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"We're thrilled," Jones told NSN. "We got off to a little rocky start in conference play and ended up being the last team (at the conference tournament). We have 12 teams, and we were the eighth seed. They only take eight teams. We were the last one to qualify for our conference tournament, but our guys did a tremendous job of playing well over three days and put us in position to be at the greatest show on Earth, and that's March Madness." You can watch our full interviews with Jones and his assistant coach, Brandon Chambers, who spent three seasons at Nevada from 2016-19, below. read more: https://nevadasportsnet.com/sports/mens-basketball/ex-nevada-assistant-johnny-jones-aims-for-third-straight-season-with-ncaa-tournament-win

With Turgeon off the board, it’s unclear which direction Saal is turning in the Wichita State basketball coaching search. National analysts peg WSU as one of the more intriguing open positions in the country, which should drum up interest from the crop of up-and-coming mid-major coaches who have led their teams to the Big Dance this week. Furman’s Bob Richey and Oral Roberts’ Paul Mills are two potential targets, according to sources, while other potential candidates who are sitting head coaches in the tournament include Florida Atlantic’s Dusty May, North Texas’ Grant McCasland, College of Charleston’s Pat Kelsey, Drake’s Darian DeVries and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi’s Steve Lutz. May, McCasland, Kelsey and DeVries have all been rumored to be candidates for power-conference openings. WSU would face stiff competition to land any one of them, but it’s a battle the Shockers very well could win, given what the program has to offer in tradition, fan base, resources and proven track record of winning. Read more at: https://www.kansas.com/sports/college/wichita-state/article273178050.html#storylink=cpy

I feel somewhat deflated. My girlfriend is excited though because she is off Wed and will be able to watch most if not all of the game.

Does the AD have some type of ombudsman who could perhaps help in these types of situations? It seems like you are a good and loyal fan and feel like they have not shown you the respect that is deserved. I would wager that UNT would like to keep you happy and in the fold. Simply put they don't want or need to lose good fans. Especially ones who bring many other fans to events such as yourself.

FRISCO – The UNT men's basketball team shot 51% from the field and cruised to a 74-46 win over LA Tech on Thursday night in the Conference USA Championship quarterfinals to break the program record for most wins in a season (26) and earn a spot in the tournament semifinals for the third consecutive year. UNT (26-6), the No. 2 seed in the tournament, moves on to face third-seeded UAB (24-8) in Friday's semifinal matchup, which is scheduled for a 2 p.m., tipoff back at the Ford Center at the Star. Sophomore Aaron Scott led the Mean Green with a career- and game-high 19 points on 6 of 6 shooting, including a pair of 3-pointers, while also pulling down six rebounds. His 13 first-half points was just one shy of his previous career high. "I was very confident," Scott said. "My teammates and coaches were confident in me. I just kept shooting and it was falling. We had a game plan and we executed it – offensively and defensively. Offensively, we just wanted to get in ball screens and move well off the ball. We knew they switched a lot, so we tried to take advantage of those switches." LA Tech's previous season low entering the game was 49 at Middle Tennessee on Feb. 25. Entering the game, LA Tech was one of three C-USA teams UNT had not yet held to a season low. The 28-point margin of victory was the largest for UNT in C-USA tournament play, eclipsing last year's 18-point quarterfinal victory over Rice, and it was the worst loss for the Bulldogs (15-18) this season. The Mean Green held the Bulldogs' two leading scorers, Isaiah Crawford and Keaston Willis, to 7 and 5 points, respectively, while holding LA Tech to 30.4% shooting and just 12.5% from beyond the arc. "Willis and Crawford can really put pressure on you, and we knew limiting their opportunities would be how we won," UNT head coach Grant McCasland said. "It took a team effort. That's what it's about for us is finding a way to win on the defensive end. "You can't let them get close to the rim, and with Isaiah he's such a threat on all three levels – 3-pointers, midrange shots and getting to the line. You have to find a way to keep him farther from the basket and make his shots tough. Tyree (Eady) and (Aaron) Scott were really good at playing physically." Kai Huntsberry finished with 12 points for the Mean Green, while Tylor Perry and Abou Ousmane rounded out the double-figures scorers with 10 apiece, and Ousmane led the team with nine rebounds. UNT topped UAB in both meetings this season, including an 82-79 double-overtime victory in the most recent meeting on Feb. 9, in Denton. McCasland and Scott both said Thursday night's game had the feeling of a home game in the Super Pit. "It was remarkable," McCasland said, referring to the UNT crowd in Frisco. "I wish they were in front of us. It's a little bit harder when they're right behind you. But it's a really unique opportunity for us and we're thankful for the Mean Green faithful showing up. It really made a big difference." Contact the Mean Green Ticket Office at 940-565-2527 or by emailing ticketoffice@unt.edu.

