Preview: Southern Utah at Texas-Arlington Men’s Basketball

ARLINGTON, Texas (Interstat) — The Texas-Arlington Mavericks look to solidify their position in the Western Athletic Conference standings and complete a regular-season sweep when they host the Southern Utah Thunderbirds on Thursday night.

The Mavericks (13-6, 4-2 WAC) enter College Park Center having won four of their last five games, including a 71-64 victory over Tarleton State last Wednesday. Raysean Seamster led the way in that contest with 23 points. He also scored 11 points with five assists in the first meeting with Southern Utah this season, an 86-77 road win for UTA on Jan. 3.

UTA has relied on a balanced attack and stout defense, allowing just 56 points in a road win at Utah Tech on Jan. 15. The Mavericks are 8-1 at home this season.

Southern Utah (7-14, 3-3) arrives after a high-scoring 102-91 loss at Utah Tech on Saturday, despite a career-high 35 points from standout guard Jaiden Feroah. The Thunderbirds had won three straight conference games prior to that defeat.

Feroah has been the engine for SUU, averaging 21.1 points over his last seven games. He scored 13 points in the loss to UTA earlier this month. The Thunderbirds’ offense can be potent, evidenced by a 106-point outing in an overtime win over Tarleton State on Jan. 15, but consistency has been an issue.

The matchup pits UTA’s conference-title aspirations against Southern Utah’s attempt to climb back to .500 in WAC play. The Mavericks will aim to contain Feroah and exploit their home-court advantage, while the Thunderbirds seek to avenge their earlier loss and build momentum before a tough stretch of road games.

Tipoff is scheduled for 8 p.m. EST. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+.