hervey  12 – Hamilton  5 – Neal  College Park Center (2,602)
Arlington, TX
Feb 15, 2018
7:00 pm		 at Louisiana–Monroe L 71–84  16–11
(7–7)		  35 – Neal  6 – Hamilton  5 – Hervey  Fant–Ewing Coliseum (1,439)
Monroe, LA
Feb 17, 2018
7:00 pm, ESPN3		 Louisiana L 79–100  16–12
(7–8)		  26 – Neal  9 – Hervey  4 – Neal  Cajundome (5,104)
Lafayette, LA
Feb 22, 2017
7:00 pm, ESPN3		 Georgia Southern W 83–63  17–12
(8–8)		  23 – Wilson  9 – Hervey  8 – Neal  College Park Center (2,099)
Arlington, TX
Feb 24, 2018
4:15 pm, ESPN3		 Georgia State W 89–81  18–12
(9–8)		  24 – Neal  12 – Hervey  7 – Neal  College Park Center (2,803)
Arlington, TX
Mar 2, 2018
6:00 pm, ESPN2		 Texas State W 85–82  19–12
(10–8)		  22 – Tied  11 – Hamilton  10 – Neal  Strahan Coliseum (3,356)
San Marcos, TX
Sun Belt Tournament
Mar 9, 2018
2:00 pm, ESPN3		 (4) vs. (5) Appalachian State
Quarterfinals		 W 84–68  20–12
  37 – Neal  9 – Hamilton  3 – Tied  Lakefront Arena 
New Orleans, LA
Mar 10, 2018
11:30 am, ESPN3		 (4) vs. (1) Louisiana
Semifinals		 W 71–68  21–12
  18 – Neal  11 – Hervey  5 – Neal  Lakefront Arena 
New Orleans, LA
Mar 11, 2018
1:00 pm, ESPN2		 (4) vs. (2) Georgia State
Championship		 L 61–74  21–13
  23 – Hamilton  14 – Hamilton  3 – Neal  Lakefront Arena 
New Orleans, LA
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Central Time.

References
  1. Humphrey, David (March 26, 2018). "UT Arlington makes sweeping changes, fires basketball coach Scott Cross, assistants". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Retrieved March 26, 2018.
  2. "UT-Arlington to announce Texas Tech assistant Chris Ogden as its new men's basketball coach Friday". SportsDay. 2018-04-05. Retrieved 2018-04-06.
  3. "After clinching regular-season Sun Belt title, UT Arlington chasing March Madness: 'It's a dream'". SportsDay. 2017-03-05. Retrieved 2017-12-06.
  4. "Coastal Carolina vs. UT Arlington - Game Recap - March 10, 2017 - ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2017-12-06.
  5. "Texas State vs. UT Arlington - Game Recap - March 11, 2017 - ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2017-12-06.
  6. "UTA looks to avoid NIT letdown in first round at BYU". star-telegram. Retrieved 2017-12-06.
  7. "UT-Arlington basketball routs BYU again in Marriott Center, this time 89-75". The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved 2017-12-06.
  8. "UT Arlington vs. BYU - Game Recap - March 15, 2017 - ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2017-12-06.
  9. "Akron vs. UT Arlington - Game Recap - March 20, 2017 - ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2017-12-06.
  10. "CSU Bakersfield vs. UT Arlington - Game Recap - March 22, 2017 - ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2017-12-06.
  11. "UTA comes up short in bid for NIT semifinals, but appears long on promise for the future". SportsDay. 2017-03-22. Retrieved 2017-12-06.
  12. "Mavericks Add Pair Of Talented Transfers". University of Texas at Arlington. June 23, 2017. Retrieved November 12, 2017.
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