I am very concerned about Cuse courting Mac. Then again, this used to be a bigger job than it is now.

I don't think I can link something that is showing up in me email box?

I just don't see a way for her to improve that much in one year.

Good points. I just don't think she will ever get us to the next level. Something is missing with her and I just don't think it will ever be right.

UNT TOURNAMENT CENTRAL WATCH LISTEN LIVE STATS GAME NOTES FRISCO — After a historic 25-win regular season, the UNT men’s basketball team begins its 2023 Conference USA Championship run Thursday night in the quarterfinal round at The Ford Center at the Star in Frisco. The Mean Green, who are the 11-team tournament’s No. 2 seed and earned a first round bye, will play the winner of FIU and Louisiana Tech at 8 p.m. CT. Thursday’s game will be broadcast on ESPN+ and the Mean Green Sports Network, presented by Learfield on The Varsity Network app. For a second consecutive season, North Texas (25-6, 16-4) set the program record for regular season wins. This year they tied the program record for conference wins (16), which was set by last year’s team. The Mean Green enter the C-USA Championship having won 50 games of the last two years. It’s the most wins over a two-year span in program history. The 50 wins since the start of last year are tied with UAB for the most in the league and tied for the 12th-most in the nation. UNT has done it all year with its defense that finished No. 1 in the nation in allowing the fewest points per game. After holding Western Kentucky to 33 points last Saturday in the regular season finale, North Texas is now holding its opponents to a national best 55.4 points per game. What’s taken the Mean Green to the next level though has been the development of its offense. In conference, North Texas featured the league’s third-most efficient offense, averaging 109.5 points per 100 possessions. They were one of the best in C-USA at scoring around the rim and were the league’s best free throw shooting team. After the season, UNT senior guard Tylor Perry was awarded as the league’s Player of the Year honor. Junior big man Abou Ousmane was also named all-conference, junior guard Rubin Jones was voted to the all-defensive team and Kai Huntsberry was named C-USA’s Newcomer of the Year. Perry leads C-USA in six categories including win shares and 3-point field goal percentage and ranks in the top five in 17 categories. His 6.1 win share total is 8th-best in the nation. North Texas swept both of its potential quarterfinal counterparts Louisiana Tech and FIU this season. The Mean Green have not played FIU in the C-USA Championship since 2019 when they beat them in the first round, 71-57. North Texas has a lot more experience against the Bulldogs in the C-USA Championship. Under sixth-year North Texas head coach Grant McCasland, the Mean Green have matched up against LA Tech three times in the conference tournament including last season when they upset UNT in the semifinals, 42-36. LA Tech and FIU are scheduled to tipoff in their first-round game at 8 p.m. CT on Wednesday. If the Mean Green can advance on Thursday, they will play in the semifinals on Friday at 2 p.m. CT. The game will be broadcast on CBS Sports Network and the Mean Green Sports Network. Contact the Mean Green Ticket Office at 940-565-2527 or by emailing ticketoffice@unt.edu.

