UTEP Men To Host McNeese State Monday
THE TIP-OFF UTEP (3-5) seeks back-to-back victories for the first time this season when McNeese State (4-5) comes to the Don Haskins Center on Monday. Tip-off is set for 7:05 p.m. The Miners are fresh off an 87-57 win over Southern on Saturday night. All copper reserved tickets are $9 for Monday?s game, a 50 percent savings from the regular price. The Miners (3-2 at home) have won three of their last four games in the Haskins Center, including topping UC Riverside on Nov. 13 (52-41) and NM State on Dec. 11 (73-69). UTEP is 18-1 in its last 19 December home games dating back to the 2006-07 season with a current 11-game winning streak. UTEP will depart El Paso for Honolulu, Hawaii on Tuesday morning and participate in the Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic Dec. 23-25 at the Stan Sheriff Center.
UTEP AT A GLANCE The Miners are starting fresh this season with nine newcomers, including a Division I transfer (junior guard Jacques Streeter) and seven freshmen. UTEP returns just three letterwinners and one starter (senior forward Gabriel McCulley) from last year?s unit that finished 25-10 overall and tied for second place in Conference USA with an 11-5 mark. The Miners lost 82.5 percent of their scoring and 70.6 percent of their rebounding production from the 2010-11 squad, which had eight seniors.
SCOUTING McNEESE STATE The Cowboys are 1-5 on the road this season with a win over Louisiana (78-56) on Dec. 1. The record, however, doesn?t tell the full story as McNeese dropped a close contest at Louisiana Tech (60-58) on Dec. 14 and trailed 20th-ranked California 28-26 at the half in Berkeley before falling 73-57 on Nov. 28. McNeese has a couple of players with double figure scoring averages in senior swingman Patrick Richard (16.4 ppg) and junior guard Jeremie Mitchell (13.0 ppg). Mitchell ranks among the most prolific three-point shooters in the NCAA, firing at a 40 percent clip from outside while averaging 2.9 triples per contest. New Mexico transfer and former UTEP recruiting target Will Brown averages 3.5 ppg and 4.8 rpg for the Cowboys. Sixth-year head Coach Dave Simmons played his college ball at Louisiana Tech starting in 1977, a year after Tim Floyd was a student assistant with the Bulldogs. McNeese was 21-12 last year, 11-5 in the Southland Conference (tied for first place) and participated in the postseason NIT.
THE SERIES UTEP won both previous meetings with the Cowboys. The Miners topped McNeese 82-72 on Dec. 18, 1982, and 84-74 on March 14, 2001. Both games were played in the Sun City. The latter was a first round matchup in the postseason NIT. The Miners? all-time record versus Southland Conference opponents is 29-4, including 24-3 in El Paso. The Miners are 0-2 against Southland teams on their home floor this season, however, falling to UTSA on Nov. 11 (73-64) and Stephen F. Austin on Nov. 26 (53-35). UTEP?s Tim Floyd hasn?t coached against McNeese State.
THE LAST MEETING UTEP jumped out to a 42-23 halftime lead en route to an 84-74 win over McNeese State in an NIT first round game on March 14, 2001 in the Haskins Center. McNeese State shot 33.7 percent and was crushed on the boards, 57-37. Brandon Wolfram posted 24 points, Brian Stewart 17 and Leonard Owens 13 for UTEP, which placed all five starters in double figure scoring. Roy Smallwood and Eugene Costello chipped in with 11 and 10 points respectively. UTEP had a 15-0 run midway through the first half, turning a 14-13 deficit into a 28-14 lead. The final margin was as close as McNeese State, the Southland Conference regular season champion, could get in the second half. McNeese State tied the Haskins Center record for field goal attempts by an opponent with 83. Demond Mallet led the Cowboys with 23 points, going 6-for-16 from three-point territory. The Cowboys attempted 35 threes and made 12.
UTEP?S LAST GAME Gabriel McCulley and Julian Washburn both established career-highs with 19 points, and Michael Perez tallied 16 of his 18 points in the second half as UTEP rolled to an 87-57 conquest of Southern University on Saturday in the Don Haskins Center. The Miners posted their largest margin of victory this season while equaling the most points they have scored in a regulation game under coach Tim Floyd. UTEP also put 87 points on the board against Mercer and Western New Mexico last season. The Miners scored 97 points in a triple-overtime loss at UAB a year ago, but only 71 came in regulation. After Southern tied the game at 9 on a three-pointer by Madut Bol with 14:38 to go in the first half, the Miners scored nine unanswered points to forge an 18-9 lead on a jumper by Jalen Ragland with 11:50 on the clock. UTEP extended its lead to as many as 15 points (32-17) before settling in with an 11-point advantage (39-28) at the midway point. The Miners blew the game open with another 9-0 spurt early in the second half, pushing a 45-32 lead to 54-32. UTEP took its largest lead of 35 points (83-48) on a McCulley dunk with 2:36 to go and equaled it at 85-50 on two free throws by McCulley with 1:42 to play. The Miners shot 50 percent (30-for-60) from the field and hit a season-high 12 three pointers, including three each from McCulley and Washburn. UTEP finished 12-for-23 from outside and 15-for-16 from the line. UTEP had one turnover in the first half and finished with six. John Bohannon registered the fourth double-figure rebounding game of his career with 10 boards in 23 minutes off the bench.
