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I will unfortunately not be able to make it to the Super Pit tonight and can't find a listing.

We could promote it as "Pack The Pit" night ! Since nobody in our promotions department, if one exists, was around when it was used many years ago they might think it's a new idea. Regardless of that, I will be there. I only hope the outcome is better than last Saturdays heartbreaker. I nearly took out the "dress blues."

For those who care, if any, the 2004 - 2005 season has been officially cancelled.

Two words ... MELT DOWN !!!

Men's basketball: Mean Green fall to Ragin' Cajuns North Texas loses third straight home game, drops to 3-5 in Sun Belt Conference 09:04 AM CST on Friday, February 4, 2005 By Brett Vito / Staff Writer A game against the hottest team in the Sun Belt Conference arrived at just the wrong time for the North Texas men. Louisiana-Lafayette came into the Super Pit for its game against the Mean Green on Thursday having won six straight games since dropping its Sun Belt opener to Denver nearly a month ago. UNT played one of its best offensive games of the last few weeks, but still was no match for the Ragin’ Cajuns who pulled away in the second half for an 86-79 win. The loss was UNT’s third straight at home and fourth in the last five games. "We played a very good team tonight," UNT coach Johnny Jones said. "To beat a team like this you have to come with a different mindset than we did. We didn’t come with that toughness and mentality to overcome some of the things that they were able to do inside. They wanted to get to the offensive glass and score in transition and they did both." Playing well in those facets of the game are the reason why La.-Lafayette has risen to the top of the Sun Belt’s West Division. The Ragin’ Cajuns (13-7, 7-1) entered the night tied with Denver for the lead in the league and will get a chance on Saturday to take on the Pioneers — the only team that has knocked them off in conference play. While ULL entered the game looking to build on a solid run in conference play, UNT (10-9, 3-5) was trying to turn the corner in what the Mean Green have pointed to as a critical stretch of their season. Thursday’s game against ULL was the first of seven home games in the Mean Green’s last nine contests of the season. UNT has pointed to the series as a key opportunity to make a run toward the top of the conference standings and secure a top seed for the Sun Belt tournament it will host in March. "We need to turn it around," senior forward Michael Jones said. "It’s now or never." UNT was hoping a return to the Super Pit would help the Mean Green improve offensively after a series of tough games on the road. UNT achieved that goal by posting its highest point total since a 79-69 win over NMSU on Jan. 8. Six UNT players scored in double figures for the first time since the fourth game of last season, a win over Hardin-Simmons. That balanced scoring attack went for naught after senior guard Leonard Hopkins struggled offensively and the Mean Green failed to slow down the Ragin’ Cajuns. Hopkins led UNT with 14 points, but hit just 2-of-14 shots from the field. "We had some other guys who were able to make shots, but we have to get Leonard going," Johnny Jones said. "We have to get Leonard to where he is shooting 50 percent. For several games he has not knocked shots down, but he will." Despite an off night from Hopkins, UNT still finished shooting 48 percent from the field. It just wasn’t enough against the Ragin’ Cajuns, who also shot the ball well and frequently beat the Mean Green to the basket while scoring 14 second-chance points when they were off with a shot. "We are more worried about the way we played on the defensive end than how we played offensively," junior guard Isaac Hines said. ULL got off to a quick start offensively in the first half and grabbed a 12-point lead before UNT put together a 12-4 to cut its deficit to 39-35 at halftime. UNT trimmed the lead to two points twice in the second half, the second time on a basket by Michael Jones with 18:59 left The Ragin’ Cajuns responded with a 14-3 run to take a 55-42 lead. La.-Lafayette maintained a comfortable advantage the rest of the night. "We went from man to zone, but nothing seemed to work," Michael Jones said. "It’s frustrating. I can’t even explain. We know that we are supposed to win at home. We have to pick it up." Thomas starts once again Ty Thomas saw his run of solid games come to an end in UNT’s loss to La.-Lafayette. The junior forward scored in double figures in each of the Mean Green’s last two games and earned a spot in the starting lineup against the Ragin’ Cajuns. Thomas finished with three points and took just two shots from the field. Briefly ... Junior center Justin Barnett scored 10 points against La.-Lafayette, his top total since returning from a hand injury three games ago. Barnett missed nine games with the injury. Junior center Jeffrey Simpson blocked two shots to push his season total to 34 and move into the No. 5 slot on UNT’s single-season leaders list. ... UNT honored its top student athletes at halftime of the Mean Green’s game against La.-Lafayette. Each athlete who earned a spot on the school’s academic honor rolls was introduced during a ceremony. BRETT VITO can be reached at 940-566-6870.

