UTEP to face Southern Utah in second round of Basketball Classic Tuesday at Haskins Center
EL PASO, Texas - The UTEP men’s basketball team (20-13) will lock up with Southern Utah (21-11) in the second round of the 2022 Basketball Classic presented by Eracism in a battle of 20+ win teams at 7 p.m. MT Tuesday.
The Miners trounced Western Illinois, 80-54, in the first round to secure their first postseason victory since earning runner-up honors in the 2009 CBI.
The Thunderbirds advanced in the event with an 83-79 win over Kent State on March 16.
Jon Teicher (41st year) and Steve Yellen (19th year) will be on the call on “The Home of UTEP Basketball” 600 ESPN El Paso.
It will also be streamed on ESPN+ with Erik Elken (play-by-play) and former Miner Hooper Vint (analyst) describing the action.
General admission tickets are $12 and courtside are $25 (based on availability).
The doors to the Don Haskins Center will open at 5:30 p.m.
The Miners are 12-6 at home on the year, including 3-0 in March, while Southern Utah stands 7-7 on the road.
UTEP is shooting for multiple wins in the postseason for the first time since 2009.
The victor will advance to the third round with the opponent to be determined.
UTEP is 3-0 all time against Southern Utah, with all three wins coming in El Paso.
The Miners claimed the first meeting 65-57, on Feb. 24, 1992.
UTEP also defeated the Thunderbirds in the 1993-94 and 1997-98 campaigns at the Don Haskins Center.
It is the first postseason match-up with the programs.
Southern Utah is 21-11, giving it back-to-back 20+ win seasons for the first time in program history.
It is making its third postseason appearance in program history, and sports the second most wins in a year.
It earned runner-up honors in the Big Sky with a 14-6 league mark.
The Thunderbirds have a balanced, veteran scoring group that features four 1,000+ career scorers (Dre Marin, John Knight III, Maizen Fausett and Harrison Butler). Jones (14.6 ppg-ninth Big Sky), Knight III (14.5-10th Big Sky), Fausett (12.2 ppg) and Marin (11.0 ppg) pace the attack that is putting up 78.5 points per game (first Big Sky/23rd NCAA).
The Thunderbirds are also among the league and national leaders for defensive rebounds per game (27.5-second/38th), rebound margin (+4.5-first/47th), field-goal percentage (46.0-fourth/68th), 3-pointers per game (8.4-fourth/81st) and scoring margin (5.5-third/95th).
Knight tops the Big Sky in steals per game (2.0-31st NCAA) and field-goal percentage (53.0-58th NCAA) while Fausett cleans up the glass with 8.1 rebounds per contest (fifth Big Sky/67th NCAA).
