Louisiana-Lafayette (8-4, 2-3) vs. Texas-Arlington (7-6, 3-2)
College Park Center, Arlington, Texas; Saturday, 5 p.m. EST
BOTTOM LINE: Texas-Arlington goes for the season sweep over Louisiana-Lafayette after winning the previous matchup in Arlington. The teams last played each other on Jan. 15, when Louisiana-Lafayette made only 11 free throws on 21 attempts while the Mavericks hit 24 of 28 en route to a 91-86 victory.
STEPPING UP: The versatile Shahada Wells is averaging 17.3 points, 4.2 rebounds and two steals to lead the charge for the Mavericks. Complementing Wells is Sam Griffin, who is putting up 13.1 points per game. The Ragin’ Cajuns are led by Theo Akwuba, who is averaging a double-double with 11.3 points, 10.6 rebounds and 3.6 blocks.
SUN BELT IMPROVEMENT: The Mavericks have scored 79.6 points per game across five conference games, an improvement from the 68.6 per game they recorded in non-conference play.
KEY CONTRIBUTIONS: Wells has either made or assisted on 46 percent of all Texas-Arlington field goals over the last three games. The junior guard has 22 field goals and 15 assists in those games.
WINLESS WHEN: Texas-Arlington is 0-5 this year when it scores 71 points or fewer and 7-1 when it scores at least 72.
PERFECT WHEN: The Mavericks are 5-0 when at least five of their players score 10 or more points and 2-6 when any fewer than that achieve double-figures. The Ragin’ Cajuns are 6-0 when they hold opponents to a field goal percentage of 41.8 percent or worse, and 2-4 when opponents exceed that percentage.
DID YOU KNOW: Texas-Arlington has made 9.7 3-pointers per game this season, which is second-best among Sun Belt teams.
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