Preview: Utah Tech Looks to Sweep Season Series at Abilene Christian

ABILENE, Texas (Interstat) — The Utah Tech Trailblazers and Abilene Christian Wildcats will meet for the second time this season in a Western Athletic Conference men’s basketball game Thursday at Moody Coliseum.

Utah Tech (11-11, 4-5 WAC) won the first meeting decisively, 79-64, in Abilene on Jan. 1. The Trailblazers enter on a high note after a 102-91 home victory over Southern Utah last Saturday, their highest scoring output in conference play.

The Trailblazers are led by forward Ethan Potter, who is coming off a career-high 29-point performance against Southern Utah. Over his last seven games, Potter is averaging 16.1 points, including three outings of 20 or more points. Chance Trujillo (17 points) and Britton Berrett (14 points) provided key support in the win.

Abilene Christian (10-9, 3-5) has lost three straight games since a 2-0 start to league play, most recently a 74-52 defeat at Southern Utah on Jan. 17. Guard Rich Smith has been a consistent bright spot, averaging 16.3 points and 5.0 assists over his last six contests. He scored 22 points in the first matchup with Utah Tech.

The Wildcats will seek to defend their home floor and improve a season record that includes a notable non-conference road win at Texas Southern but also double-digit losses to BYU and Arizona.

For Utah Tech, maintaining its offensive momentum will be critical after shooting 54% from the field in the Jan. 1 win. Containing Smith and improving on a 1-6 road record this season are the primary challenges.

The game tips off at 7 p.m. CST. Following this contest, Utah Tech travels to face Tarleton State on Saturday, while Abilene Christian hosts Southern Utah.