Mean Green prepare for Ragin' Cajuns tonight NT men try to win at home against Louisiana- Lafayette Gabriel D. Brooks Staff Writer February 03, 2005 After splitting a pair of road games over the weekend, the Mean Green men's basketball team returns to the Super Pit today to begin its Sun Belt Conference stretch run against Louisiana-Lafayette. Of NT's remaining nine contests, seven will be played in the friendly confines of the Super Pit. However, the Mean Green (10-8, 3-4) is currently 0-2 at home during conference play while compiling a 3-2 mark in Sun Belt road games. "We've got to just get back at home and play well," head coach Johnny Jones said. "We fare pretty well out there on the road, but at home we've dropped a couple of games. This is a place we feel like we've got to get our win streak going." The main problem for the Mean Green of late has been its shooting. Senior guard Leonard Hopkins is leading NT in scoring with 17.4 points per game, but his shooting percentage has dipped to 37 percent. As a team, the Mean Green's field goal shooting has fallen to 39.9 percent, while its opponents are hitting 43.2 percent of their shots. "The guys that usually take the bulk of our shots have not been on target as much they have been," Jones said. "Those shots are just not going down." However, Jones added that recent shooting woes are something the team will simply have to work through. "If you don't shoot, it'll never have the opportunity to go in," Jones said. "I don't worry so much about slumps, I worry about guys understanding good shot-bad shot. When you start forcing shots and taking bad shots goes down." Jones believes that with junior center Justin Barnett back from an injury to his right hand that the Mean Green will be better equipped to work the ball inside for easier scoring opportunities. "Justin Barnett I thought played well in his first game back at New Orleans," Jones said. "Our field goal percentage has been down somewhat, but I think with his presence and him being back part of our lineup will give us an opportunity to run some of our offense through him. Hopefully our field goal percentage will go up because he's one of the higher field percentage shooters on our team." Barnett played 41 minutes in his first two games back, averaging six points and five rebounds while connecting on 5-of-6 shot attempts. Tonight's game tips off at 7 p.m. from the Super Pit.

No thanks. Win or Lose, Good or Bad, I AM A NORTH TEXAS FAN !

It matters if you want to WIN ! If you out rebound, get more turnovers, commit less fouls, but aren't able to shoot then you will not beat anyone. Unless points are now being calculated by something other than the ball going through the basket.

Many more times the game is decided how well a team shoots.

Since I'm not a South Alabama fan my main concern is not their shooting percentage. The point of my comment was to emphasize the fact that this team, North Texas, has consitently shot poorly and thus LOST, again! And yes, if you shoot that poorly you don't deserve to win. Unless, you play a team that shoots worse than you do.

When your shooting percentage is in the 30's, you don't deserve to win. Poor shooting = another loss !

Great comeback win ! Good shooting = WINS

Listen To The Men's Basketball Game! Courtesy: University of North Texas Release: 01/27/2005 Listen To The Men's Game! North Texas tries to snap a two-game skid when it faces New Orleans tonight at 7 pm in the first of back-to-back road games. The Mean Green will try to improve on its 2-1 road record in Sun Belt Conference games. Every regular-season North Texas game can be heard live on KWRD (100.7 FM) in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. NT will face two SBC West Division opponents this week in the Privateers and South Alabama and is 1-1 so far against opponents in its own division. While NT has dropped three of its last five games, it still holds its best record through 16 games since 1994-95 when it was 10-6.

Do we really want to be comparing North Texas to those schools ? Aren't we aspiring to take it to a higher level and not just meeting the minimum requirement needed to stay where we are presently ? This is the same line of thinking that has kept us in the "dark ages" of college athletics prior to RV's arrival. Just look at those seats in the end zone at Fouts if you need a reminder. <_<

Does anyone know if this game is televised ?

27 % in the 2nd half = another loss !

The refs weren't the ones doing all of the "brick-laying !"

Thanks for the info.

Does anyone know if we have a "club sport" hockey team ? If so, do they have an active website ?