UNT not content with close defeats

MeanGreen61 · December 28, 2005

Mean Green look to get back on track vs. UT-Permian Basin

10:22 AM CST on Wednesday, December 28, 2005

By Brett Vito / Staff Writer

North Texas head coach Johnny Jones couldn’t detect his players feeling any sense of accomplishment from playing Houston close when the Mean Green returned to practice after their holiday break.

As far as Jones is concerned, that’s a good sign.

The Mean Green played Houston to the wire on Friday before falling by eight points to the Cougars, who were nationally ranked earlier this year.

UNT will look to bounce back from what they saw as their second disappointing near miss of the season tonight when the Mean Green host UT-Permian Basin in the first of their three remaining games before the opening of Sun Belt Conference play. UNT also took Texas A&M to the final minute before losing at the buzzer.

“We are competing at a great level, but our mission is to be at that next step where we are winning games,” Jones said. “That’s when we will get satisfaction, because we are not satisfied with being close.”

UNT will get one last chance to pick up a big win in non-conference play when the Mean Green travel to Tulsa on Jan. 2. The opportunity is one UNT will look to build toward in its game against UT-Permian Basin today and a second home game against Stephen F. Austin on Friday.

The Mean Green head into tonight’s game at 4-4, which is disappointing because they could have been 6-2 had they made a few key plays at the end of a pair of games earlier in the month.

UNT guard Kendrick Davis had a 3-point shot that would have beaten Texas A&M at the buzzer bounce off the back of the rim. UNT was also within a point of Houston with just 2:26 left to go in the game.

The Mean Green’s performance prompted Houston coach Tom Penders to predict that if UNT kept improving, it would be in the thick of the race for the Sun Belt Conference title.

UNT’s players refuse to look at a pair of close losses in a positive light, no matter what opposing coaches have said.

“I don’t like moral victories,” UNT junior guard Calvin Watson said. “We haven’t been taking the losses well. We have been in close games, but they haven’t gone in our favor.”

A game against UTPB could offer the Mean Green a chance to put their close loss to Houston in the past and build toward their conference opener against Sun Belt West Division favorite Louisiana-Lafayette on Jan. 5.

UTPB is an NAIA team that recently announced its decision to apply for membership in NCAA Division II. UNT played another Division II team in Angelo State on Dec. 19 and cruised to a 111-65 win after opening the game with a 31-0 run.

UNT drilled UTPB last season, 103-44. The Falcons appear to have improved since that loss and are off to an 8-3 start that includes a 75-69 win over Texas State, a Division I team.

Marlo Saunders, a 6-5 forward, leads the Falcons with an average of 19.5 points a game.

“They are better than they were last year,” Jones said. “They won at Texas State, which is a huge win for them.”

UNT beat Chattanooga at home earlier this season and will have another opportunity at another solid non-conference win in a game at Tulsa on Jan. 2.

UNT will look to continue building toward that game behind junior guard Kendrick Davis, who leads the team with an average of 17.0 points a game.

Jones said his goal is for the Mean Green to win three straight to head into conference play at 7-4.

“We have improved each game, but we have to continue to cut down on our mistakes,” Jones said. “We have some tough games coming up. Its important to be playing well going into conference play.”

Briefly …

UNT senior center Justin Barnett is battling a back injury and is questionable for the Mean Green’s game against UTPB.

BRETT VITO can be reached at 940-566-6870. His e-mail address is bvito@dentonrc.com.

Edited December 28, 2005 by MeanGreen61

MeanGreenBuzz · December 28, 2005

Good article. It is very exciting to me that we have a coach that doesn't teach that moral victories are as good as victories.

On another note with Barnett out hopefully we will get to see a lot of Howerton. I enjoyed watching him play against Angelo St. and it will be good to see the future of NT Basketball centers getting some good playing time in before next year.