DMN Men have quick exit in Sun Belt tournament

[OldTimer]

UNT men have quick exit in Sun Belt tournament

02:23 AM CST on Saturday, March 4, 2006

By BRETT VITO / Denton Record-Chronicle

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – North Texas came to the Aeropostale Sun Belt Conference Tournament hoping for a change – both in the course of its season and postseason history.

The Mean Green came up short on both accounts in a first-round game against Arkansas-Little Rock on Friday at the Murphy Center.

Colleges

Ark.-Little Rock 72, UNT 55

Box score | Standings

Friday's scoreboard

More: UNT | Colleges

UALR cruised to a 72-55 win that sent the Mean Green packing in the first round for the fourth straight season.

UNT hasn't won a first-round game in the conference tournament since 2001-02, the Mean Green's first campaign under coach Johnny Jones. Jones completed his fifth year at UNT with a 14-14 record, the same as last season.

UNT lost eight of its last 10 games after starting 5-2 in conference play.

"It was very disappointing because we got off to a great start," Jones said. "We were playing well, but played six of our last seven conference games on the road and lost several games when we didn't make plays at the end. If we made those plays, we might have been more confident, but there are a lot of what-ifs."

UNT didn't have an opportunity to make plays late against UALR (14-14) after the Trojans went on a 15-1 run midway through the first half. UALR led by two before going on its run to take a 32-16 lead.

The Mean Green shot 36 percent from the field and finished with its second-lowest point total of the season.

The Trojans advanced to face South Alabama at 6 p.m. on Sunday, while UNT was left to ponder what went wrong.

"Not to take anything away from Little Rock, but we didn't execute and were not hungry," junior guard Kendrick Davis said. "That's the bottom line."

E-mail bvito@dentonrc.com

[GoMeanGreen1999]

14 - 14......same as last year - they have to make a change at the top. This really getting pathetic.

[EagleMBA]

Not to be an apologist for JJ, but he can't go on the floor and make the last minute plays, nor can he make them "hungry" if they're not.

Having said that, it is his responsibility to recruit playmakers and put a boot in their asses if they appear not to be "hungry".

I make no secret of being a JJ supporter, but this is damned disappointing.

[drex]

I like Johnny, but I like my alma mater even more. This is pathetic. The largest university in the conference cannot even make it past the first round of the tournament....so sad.

[NorthTexasFan]

Give JJ the boot for heaven's sake.

[GoMeanGreen1999]

I have been a JJ supporter myself, and when we started the conference at 5-2, I thought he had things turned in the right direction, but to then lose 8 out of your final 10 is pathetic.