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
Conference	Sun Belt Conference
Record	21–13 (10–8 Sun Belt)
Head coach	Scott Cross (12th season)
Assistant coaches	Greg Young Zak Buncik Kenneth Mangrum
Home arena	College Park Center
Seasons ← 2016–17 2018–19 →

2017–18 Sun Belt Conference men's basketball standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		PCT			W		L		PCT
Louisiana	16	–	2		.889			27	–	7		.794
Georgia State †	12	–	6		.667			24	–	11		.686
Georgia Southern	11	–	7		.611			21	–	12		.636
Texas–Arlington	10	–	8		.556			21	–	13		.618
Louisiana–Monroe	9	–	9		.500			16	–	16		.500
Troy	9	–	9		.500			16	–	17		.485
Appalachian State	9	–	9		.500			15	–	18		.455
Coastal Carolina	8	–	10		.444			14	–	18		.438
South Alabama	7	–	11		.389			14	–	18		.438
Texas State	7	–	11		.389			15	–	18		.455
Arkansas State	6	–	12		.333			11	–	21		.344
Little Rock	4	–	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 Barrett	G	5'10" (1.78 m)	150 lb (68 kg)	Sophomore	Lancaster, Texas	Lancaster H.S. Transferred from UTEP
Edric Dennis	G	6'3" (1.91 m)	188 lb (85 kg)	Junior	Dallas, Texas	Desoto 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
Players	Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown G 1 Erick Neal 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) 155 lb (70 kg) Sr Lincoln H.S. Dallas, Texas G 2 D. J. Bryant 5 ft 11 in (1.8 m) 180 lb (82 kg) So Riverview H.S. Sarasota, Florida G 3 Nathan Hawkins 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Sr Rowlett H.S. Nebraska Garland, Texas G 4 Davion Turner 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Jr Cedar Hill H.S. Hill College Cedar Hill, Texas G 5 Kaelon Wilson 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 192 lb (87 kg) Jr Lancaster H.S. Lancaster, Texas C 13 Johnny Hamilton 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 230 lb (104 kg) GS Virginia Tech Rio Claro, Trinidad and Tobago F 15 Scott Muirhead 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 206 lb (93 kg) RS So Ennis H.S. Ennis, Texas F 20 Julian Harris 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 235 lb (107 kg) Sr Lake Ridge H.S. Mansfield, Texas G 21 Pedro Castro 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 170 lb (77 kg) Fr Brewer H.S. Fort Worth, Texas C 22 Link Kabadyundi 7 ft 1 in (2.16 m) 274 lb (124 kg) Sr Alma Academy TCU Blinn College Montreal, Quebec G 23 Mairega Clarke 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 184 lb (83 kg) Sr Holy 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) Sr Bowie H.S. Arlington, Texas G 30 Patrick Binzer 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 183 lb (83 kg) Jr Weatherford Christian School Weatherford, Texas F 34 Tim Holland 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Fr Cedar Ridge H.S. Round Rock, Texas F 44 Nils Huizenga 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Fr Byron Nelson H.S. Trophy Club, Texas	Head coach Scott Cross (Texas–Arlington) Assistant coach(es) Greg Young (Howard Payne) Zak Buncik (Texas–Arlington) Kenneth Mangrum (North Texas) Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible (W) Walk-on Injured Current redshirt 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. April 5, 2018. Retrieved April 6, 2018.
3. "After clinching regular-season Sun Belt title, UT Arlington chasing March Madness: 'It's a dream'". SportsDay. March 5, 2017. Retrieved December 6, 2017.
4. "Coastal Carolina vs. UT Arlington - Game Recap - March 10, 2017 - ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved December 6, 2017.
5. "Texas State vs. UT Arlington - Game Recap - March 11, 2017 - ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved December 6, 2017.
6. "UTA looks to avoid NIT letdown in first round at BYU". star-telegram. Retrieved December 6, 2017.
7. "UT-Arlington basketball routs BYU again in Marriott Center, this time 89-75". The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved December 6, 2017.
8. "UT Arlington vs. BYU - Game Recap - March 15, 2017 - ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved December 6, 2017.
9. "Akron vs. UT Arlington - Game Recap - March 20, 2017 - ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved December 6, 2017.
10. "CSU Bakersfield vs. UT Arlington - Game Recap - March 22, 2017 - ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved December 6, 2017.
11. "UTA comes up short in bid for NIT semifinals, but appears long on promise for the future". SportsDay. March 22, 2017. Retrieved December 6, 2017.
12. "Mavericks Add Pair Of Talented Transfers". University of Texas at Arlington. June 23, 2017. Retrieved November 12, 2017.