UTEP Men’s Basketball To Face Sul Ross State In Season Opener Monday
EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) -- The UTEP men’s basketball team (0-0) will begin its 104th season in program history by challenging Division II member Sul Ross State at 7 p.m. MT Monday.
The contest counts for the Miners, but it will be contested as an exhibition for the Lobos. SRSU is in its first year at the DII level after previously playing as a DIII program. The game is part of a doubleheader, with the UTEP women’s basketball team locking up with Tarleton State at 11 a.m. MT. For tickets, please visit www.UTEPMiners.com/tickets or call (915) 747-UTEP. Jon Teicher (44th year) and Steve Yellen (22nd year) will be on the call on “The Home of UTEP Basketball” 600 ESPN El Paso. It will also be streamed on ESPN+ (subscription required), with Andy Morgan and former Miner assistant coach Bobby Braswell describing the action.
TALKING OPENERS
UTEP is 76-27 all time in season openers, including emerging victorious in 57 of the past 63. After 15 straight seasons of beginning the year at home, the Orange and Blue christened the 2022-23 campaign with a 72-57 setback at No. 12 Texas on Nov. 5, 2022. That loss also halted a 10-tilt winning streak for season openers. The Miners were back in the Don to tip it off last year and stomped DIII member McMurry, 120-71, on Nov. 6, 2023. The 120 points ranked second in the UTEP record books at the time. The Orange and Blue bested the program standard for single-game scoring the ensuing contest after drilling NAIA member USAO, 123-72, on Nov. 9, 2023. UTEP is 2-1 in the situation under head coach Joe Golding, with the setback at Texas, an 85-57 victory against Western New Mexico in 2021-22 and the romp vs. McMurry last year.
DON’T GET TOO COMFY AT HOME
UTEP will be playing five of its first seven contests outside of El Paso, marking the initial time that’s occurred since 2014-15. This year the Miners will have two home games, two road and three neutral over the initial seven tilts. In 2014-15, UTEP went on to finish at 22-11, including 13-5 in league play (second place), despite having to endure two road contests (0-2) and a trio of neutral-site affairs (2-1) early on in the year. The Miners were 2-9 in true road games and 3-2 in a neutral site last year, which gives them the chance to write a different script from the get-go in 2024-25.
ALL OVER THE PLACE IN THE OFFSEASON
UTEP had a special offseason to help prepare for the year, which included a foreign tour in The Bahamas, an intra-squad scrimmage in Juárez, an 111-62 exhibition win vs. Universidad Autónoma de Chihuahua (UACH) on Oct. 19 and a charity exhibition 74-70 setback at New Mexico on Oct. 28. The game in Chihuahua was the first preseason scrimmage in Mexico in program history.
A GLANCE AT THE EXHIBITION CHARITY GAME AT NEW MEXICO
UTEP went tooth and nail with New Mexico, which won the 2024 Mountain West Tournament Championship, before succumbing 74-70 on Oct. 28 in a charity exhibition contest where proceeds went to the UNM Children’s Hospital. The Miners, who led the nation in both steals per game (11.4) and turnovers forced per contest (18.7) last year, displayed that vicious defense against the Lobos. UTEP registered 12 steals and forced 25 UNM turnovers. Otis Frazier III (21 points) and Derick Hamilton (10 points)hit double figures in scoring to set the pace offensively.
GET TO KNOW SUL ROSS STATE
Sul Ross State is a Division II program located in Alpine, Texas. It previously competed as a founding member of the American Southwest Conference starting in 1996-97. SRSU joined the Lone Star Conference after transitioning from DIII to DII. The Lobos return eight players from last year’s team that was 12-13 in their last campaign at the DIII level. SRSU is under the direction of fifth-year head coach Xavier Webb, who brought in nine new players (eight transfers). Among those is DI transfer Ethan Yancy (Southern Illinois), who was recognized as a player to watch by the Lone Star Conference. There are also eight returners, including ASC honorable-mention recipient Tyler Jackson and ASC All-Freshman team member Myles Amason. Webb played for SRSU, helping it claim the 2015-16 ASC West Division Championship before starting his coaching career as an assistant coach with Wayland Baptist. The match-up against the Miners will count for UTEP, but it is being played as an exhibition for the Lobos. Notable university alumni include Tuff Hedeman (retired four-time World Champion Bull Rider) and Dan Blocker (actor best known for playing Hoss Cartwright in Bonanza).
EVERY ELIGIBLE GUY READY TO ROCK
UTEP brought back three starters (Corey Camper Jr., Otis Frazier III and Kevin Kalu) and all eight eligible scholarship players (Camper Jr., Frazier III, Derick Hamilton, Baylor Hebb, Trey Horton III, Elijah Jones, Kalu, David Terrell Jr.) from last year’s team that piled up 18 wins and advanced to the program’s first Conference USA Tournament Championship contest since 2011. The Miners also have redshirts Antwonne Holmes and Babacar Mbengue.
NEWCOMERS IN THE HOUSE
JUCO All-American Ahamad Bynum, Tarleton State transfer Devon Barnes, three-star HS recruit KJ Thomas, JUCO Region XIV regular-season champion DaCannon Wickware, El Paso native Jordan Thomas and freshman Raijon Dispensa will inject some talent as newcomers.
AWARD CENTRAL
UTEP brings back the 2024 Conference USA Freshman of the Year David Terrell Jr., along with fellow 2024 CUSA All-Freshman team members Trey Horton III and Elijah Jones. Otis Frazier III, who was a member of the 2024 CUSA All-Defensive team and a CUSA Honorable-Mention honoree, was tabbed to the 2024-25 CUSA Preseason Team.
