Leave it to the UT Arlington men's basketball team to go on the road and upset a 14-3 team just days after failing to even hold a lead in its previous two games, both at home.
Now 7-2 on the road after its 74-68 win over Utah State on Thursday, UTA heads even further west to face San Jose State for the first time in school history at 9 tonight in San Jose, Calif.San Jose State is coming off a 22-point loss to Louisiana Tech, but that doesn't mean anything in this season of ups and downs for UTA. The Mavericks have beaten two of the more powerful teams in the Western Athletic Conference, but were blown out at home against Seattle and Idaho, who have a combined four WAC wins.It all starts with their offensive performance. The Mavericks have only lost one game this season when they've scored 60 points, but they've only done it 10 times. They've been the worst offensive team in the WAC, but they're carried by their WAC-best defensive unit, which holds opponents to a 38.2 field-goal percentage.Coach Scott Cross changed his lineup for this road trip by starting three point guards and inserting Greg Gainey into the lineup, who rewarded him with 10 points and eight rebounds in his first start as a Maverick. Four other Mavericks scored in double-digits.The Spartans have been without their best scorer, James Kinney, for the past three games. He was scoring more than 20 points per game, so the Spartans have struggled to find a replacement. They've been blown out in their past three games to Denver (73-37), New Mexico State (70-53) and Louisiana Tech (76-54).
UTA at San Jose State
9 tonight, The Event Center, San Jose, Calif.
Radio: KKDA/730 AM
Records: UTA 9-8, 4-4 WAC; San Jose State 9-10, 3-5
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