Wednesday, March 5th, 8:00 p.m. (et)

FACTS & STATS: Site: The Super Pit (10,500) -- Denton, Texas. Television: None. Home Record: ASU 9-6, North Texas 14-2. Away Record: ASU 1-13, North Texas 4-8. Neutral Record: ASU 0-0, North Texas 1-0. Conference Record: ASU 5-13, North Texas 10-8. Series Record: Arkansas State leads, 16-12.

GAME NOTES: The North Texas Mean Green will open their title defense this evening when they host the 11th-seeded Arkansas State Indians in the first round of the Sun Belt Conference Tournament. The Indians closed their regular season on a good note, defeating UL-Monroe, 75-64. However, that win came after a nine-game losing skid, which dropped ASU's league mark to 5-13 on the year. The Indians have been terrible on the road this year, losing 13 of their 14 matchups away from home. As for the Mean Green, they have won five of their last six games, closing out the season with a 10-8 ledger in league action. North Texas has done a terrific job at The Super Pit, posting a 14-2 record this year. The Indians own a 16-12 lead over North Texas in the all-time series, but the Mean Green have won the two matchups this season.

The Indians only collected 10 wins on the season, but the team has had some success offensively with Adrian Banks leading the way with 18.5 ppg. As a whole, ASU has been mediocre at best, netting 70.9 ppg while shooting 45.7 percent from the field. Ryan Wedel has been sensational from behind the arc, netting 40.0 percent of his three-point attempts, while contributing 15.1 ppg. Yima Chia-Kur rounds out the double-figure scorers for ASU, chipping in 11.2 ppg. The last time ASU took the floor the team grabbed an 11-point win over UL- Monroe. In the victory, the team shot 44.2 percent, and connected on 11-of-19 attempts from long range. Banks posted a team-high 23 points, while Wedel and Chia-Kur chipped in 20 and 14 points apiece.

The Mean Green are one of the more dangerous teams offensively in the Sun Belt Conference and head into the postseason averaging a strong 76.9 ppg, while shooting 45.7 percent from the field. Josh White and Collin Dennis have been a superb backcourt duo. White is shooting 44.7 percent from behind the arc and is netting 14.0 ppg. As for Dennis, he is also contributing 14.0 ppg, while connecting on 44.0 percent of his shots from long range. Quincy Williams has been the top option in the paint for UNT, as the forward is chipping in 10.2 ppg to go along with a team-high 8.0 rpg. The Mean Green closed out their regular-season with a thrilling two-point win over New Orleans. North Texas shot 50.0 percent from the field, and also dominated the glass by a 38-29 margin. Dennis led the way in the win with 24 points, while Williams tallied a double-double with 17 points and 11 rebounds. As for White, he chipped in 13 points.

The Mean Green are far too strong offensively and have played extremely well at home, leaving little chance for ASU to pull off a win, especially since the team won only once away from home this season.

Predicted Outcome

North Texas 77, Arkansas State 66