WHAT’S BACK BY THE NUMBERS
While the Miners did lose their top two scorers (Tae Hardy- 15.0 ppg) and Zid Powell (11.2 ppg), not all is lost. Seven of the next eight point producers are back, including Preseason All-CUSA honoree Otis Frazier III (10.6 ppg). Overall, the Orange and Blue have 52.1 percent of the scoring from a year ago back in the fold. UTEP’s second and third-best rebounder (Frazier III-4.7 rpg) and Kevin Kalu (4.5 rpg) help the Miners account for 54.7 percent of rebounding. Other metrics include 60.8 percent of the blocks, 53.8 percent of made field goals, 52.7 percent of steals and 41.7 percent of assists.
THE BEST FANS IN CONFERENCE USA
UTEP has led Conference USA in attendance for either total number of fans or average attendance for three straight years. Last year, the Miners had a league-best 85,566 fans pass through the turnstiles while averaging 4,754 fans (second in the league).
MORE THAN A MILLION FANS
UTEP has attracted more than one million fans to the Don Haskins Center over the past decade plus. A total of 1,201,742 individuals have passed through the turnstiles from the beginning of the 2012-13 campaign to the end of the 2023-24 season. That figure tops CUSA during that timeframe.
HOME COOKING
UTEP enters the 2024-25 campaign having ripped off at least 10 wins at home in five straight years. The Orange and Blue were 13-5 at the Bear’s Den last year, including winning the WestStar Don Haskins Sun Bowl Invitational for the first time under head coach Joe Golding.
PRESEASON PREMONITIONS
UTEP was predicted to finish tied for fifth in the Conference USA preseason poll, as voted upon the league’s 10 head coaches. It was a relatively close poll, with only 25 points separating the first six teams. LA Tech (87) was tabbed the favorite, followed by WKU (85), Sam Houston (83), Middle Tennessee (69), Liberty (62) and UTEP (62). NM State (39-seventh), Jax State (29-eighth), FIU (17-tied ninth) and Kennesaw State (17-tied ninth). LA Tech (three), Sam Houston (three), WKU (two), Middle Tennessee (one) and Liberty (one) all received at least one first-place vote.
A YEAR IN REVIEW
- Finished the year at 18-16 for the second winning seasons in three years under head coach Joe Golding.
- Made the program’s first appearance in the conference tournament championship contest since 2011.
- Beat the No. 1 seed Sam Houston in the semifinals, the Miners’ first win against a top seed at the league tournament since the 1993 WAC Championships.
- Became the first team in school history to come back from double-digit deficits to win consecutive contests in a league tournament. UTEP overcame a 12-point deficit vs. Liberty while roaring back from 14 against Sam Houston.
- Won multiple games at the CUSA tournament for the first time since 2011.
- Became the lowest seed in school history to advance to the championship contest of the league tournament.
- Won a game at the league tournament by two points or less for the first time since 1992 after ousting top seed Sam Houston
- Led the nation in both steals per game and turnovers forced per game.
- Set school record for total steals and total turnovers forced. UTEP’s 389 total steals are the second most ever by a CUSA program since the league’s inception.
- Tae Hardy earned All-District and All-CUSA honors.
- UTEP had three of the five players on the CUSA All-Freshman Team, including Freshman of the Year David Terrell Jr. Terrell Jr. was joined on the All-Freshman squad by Trey Horton III and Elijah Jones
- Otis Frazier III was All-CUSA Honorable-Mention and voted to the CUSA All-Defensive Team, the first selection to the squad for UTEP since 2015.
- Won the 2023 Don Haskins Sun Bowl Invitational for the first time under head coach Joe Golding.
THE BASIC FACTS ON UTEP’S PROGRAM
- This is the 104th season of UTEP men’s basketball. The Miners made history by starting five African-Americans to defeat Kentucky, 72-65, and win the 1966 NCAA Championship on the way to inspiring the Disney hit movie Glory Road.
- UTEP has 17 NCAA Tournament appearances (last in 2010), 11 NIT bids (last in 2015), 12 conference championships (last in 2010) and 26 seasons with at least 20+ victories (last in 2015). The Miners have won five league tournaments (last in 2005).
- The Miners have a strong presence in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame with Don Haskins, Nate Archibald, Nolan Richardson, the 1966 team and Tim Hardaway all representing UTEP.
GET TO KNOW COACH GOLDING
Joe Golding is in his fourth year at UTEP, and is the 20th head coach in program history. He is the eighth head coach for the Miners since legendary Hall of Fame Coach Don Haskins retired following the 1998-99 season. Golding is 210-192 in his 14th season as a collegiate head coach, including 52-48 at UTEP. He has enjoyed two winning campaigns in three years. Golding is 12 victories shy of passing Marshall Pennington (63-83, 1937-43) to move into fifth place on the school’s career charts. In 2021-22 he became the fourth head coach (20 total) in program history to have a winning season in their first year on the sideline. Don Haskins was the first when he directed the Miners to a mark of 18-6 in 1961-62. Doc Sadler (27-8, 2004-05) and Tim Floyd (25-10, 2010-11) also achieved the feat. Overall, the prior 19 head coaches combined to forge an average record of 9-13 in their first year with UTEP. Previously Golding spent 10 years at Abilene Christian (158-144), helping it transition from a Division II to a Division I program. Golding led the Wildcats to the 2019 and 2021 NCAA Tournaments, including a stunning upset as a 14-seed of third-seeded Texas in the first round of the 2021 Big Dance.
UP NEXT
UTEP will play its first road game of the year with a contest at Utah Valley at 2 p.m. MT Saturday. The Miners are aiming to win their road opener for the initial time since the 2010-11 season, when they beat Battle of I-10 rival New Mexico State, 74-72, in Las Cruces on Nov. 23, 2010. The contest will be broadcast on 600 ESPN El Paso and streamed on ESPN+ (subscription required).
