Game 29 • South Alabama Jaguars (18-10) (8-7) vs. UTA Mavericks (11-16) (7-9)
February 25, 2022 • 7 p.m. (CST) • Mitchell Center • Mobile, Ala.
 
THE COACHES

South Alabama        
Richie Riley (Eastern Kentucky, 2005)
Record at USA: 72-49 (4th year)
Overall Record: 107-77 (6th year)
Record vs. UTA: 1-2
 
UTA          
Greg Brown (Howard Payne, 1986)
Record at UTA: 11-16 (1st year)
Overall Record: Same
Record vs. South Alabama: 1-0

LAST GAME
South Alabama fell to Texas State 55-52 at home on Wednesday. UTA lost at Troy 59-53.

NEXT GAME
USA will play on Thursday in the Sun Belt Tournament next week in Pensacola, Fla., opponent and time are TBA.
 
ON THE AIR
Radio: Sports Talk 99.5: J.T. Crabtree (pxp), Joe McNulty (color)
Web: http://sportstalk995.iheart.com/listen (audio)
ESPN+ (Internet Streaming): J.D. Byars (pxp), Pat Greenwood (color)

RANKINGS
USA: #140 Sagarin, NET #135
UTA: #229 Sagarin, NET #229

THE SERIES
Overall: USA leads the series 9-8
Longest USA streak: 5
Longest UTA streak: 5
Current Streak: UTA - 1
First Meeting: 12/30/72, 73-67, W
Last Meeting: 12/30/21, 89-87 (OT), L

NOTES
- Friday night will be senior night for the Jags. Kayo Goncalves, Jay Jay Chandler and Charles Manning Jr. will all be honored at the game.
 
- UTA has won six out of the last seven matchups in the series.
 
- In the first matchup this season, South came up just short at UTA, falling 89-87 in overtime on Dec. 30, 2021.
 
- The Jags are ranked #135 in the NET, the second-highest ranking in the Sun Belt.
 
- South Alabama is 12-2 at the Mitchell Center this season. The 12-2 record at home is the best start since Ronnie Arrow's 2007-08 team finished the season 17-1 at home.
 
- USA is currently fifth in the Sun Belt standings, the top four seeds ahead of the Jags have clinched a bye for next week's Sun Belt Tournament.
 
- South is 11-0 this season when shooting at least 50 percent in the first half.
 
- The Jaguars are 14-1 this season when scoring at least 70 points.
 
- South Alabama is 11-1 this season when leading at halftime.
 
- South is ranked 30th in the NCAA in scoring defense.
 
- The Jags lead the Sun Belt with 5.0 blocked shots per game and rank 24th nationally in blocks per game.
 
- South is ranked in the top 3 of the Sun Belt in scoring offense (71.7), scoring margin (8.6), field-goal percentage (46.0), field-goal percentage defense (40.1), blocked shots per game, free throw attempts (499), three-point field goal defense (30.5) and turnovers per game (12.6).
 
- South Alabama features two of the top five scorers in the Sun Belt. Jay Jay Chandler is fourth, averaging 15.8 points per game and Charles Manning Jr. is fifth, averaging 15.7.
 
- Manning Jr. set a career-high in the last meeting with UTA, posting 26 points.
 
- USA is just one of two teams in the Sun Belt to have multiple players win SBC POTW. Chandler and Manning Jr. both have won the weekly award once each this season.
 
- Javon Franklin posted a game-high 16 points and pulled down eight rebounds in the 55-52 loss to Texas State on Wednesday.
 
- Franklin is averaging 12.1 points per game and 8.6 rebounds in Sun Belt action. Franklin posted his sixth double-double of the season at Troy.
 
- Franklin set career-highs in rebounds (15), offensive rebounds (11) and minutes played (41) at UTA. The 11 offensive rebounds were the most by a South Alabama player this season.
 
- Diante Smith topped his previous career-best with five three-pointers at Coastal Carolina. Smith is shooting 13-for-26 (50 percent) from beyond the arc over the past four games. Smith has knocked down a triple in nine straight games.
 
- Goncalves ranks fourth in the Sun Belt with 61 three-pointers this season. Goncalves eclipsed the 1,000-point mark for his NCAA career earlier this season. Over 75 percent of his scoring has come from beyond the arc.
 
- UTA's David Azore leads the Sun Belt in scoring, averaging 19.7 points per game. Azore scored 30 points in the first meeting against the Jaguars.
 
For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with www.usajaguars.com, and follow the Jaguars at www.twitter.com/WeAreSouth_JAGS. Season tickets for all Jaguar athletic events can be purchased by calling (251) 461-1USA (1872).

Join the South Circle, the unrestricted giving option of the University of South Alabama Athletics.  Contributions to the South Circle directly support all 17 sports in addition to various support programming. For more information on how you can join visit: http://jaguarathleticfund.com/give

—USA—