Men to face SFA Tonight

[Harry]

Nebraska center Aleks Maric might have been the perfect teaching tool for North Texas heading into its game against Stephen F. Austin today.

Maric, a 6-11 center, was every bit as good as he was advertised to be in the Cornhuskers' 76-57 win over the Mean Green in UNT's last game, scoring 26 points and pulling down 11 rebounds.

UNT will face another pair of solid post players tonight in its game against SFA and will be better prepared for the challenge after taking on Maric. The Lumberjacks' leading scorer is 6-6 forward Antuane Miller, who is averaging 17.0 points a game to lead three SFA players averaging double figures.

Matt Kingsley, a 6-9 forward, is averaging 11.4 points a game.

"It will help us to have faced Maric," UNT head coach Johnny Jones said. "The first basket Nebraska scored came when he pulled up and hit a 3. He can also play in the paint and was a tough guard for us. The post guy from SFA is about 6-6, 255 and very active. … We have guys with size, so it will be a better matchup."

UNT center Keith Wooden was one of several post players the Mean Green ran at Maric, an experience that helped the Arizona State transfer take another step in his development after an extended layoff. Wooden sat out last season as a transfer.

Wooden said he learned a lot about what he needs to do to be effective for the Mean Green against Nebraska.

"We have to beat guys to spots and be physical the whole game," Wooden said. "When another team has a physical presence in the post, you have to negate it by being physical."

UNT's players also said they realized that they need to get off to a better start if they want to build on a solid 5-2 record. Nebraska jumped out to an 18-2 lead in the opening moments of its game against UNT and coasted to the win.

It's the type of start UNT won't be able to afford against SFA, which has already beaten San Diego and hung with TCU before falling 59-53.

"We need to learn to play hard from the start," UNT forward Harold Stewart said. "We didn't come out against Nebraska playing like we usually do. We came out kind of timid. We should have come out hard."

UNT is hoping that approach will help the Mean Green get back on track.

"It's really important that we bounce back," Wooden said. "We feel like it is something we have to do to show our resilience as a team."

Davis working way back into shape

Kendrick Davis has removed the bandages from his left hand and wrist and could return to UNT's lineup by the end of the month, Mean Green head coach Johnny Jones said Tuesday.

Davis had surgery on his left (shooting) wrist after breaking a window on his way to the locker room at the Super Pit following a loss to UT-Arlington on Nov. 15.

The Houston native was UNT's leading scorer with an average of 18.7 points a game when he suffered the injury that required surgery to repair a partially torn tendon in his wrist.

"They are trying to strengthen his wrist and get his muscle memory back," Jones said. "It's a matter of getting his muscles strong again."

Jones: Mid-major ranking a sign of respect

North Texas entered the Collegeinsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 Poll for the first time in its eight-year history this week at No. 21 -- a ranking head coach Johnny Jones called a sign of respect for the program.

UNT and No. 5 Western Kentucky are the only Sun Belt Conference schools are ranked in the poll this week. The rankings include teams from 21 mid-major conferences across the country, plus the nation's independents.

"Anytime your peers acknowledge you, its good for your program," Jones said. "This is the first time we have been in the poll since I have been here. … It's a great sign and something we can point to. At the same time I think it's important to see how you handle that type of success."

UNT is 5-2 with wins over Charlotte, Rice and Tulsa.

Women's basketball

UNT will be cautious with Jackson

UNT head coach Tina Slinker said the Mean Green will be cautious in the next few weeks with guard Sanetra Jackson, who is recovering from a series of injuries.

Jackson has been suffering with a hip flexor injury since preseason practices and sprained her ankle in the opening minute of a loss to UTEP on Saturday.

"Sanetra is really frustrated," Slinker said. "I don't think young players understand that injuries are part of the game. She is doing a lot better job of getting into the training room and trying to take care of herself."

Jackson should be back in time for the Mean Green's game at Stephen F. Austin on Thursday.

"We need her, but we are not going to push it," Slinker said. "With conference coming up on Dec. 16, we are going to focus on that. If we get past this week, we have a whole week for her to get ready for conference."

Slinker is still searching for a way to get the team on track offensively when Jackson isn't available.

UNT had its worst offensive outing of the season Saturday in a 77-43 loss to UTEP.

Once Jackson went down, the Mean Green struggled the rest of the way and shot 24.6 percent from the field. Junior forward Talicia Sanders led UNT with 12 points, while sophomore guard Tricia Lee added 11 points.

No other UNT player scored more than six points.

"It was basically a 10-to-12-point ball game most of the time," Slinker said. "We have to build off of that and find some solutions for when Sanetra is not in the mix."