DRC NT comes w/waves at opponents, 4 of the

OldTimer · January 5, 2006

Men's basketball: UNT men take No. 3 D into SBC

Mean Green start ranked third in nation in steals

08:50 AM CST on Thursday, January 5, 2006

By Brett Vito / Staff Writer

North Texas has come at opponents in waves at times this season defensively.

First there are starting guards Isaac Hines and Calvin Watson followed by Lionel Brown and Michael Sturns in their place

All four rank among the top 15 players in the Sun Belt Conference in steals for UNT, which is hoping to take advantage of its pilfering prowess when league play begins today.

UNT, ranked No. 3 nationally in steals with an average of 11.7 per game, will begin its pursuit of the Sun Belt West Division title at 7 p.m. when the Mean Green take on Louisiana-Lafayette (4-7) at the Super Pit.

UNT (7-4) is looking to exceed expectations after the Sun Belt’s coaches picked the Mean Green to finish fifth out of six teams in their half of the league.

“I am excited about the conference season getting started because from what I have seen early on, we can be a very competitive team,” UNT coach Johnny Jones said. “If we continue to grow as a team, some exciting things will happen for us this year.”

UNT’s confidence is based in part on a win over Tulsa on Monday. The Mean Green made a few key plays late and picked up their first win over the Golden Hurricane since 1976.

UNT recorded six steals against Tulsa, including three in the final seven minutes of the game. Sophomore forward Quincy Williams’ steal with 1:01 left set up a series of free throws that sealed the 67-61 win, UNT’s fifth in its last six games.

“It helped our confidence a lot to win at Tulsa,” Sturns said. “We know that if we can win at Tulsa, we can win at home.”

UNT’s quickness on the defensive end and ability to create turnovers has sparked the Mean Green. UNT has posted double-figure steals in eight of its 11 games and set a new school record with 20 in a win over UT-Permian Basin.

The Mean Green came up with 12 steals against Texas A&M and had another 11 against Houston. The turnovers UNT forced helped keep the Mean Green in both games late into the second half before they let opportunities to win slip away.

“We have improved a lot defensively this year,” Hines said. “Our defense has led to easy buckets.”

Hines has created several of those easy opportunities by averaging 2.36 steals a game, a total that ranks fourth in the Sun Belt. One of UNT’s greatest assets is that Hines is just one of several Mean Green players who excel defensively.

Brown ranks 11th in the league with an average of 1.45 steals a game, despite playing just 15 minutes a game as Hines’ backup.

Watson and Sturns are tied for 14th in the league leaders with an average of 1.40 steals a game.

“Our guys are better defensively and we are quicker and deeper than we have been in the past,” Jones said. “It’s been good for us because when we have gotten turnovers, we have been able to convert them to baskets on the other end. There is nothing better than a fast break when you have numbers on the other end and get easy baskets.”

UNT has complemented its ability to pressure opponents with a balanced scoring attack that features Kendrick Davis. The junior guard ranks sixth in the Sun Belt with an average of 16.5 points a game and is one of three UNT players averaging double figures.

Sturns and senior center Jeffrey Simpson are averaging 11.7 and 11.5 points a game, respectively.

UNT is hoping that balance will pay off tonight when the Mean Green take on ULL, the defending Sun Belt Tournament champion. The Ragin’ Cajuns were picked to win the Sun Belt West Division title and feature one of the league’s best inside-out combinations in senior guard Dwayne Mitchell and senior center Michael Southall.

Mitchell ranks third in the league with an average of 18.8 points a game and is also second in rebounds at 11.7 a game. Southall ranks in the top 10 in both points (seventh, 15.1) and rebounds (fifth, 7.1).

“It’s a great challenge,” Jones said. “Lafayette and Western Kentucky have carried the torch for the league. This game will show us where we are and how much we have grown.”

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