Preview of tonight's game against UNO

[mgsteve]

New Orleans (13-14) At North Texas (13-12)

GAME NOTES: A pair of teams trying to notch their 14th win of the season collide at the Super Pit in Denton tonight, as the New Orleans Privateers do battle with the North Texas Mean Green in Sun Belt Conference action. The Privateers come into the game on a high note, as they knocked off Florida International, 69-55, on Monday. It was the second win a row by New Orleans, which improved to 13-14 overall and 7-6 in league play. The Privateers, however, now take to the road where they have gone just 3-8 this season, including 2-4 against league foes. As for North Texas, it did battle with SBC- leading UL-Lafayette last Saturday, but was unable to pull off the upset in an 80-67 setback. The loss put an end to a brief two-game winning streak and dropped the Mean Green to 13-12 overall and 5-8 conference play. With regard to the all-time series between these two schools, UNO holds an 8-4 advantage, although UNT won the first meeting this season, 66-60.

Bo McCalebb has done it all for New Orleans this season and he is currently the top scorer in the Sun Belt with an average of 23.0 ppg. He also leads the team in assists (3.7 apg) and steals (53), and is even grabbing 4.1 rpg. Chad Barnes chips in 10.0 ppg for the Privateers, who are averaging 66.7 ppg behind 42.7 percent shooting from the floor. In the team's last game, Barnes poured in a season-high 23 points and collected five rebounds in leading New Orleans to a 14-point win over Florida International. McCalebb added 14 points and six assists for the Privateers, who shot 47.9 percent from the floor. UNO also made good on 7-of-14 shots from behind the arc and 16-of-23 from the foul line.

The Mean Green are one of the higher scoring teams in the SBC this season, as they are netting a solid 74.0 ppg on 42.8 percent shooting from the floor. Leonard Hopkins heads the club with 17.4 ppg, although he is making just 37.4 percent of his total shots. Calvin Watson is the only other player on the roster currently turning in twin-figure points with 11.8 ppg on 41.6 percent shooting from long range. In their previous tilt, the Mean Green shot a solid 50.9 percent from the floor, but could not overcome a whopping 25 turnovers in a 13-point loss to UL-Lafayette. North Texas also had some trouble from long range (4-of-15) and was outscored at the foul line by a two to one margin, 22-11. Hopkins paced the club in defeat with 13 points, while Watson was limited to just six points.

This is a big game for both teams, as New Orleans is trying to climb back to .500, while North Texas is trying to avoid falling to .500 overall. The Privateers have won four of the last five meetings against the Mean Green in Denton and should be able to continue that trend tonight with a big effort from McCalebb.

Predicted Outcome

New Orleans 77, North Texas 74

[GangGreen]

Forget that, I say:

UNT 85

UNO 68

[UNTSportsGuy]

This is probably the biggest game of the year, and will likely mean the difference between playing three or four games in the SBC Tourny. I really hope that we play with the fire and desire of a team that "needs" a win.