UTEP IN THE C-USA STATISTICS (Through games of Dec. 17)
Category Stat Rank Scoring offense 62.1 10 Scoring defense 63.9 8 Scoring margin -1.8 11 Free throw % 64.8 9 Field goal % 44.3 4 Field goal % defense 43.2 12 3-point field goal % 34.2 7 3-point field goal % defense 40.5 12 3-pointers per game 5.1 9 Rebound margin -0.1 10 Blocked shots 4.6 7 Assists 14.4 3 Steals 5.1 9 Turnover margin -1.3 10 Assist/turnover ratio 1.0 4
Individual Category Stat Rank C. Lang Blocked shots 1.1 13 M. Perez Field goal % 48.5 10 J. Streeter Assists 4.4 3 J. Streeter Assist/turnover ratio 1.9 4 J. Washburn Field goal % 44.9 15 J. Washburn Minutes 33.1 10 J. Washburn Scoring 11.6 24 J. Washburn Steals 1.4 12
MINERS CRACK 80 POINTS UTEP, which has struggled to score this season, put 80 points on the board for the first time with Saturday?s 87-57 rout of Southern. The last time the Miners went as many as eight games deep into a season before scoring 80 points was 1981-82, when they achieved the feat in their 11th game versus Angelo State (83-67 win). UTEP also pushed its season scoring average above 60 points (62.1 ppg) for the first time since Nov. 26 with Saturday?s victory.
SHOOTING PERCENTAGE ESCALATING The Miners hit 40.5 percent (79-of-195) of their shots in the first four games of the season, but since senior Gabriel McCulley returned from injury they have shot 49 percent or better in three of four contests. During that span UTEP has compiled a field goal percentage of .477 (103-of-216). The Miners were 10th in Conference USA in field goal percentage following a 53-35 loss to Stephen F. Austin on Nov. 26, but they now sit fourth (.443).
MINERS CASH IN FROM LONG RANGE UTEP made 12 three pointers against Southern on Saturday after not hitting more than seven in any of the first seven games. The 12 triples are tied for the 13th-top total in school history and are tied for the most under coach Tim Floyd. UTEP also made 12 trifectas versus NM State in the Haskins Center last season. The Miners? five starters versus Southern — Gabriel McCulley, Cedrick Lang, Julian Washburn, Jacques Streeter and Michael Perez — were a combined 8-for-10 from beyond the arc, including 5-for-5 in the second half.
A GREAT SHOOTING NIGHT ALL AROUND The Miners, who entered the Southern game last in C-USA in free throw percentage, made 15-of-16 foul shots versus the Jaguars. They hadn?t shot better than 75 percent from the line in any of the previous seven games. UTEP?s .938 free throw percentage versus Southern tied for eighth-best in school history with a minimum of 10 attempts. The Miners made their last 11 freebies in the game.
ASSIST/TURNOVER RATIO +24 IN LAST 2 HOME GAMES The Miners have recorded 43 assists and only 19 turnovers in posting back-to-back home wins over NM State (73-69) and Southern (87-57). UTEP has posted 20+ assists in consecutive home games for the first time since Feb. 13, 2010 versus East Carolina (29) and Feb. 27, 2010 against Rice (21). The Miners? six turnovers versus Southern were their fewest since March 2, 2011 against Marshall (five). The Miners? three point guards (Jacques Streeter, C.J. Cooper, D?Von Campbell) combined for nine assists and no turnovers.
THREE IS WHAT WE NEED UTEP is 3-2 when three or more players score in double figures this season, and 0-3 when two or fewer achieve the feat. The Miners have placed three players in double figures in a season-high three consecutive games. UTEP is 3-1 this season when freshman swingman Julian Washburn posts 10 points or more. Washburn is averaging 16.3 ppg in victories and 8.8 ppg in defeats.
TALKING DEFENSE UTEP has allowed less than 70 points in each of its last five games after yielding 73 or more in two of the first three contests. During that stretch the Miners? scoring defense is 61.6 ppg. UTEP went nine games in a row without giving up 70 points last season (Jan. 12-Feb. 19), its high water mark under coach Tim Floyd.