FRISCO, Texas (March 8, 2023) – In the opening round of the Conference USA Tournament, UNT and UAB found themselves tied at 70 with 54 seconds left to play but the Blazers scored five of the final six points down the stretch to take home a 75-71 victory and eliminate the Mean Green from tournament play. UNT had four players in double figures, led by 16 points from Kendall McGruder who went 6 of 9 from the floor, but could not regain the lead after the six-minute mark of the fourth quarter as they finish the season with an 11-20 overall record. In addition to McGruder, Quincy Noble scored 14 points while both Jaaucklyn Moore and Tommisha Lampkin chipped in 12 points apiece in the loss. Out of the gates, both teams came out hot as UNT hit seven of its first nine shots and the Blazers knocked down four of their first seven to make the score 13-12 UAB halfway through the first quarter. After UNT rattled off seven straight points to take a 19-13 edge, the Blazers answered back with seven of the next eight to tie the contest at 20 late in the period. McGruder was able to give the Mean Green a lead at the end of the first as she nailed a 3-pointer to go up 23-20 going with 10 seconds left on the clock. In the second period UNT swelled the lead to as many as nine, its largest lead of the contest, with a 7-1 flurry that made the score 32-23. Trailing 34-25, UAB got hot from 3-point range and hit three straight shots from downtown and drew a foul on another for three free throws to fuel a 15-2 run that closed out the first half and gave the Blazers a 40-36 edge at the break. Coming out of halftime, UNT quickly tied the contest at 47 with six straight points before stretched the lead back to four as both teams score 15 points in the third quarter to make the score 55-51 heading into the fourth period. The Mean Green took the lead for the first time in the second half early in the final quarter as they started with six straight points capped off by an and-one by Jordyn Carter. With the score 59-58 in favor of UNT, the Blazers took advantage of an and-one of their own by Destinee McGhee to re-take the lead. The score was tied four more times but UAB never trailed from that point on. With the score 70-70, Denim Deshields was able to drive into the lane for UAB and knock down a layup while drawing a foul. The C-USA All-Freshman team selection hit the free throw to put the Blazers up three. After Moore hit one of two free throws after a flagrant foul, UNT had the ball down two with 40 seconds left on the clock. Unfortunately, the Mean Green were unable to convert offensively and the Blazers hit two more free throws to seal the 75-71 victory. UNT struggled from the free throw line throughout the contest going just 14 of 28 from the stripe while UAB converted 18 of its 23 foul shots. Additionally, the Blazers were able to take advantage of nine UNT turnovers that led to 15 points on the scoreboard. The Mean Green close the season 11-20 after earning the #7 seed in the C-USA Tournament. Noble is the lone senior on the roster for UNT, but still has one year of eligibility remaining as well. Quoting Coach Mitchell “I’m disappointed in the loss. For me, it comes down to free throws. We missed 14 free throws which is way too many. If nothing else is different in the game and we just make five of those free throws we win the game. It was just unfortunate that we couldn’t connect on enough today.”

I guess I am at a loss to figure out a better way for them to deal with the HUB piece of this. If you are sitting on one please share as the AD reads this board daily like Vito does for story ideas etc.

I thought I heard that Kai took a personal year to deal with family issues. Not sure if that was tied to covid or not. There could be some question as to how that year is treated or if it may require NCAA appeal.

Not really, it is just a reflection of the mediocrity we dealt with under the past head coach. I can promise you this will be changing rapidly under Morris.

