Mean Green Take 10-Game Winning Streak To FAU

meangreen11 · February 17, 2022

UNT MEN’S BASKETBALL: Mean Green Take 10-Game Winning Streak To FAU

UNT Faces Florida Atlantic Thursday At 6 p.m. CT

For more information contact: Luke Della, 510-725-2130, Luke.Della@unt.edu

BOCA RATON, Florida — The North Texas men's basketball team will put its Conference USA leading 10-game winning streak to a test Thursday when they travel to Florida Atlantic who is on a 10-game home winning streak.

The Mean Green (18-4, 11-1 C-USA) and Owls (15-10, 8-4 C-USA) are scheduled to tip from FAU Arena Thursday at 6 p.m. CT. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+ and the Mean Green Sports Network, which can be found on The Varsity Network App.

"We know how good (FAU) is at home this year," said senior Thomas Bell. "We need to be ready for a battle and to be locked in. We believe we can beat anyone when we do that."

North Texas, which features the nation's best scoring defense holding opponents to just 55.5 points per game, is just one of two teams in the country who has has not lost a road game all year (6-0). In its most recent game, UNT last Saturday held Rice, who was averaging 77 points per game to just 44 points — 33 points below its scoring average. The Mean Green have held its 12 league opponents to an average of 18.2 points below their respective season scoring average. FAU heads into Thursday averaging 76.4 points per game. They are averaging nearly 80 points per game at home compared to just 68 points on the road.

GOING FOR 11 IN A ROW
UNT enters Thursday on an 10-game winning streak. The last time they won 10 games in a row was at the end of the 2009-10 season when they won 11 games in a row between Feb. 4, 2010 and March 9, 2010.

ROAD WARRIORS
UNT is 6-0 in road games this year. UNT is just one of two teams in the country who has yet to lose a road game this season. The other is No. 1 Gonzaga (3-0). UNT won five road games all of last year. A seventh road win would tie 2019-20 for most road wins in a single season in the Grant McCasland era.

BEST DEFENSE IN THE COUNTRY
North Texas has the nation's best scoring defense holding opponents to 55.5 points per game. UNT has held six of its last seven opponents to under 60 points.

TOP 5 SCORING DEFENSES
1. North Texas (55.5)
2. Texas (56.8)
3. San Diego St. (57.8)
4. Fresno St. (57.9)
5. Houston (58.3)

North Texas has a top 10 national 3-point field goal percentage defense. They hold opponents to a .285 3-point field goal percentage, which ranks 10th in the country. North Texas is the only C-USA team that ranks in the top 100 in the country in 3-point field goal percentage defense. Middle Tennessee has the next best 3-point field goal percentage defense (.321), which ranks 111th in the country.

16 OUT OF LAST 17
North Texas has won 16 of its last 17 games headed into Thursday's showdown at FAU. It's the second time in the Grant McCasland era (5th season) the Mean Green have gone on a 17-game stretch where they have won at least 16 games. They have never in program history gone a stretch where thy've won 17 out of 18 games.
In 2018-19 UNT began the season winning 16 of its first 17 games.

MR. DO IT ALL
North Texas senior Thomas Bell is the only player in C-USA who in league games is averaging 12+ ppg, 7+ rpg, 2+ apg, 1+ bpg and 1+ spg. Through 12 league games, Bell is averaging 12.5 ppg, 7.3 rpg, 2.8 apg, 1.3 bpg, 1.0 spg.

WHEN ABOU MAKES 5+
When North Texas' sophomore Abou Ousmane makes five or more field goals in a game the Mean Green are 10-0 all-time and 9-0 this season. During UNT's current 10-game winning streak he's made five or more field goals in six of the 10 games.

Link to Game Notes: https://meangreensports.com/documents/2022/2/15//2_17_22_UNT_MBB_Game_Notes_at_FAU.pdf?id=5416

Edited February 17, 2022 by meangreen11