TAKE A LOOK AT THIS STAT UTEP had a 21-2 edge in points off turnovers versus Southern on Saturday. The +19 differential was the Miners? best since Jan. 15, 2011 versus Rice (+20, 22-2). UTEP has played 10 games under coach Tim Floyd where it scored 10 or more points off turnovers than the opposition, including nine last season.
UTEP WINS GOING AWAY The Miners blew out Southern on Saturday (87-57) to tie their second-largest margin of victory under coach Tim Floyd. UTEP also beat Louisiana-Monroe by 30 (79-49) last season.
THE WINNING COMBINATION? UTEP Coach Tim Floyd has utilized six different starting lineups in eight games, but only one group has posted a 2-0 record. With Cedrick Lang, Gabriel McCulley & Julian Washburn up front and Michael Perez & Jacques Streeter manning the backcourt, the Miners polished off NM State (73-69) and Southern (87-57) in their last two home games.
BENCH GETS A LIFT FROM UNLIKELY SOURCES UTEP received 24 points from its reserves on Saturday against Southern after the bench averaged 7.0 ppg in the previous two games. The Miners picked up eight and six points respectively from freshmen Jalen Ragland and C.J. Cooper. Ragland and Cooper combined for a total of 23 points in the first seven games of the season. Cooper, meanwhile, saw his first action in three games and was on the floor for a UTEP-high 23 minutes.
THIN UP FRONT The Miners are depleted inside with the loss of junior forward Malcolm Moore, who tore his ACL in practice on Friday and is out for the remainder of the season. UTEP is also without the services of freshman center Hooper Vint (bulging disk in his back) indefinitely. That leaves just two players 6-9 or taller (John Bohannon & Cedrick Lang) on the active roster. The Miners have added some beef inside in 6-5, 245-pound Kevin Perry, who doubles as a tight end on the UTEP football team. Perry, who has played in five games for the Miners (including four last season), scored his first field goal against Southern on Saturday.
A FIRST FOR McCULLEY Senior forward Gabriel McCulley has scored in double figures in three straight games for the first time as a Miner. McCulley, who has been on the floor for 110 contests at UTEP, is 10 away from cracking UTEP?s top-15 list for games played (Kent Lockhart and Quintan Gates are currently tied for 14th place with 120 games). McCulley led the Miners in scoring against Southern on Saturday (19 points) for just the second time. The first was on March 10, 2011 against Marshall in the C-USA Tournament quarterfinals (14 points). McCulley leads the Miners in scoring (13.0 ppg), rebounding (6.0 rpg) and field goal percentage (.645).
PEREZ ON A SCORING BINGE After scoring 15 points in the first four games of the season, sophomore guard Michael Perez has totaled 72 in the last four outings (18.0 ppg). He has led UTEP in scoring in three of the last four contests. During that stretch he has shot 55.1 percent (27-for-49) from the field and 68.8 percent (11-for-16) from the line. He was remarkably efficient offensively versus Southern on Saturday, going 7-for-10 from the floor, 2-for-2 from outside and 2-for-2 from the charity stripe. Perez scored 16 points in 13 second-half minutes against the Jaguars.
HE?S A DIAPER DANDY Julian Washburn is staking his claim as one of the top freshmen in Conference USA. He is one of two rookies in the league with a double-figure scoring average, along with Tulane guard Ricky Tarrant (12.3 ppg). Washburn is averaging 11.6 ppg and has found his shooting touch over the last three games. He has made 20-of-37 shots (.541) during that span after firing at a 38.5 percent clip in the first five contests. Washburn is the only Miner to start all eight games. He scored 19 points against Southern on Saturday, his top season total to date.
AN UNEVEN YEAR FOR ?BO? Sophomore center John Bohannon has basically put up big numbers in every other game this season. In ?odd? contests, Bohannon is averaging 11.0 points, shooting 58.6 percent (17-for-29) from the floor. In ?even? games, he is averaging 0.7 ppg with a .100 (1-for-10) field goal percentage. Saturday was another ?odd? game for ?Bo? and he responded with eight points and 10 boards versus Southern. It marked the fourth time in his career — and the first time this season — that has has come up with double-digit rebounds.
STREETER ASSIST COUNT ADDING UP After leading the Big West Conference in assist/turnover ratio in back-to-back seasons (2008-10), junior guard Jacques Streeter is continuing his career with the Miners. He has led the Miners in assists in seven of eight games and now has 324 dimes in 71 college contests. Streeter has shot well from three-point range this season (7-for-14), but is 5-for-23 on his two-point tries.