DALLAS (March 7, 2023) – For the third time in her illustrious career in a UNT uniform, senior Quincy Noble has earned All-Conference USA honors as she has been named a First Team All-CUSA honoree, the league announced Tuesday. Noble becomes just the second player in program history, joining now head coach Jalie Mitchell, to be named to the All-Conference team three times in a career after being named to the First Team in 2020-21 and a Second Team selection in 2021-22. “Congratulations are in order for Quincy Noble!” Mitchell said. “She has been a consistent scorer & dependable defender for us all year long. She has continued to grow and add to her game each year, and it’s obvious that every coach in our league notices & prepares their team for what Quincy brings. Three years in a row is no small feat. I’m proud of the way she has represented the Mean Green!” This season, Noble has been an offensive machine for the Mean Green, averaging 17.1 points per game, a figure that ranks third in the league. In 30 games this season, Noble has scored in double figures 26 times and has scored 20+ points 11 times on the year. A senior out of McKinney, Texas, Noble leads the league in field goal attempts and sits second in total field goals and sixth in both steals and field goal percentage this season. In her career at UNT, Noble sits alone in eighth place in scoring history with 1,302 career points. She became the 15th player in program history to reach 1,000 career points earlier this season and just the eighth to do so in three seasons or less. In addition to points, Noble also ranks inside the top-10 in program history in career 3-pointers (143), scoring average (16.3 ppg), 3-point FG percentage (33.6%) and FT percentage (78.8%). Noble and the Mean Green return to action Wednesday afternoon in the first round of the C-USA Tournament in Frisco, Texas, at 1:30 against #10 UAB inside the Ford Center at the Star. All-CUSA First Team Dazia Lawrence, Charlotte Jada McMillian, Charlotte Keiunna Walker, LA Tech Savannah Wheeler, Middle Tennessee Courtney Whitson, Middle Tennessee Quincy Noble, UNT Jazion Jackson, UTEP Jordyn Jenkins, UTSA All-CUSA Second Team Kaliah Henderson, FIU Aniya Hubbard, Florida Atlantic Anna Larr Roberson, LA Tech Jalynn Gregory, Middle Tennessee Ashlee Austin, Rice Malia Fisher, Rice Margaret Whitley, UAB Elina Arike, UTEP

TP definitely has another year. That is not the question. The question is will he transfer out due to NIL money at another school. Vito is the one who prompted this with his stupid article. Tylor has never raised the issue of leaving until Vito prompted it. At what point is the UNT AD going to realize what a cancer Vito is for this university?

I concur with you @UNTLifer. Great post. My only concern is for us to keep all of these players we will have to pony up some serious NIL dough. The questions becomes what is the amount we have to pay them for them to stay? With Mardez, I think he was wanting to finish up at Georgia no matter what and the amount required to keep him here would have been astronomical. So that did not make good business sense for us.