McCULLEY IS LONE SENIOR Forward Gabriel McCulley is the only senior on the 2011-12 team. McCulley redshirted the 2009-10 season and is in his fifth year in the UTEP program. McCulley is the only player on this year?s roster with a degree in hand. He graduated from UTEP with a degree in Criminal Justice in December of 2010 and is pursuing his Masters in Leadership Studies.
THE McCULLEY FACTOR There?s no question about it, UTEP has been a significantly better team with Gabriel McCulley adding experience and toughness over the last four games than it was in the first four without him. Here?s a look at the key statistical differences.
Category Without McCulley With McCulley Scoring offense 56.0 ppg 68.3 ppg Field goal% .405 .477 Rebounds/game 30.8 34.0 Rebound margin -1.7 +1.5 Off. rebound diff. -6 +2 Points in the paint avg. 18.5 28.5 Points in the paint diff. -20 +24 Second chance pts. avg. 8.8 13.8 Second chance pts. diff. -7 +19
CLAMPING DOWN UTEP?s defensive gameplan under coach Tim Floyd involves getting the other team?s top offensive players out of sync. Here?s a look at the job UTEP has done defending teams? top scorers this year.
Opp. Leading Scorer Vs. UTEP UTSA Melvin Johnson III (14.9 ppg)* 9 pts (4-9 FG) UC Riverside Phil Martin (22.0 ppg) 6 pts (3-11 FG) @NM State Wendell McKines (16.0 ppg) 23 pts (5-13 FG) SFA Antonio Bostic (16.0 ppg) 18 pts (7-11 FG) @Oregon Garrett Sim (14.0 ppg) 2 pts (0-6 FG) NM State Wendell McKines (18.1 ppg) 4 pts (1-7 FG) at UNLV Chace Stanback (15.2 ppg) 5 pts (2-8 FG) Southern Derick Beltran (12.2 ppg) 9 pts (3-12 FG)
* Scoring average from 2010-11 season
STARTING OVER UTEP has the fifth-most inexperienced team in the country in terms of returning point production.
SCHOOLS THAT RETURN LESS THAN 20 PERCENT OF THEIR POINTS St. John?s 3.7 percent (85-of-2,313) Towson 5.3 percent (109-of-2,053) Boston College 10.8 percent (263-of-2,440) Texas 17 percent (459-of-2,701) UTEP 17.5 percent (433-of-2,470) Fairleigh Dickinson 17.8 percent (333-of-1,866) Wofford 19.98 percent (500-of-2,502)
MINERS SIGN THREE Coach Tim Floyd announced the signings of forwards Twymond Howard (Pearl, Miss./Pearl HS) & Chris Washburn Jr. (Grand Prairie, Texas/South Grand Prairie HS) and guard Dustin Watts (Seattle, Wash./O?Dea HS) to national letters of intent in November. The trio of high school stars will join the Miners for the 2012-13 season. Howard is rated a four-star recruit, the no. 14 small forward in the country and the no. 69 player nationally by Rivals.com. The brother of current Miner freshman Julian Washburn and son of former NBA player Chris Washburn, Washburn is rated a four-star prospect and the no. 23 center in the country by Scout.com. Watts garnered All-State and All-League honors as a junior, leading O?Dea High to a 25-4 record.
FLOYD ERA CONTINUES Tim Floyd is in his second season as UTEP?s head coach after directing the Miners to 25 wins in his initial year at the helm of the program. Overall Floyd is 356-195 in his 18th year as a collegiate head coach with stops at Idaho (1986-88), New Orleans (1988-94), Iowa State (1994-98), USC (2005-09) and UTEP. Floyd?s teams have made 12 postseason tournament appearances, including eight trips to the NCAAs and four visits to the NIT. In 551 collegiate games, Floyd?s teams have allowed less than 70 points 370 times, less than 60 points 191 times and less than 50 points 53 times. Floyd?s teams are 166-25 when allowing fewer than 60 points, and 51-2 when yielding fewer than 50 points.
NOTING UTEP?S ILLUSTRIOUS BASKETBALL HISTORY The Miners have won seven undisputed conference regular season titles in their basketball history, including in 1941 (Border Conference), 1957 (Border Conference), 1970 (Western Athletic Conference), 1984 (WAC), 1985 (WAC), 1987 (WAC) and 2010 (Conference USA). Overall UTEP has won 12 conference championships, including five that it shared with other teams in 1959 (Border Conference), 1983 (WAC), 1986 (WAC), 1992 (WAC) and 2004 (WAC). To this day, UTEP is the only Division I school in the state of Texas to win a national championship in men?s basketball with the storied 1966 title. UTEP has made 29 postseason tournament appearances, including 17 trips to the NCAAs.
Source: UTEP Athletics