DENTON — UNT men’s basketball senior guard Tylor Perry was voted the 2023 Conference USA Player of the Year, announced by the league Tuesday. The 5-foot-11 guard from Fort Coffee, Oklahoma, is just the fourth ever North Texas men’s basketball student-athlete to earn a conference player of the year honor. He’s the second in the Grant McCasland era and the second since the Mean Green joined C-USA in 2013. Perry enters the 2023 Conference USA Men’s Basketball Championship averaging 17.0 points per game and shooting just south of 45 percent from the floor and 3-point range as he's led the Mean Green to a second straight season with a program record 25 wins and 16 league wins. “It’s a tremendous honor and something I’m very proud of but could not be possible without my teammates and coaches,” Perry said. “I’m thankful for all the people who believe in me and have helped me, but the job isn’t done yet.” The Mean Green’s second-year guard has been one of the most clutch players in the league over the last two seasons. A first team all-league honoree last year, he made five shots in the final four seconds of regulation to win it or tie games. This season he’s proven it’s not just luck, as he’s shooting nearly 60 percent from 3-point range late in games. Perry this year ranks in the top five of Conference USA in 17 different offensive categories including first in win shares (6.1), 3-point field goal percentage (42.6) and free throw percentage (86.5) to just name a couple. Perry who graduated from Spiro High School in 2019, held no DI offers coming out of high school. He spent two seasons at Coffeyville Community College where he led them to the 2021 NJCAA DI National Championship and was named the 2021 NJCAA DI National Tournament MVP and was a NJCAA Second Team All-American. He joins UNT graduates Javion Hamlet (2020 C-USA), Deon Hunter (1989 Southland) and Tony Worrell (1988 Southland) to earn conference player of the year honors. In addition to being named C-USA Player of the Year, Perry was voted first team all-conference for a second consecutive season. The league’s head coaches and 22 select media members were involved in voting. Joining Perry with all-league honors is his fellow backcourt mate, Kai Huntsberry, who was named the 2023 C-USA Newcomer of the Year on Tuesday. Huntsberry, who joined North Texas this summer from DII University of Mary, enters the Conference USA Championship averaging 12.1 points per game and leads the Mean Green with 89 total assists. His growth over the season has been crucial to the Mean Green’s success this year. In the final 11 conference games of the season, Huntsberry improved his scoring by 4.5 points per game and is shooting nearly 20 percent better from the floor than in the first half of the conference schedule. Huntsberry, who like Perry had no DI offers coming out of high school, is the first North Texas men’s basketball student-athlete since Javion Hamlet in 2020 to be named C-USA Newcomer of the Year and is just the fifth player in program history to earn a conference newcomer of the year honor. In addition to Hamlet, he joins Collin Dennis (2008 Sun Belt), Kendrick Davis (2006 Sun Belt) and Donnell Hayden (1991 Southland) to earn the honor. Also taking home an all-conference accolade Tuesday was North Texas junior big man Abou Ousmane who was voted third team all-conference. It’s the Brooklyn native’s first ever C-USA all-league honor. Ousmane heads into the conference tournament averaging 11.5 points per game and grabbing a team-leading 6.1 rebounds per game. Ousmane is shooting nearly 50 percent from the floor. Ousmane opened his conference campaign with a bang as he scored 37 points on 15-of-19 field goals in UNT’s league opening 78-54 win at UTSA on Dec. 22. Up until this week, it was the most points scored by a C-USA player in a league game this year. Lastly, North Texas junior Rubin Jones was named to the 2023 Conference USA All-Defensive team. The 2021 C-USA All-Freshman Team honoree is the best on-ball defender for the Mean Green who feature the nation’s No. 1 scoring defense and are giving up just 55.4 points per game this season. Jones, who graduated high school from a historic offensive program in Houston — Jack Yates High School — is just the third Mean Green men’s basketball student-athlete to be named to a conference’s all-defensive team honor. Synergy Basketball ranks Jones in the 90th percentile in the nation as a defender. UNT opponents are only scoring 0.6 points per possession when guarded by Jones and shooting just 32 percent from the floor and 20 percent from 3-point range against the 6-foot-5 guard. The 2023 Conference USA Basketball Championships presented by TotalCare begins Thursday March 9 at the Ford Center Star in Frisco for the Mean Green. All Session passes to the men and women’s basketball 11-team, four-day single elimination league tournament can be purchased here. The Mean Green men’s basketball team (25-6, 16-4) earned the No. 2 seed in the men’s bracket and received a first round bye. They will face the winner of Louisiana Tech and FIU on Thursday at 8 p.m. CT. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+ and the Mean Green Sports Network, presented by Learfield. The men also reached the semifinals of the 2022 conference tournament and won the championship in 2021. UNT fans are encouraged before and after the games to meet at Concrete Cowboy across Cowboy Way from the Ford Center for the UNT Fan Fest. Thanks to the generosity of Mean Green Scholarship Fund donors and UNT Athletics, North Texas students can attend the tournament for free. Students looking to go to the tournament Thursday can pay $10 to take a student only bus from campus to the Star in Frisco. The $10 includes food, giveaway items and the ticket to the game. UNT students can purchase the bus ticket at www.UNTTix.com. For more information on tickets, contact the Mean Green Ticket Office at 940-565-2527.

Agree and honestly, all you have to do is get someone to come out on a nice day and share some tailgating with them. Once they experience the fun and see how reasonable it costs, it really sells itself. In fact, I think they could benefit from offering a first time ticket package that is all inclusive. Sort of a way to shake hands with a first time user and make sure they have a good time and know they are appreciated.

I think Beard would make for an interesting hire. Hopefully he has learned from his past transgressions.

Yes it does seem like they are trying to move away from that original model now.

I think that Texas State would be the most interesting out of the Belt but UTSA would be against that.