Louisiana Tech (11-5, 4-3) vs. UTEP (7-6, 3-4)
Don Haskins Center, El Paso, Texas; Saturday, 8 p.m. EST
BOTTOM LINE: Louisiana Tech seeks revenge on UTEP after dropping the first matchup in El Paso. The teams last played each other on Jan. 22, when the Miners shot 49.2 percent from the field while limiting Louisiana Tech to just 31.7 percent en route to the 82-74 victory.
SAVVY VETERANS: Senior leadership has been on display for both teams this year. Souley Boum, Bryson Williams and Tydus Verhoeven have combined to score 53 percent of UTEP’s points this season. For Louisiana Tech, Kenneth Lofton, Jr., JaColby Pemberton, Isaiah Crawford, Amorie Archibald and Kalob Ledoux have collectively accounted for 70 percent of all Louisiana Tech scoring.
IMPROVING IN CONFERENCE: The Miners have scored 70.3 points per game across seven conference games. That’s an improvement from the 66 per game they managed in non-conference play.BRILLIANT BOUM: Boum has connected on 42.1 percent of the 76 3-pointers he’s attempted and has made 10 of 28 over the last five games. He’s also converted 80.7 percent of his foul shots this season.
WINLESS WHEN: UTEP is 0-6 this year when it scores 68 points or fewer and 7-0 when it scores at least 69.
PERFECT WHEN: The Miners are 5-0 when they block at least four opposing shots and 2-6 when they fall shy of that mark. The Bulldogs are 9-0 when they score at least 75 points and 2-5 on the year when falling short of 75.
DID YOU KNOW: The UTEP offense has recorded a turnover on only 14.4 percent of its possessions, which is the seventh-lowest rate in the country. The Louisiana Tech defense has forced opposing teams to turn the ball over on just 18.3 percent of all possessions (ranked 253rd among Division I teams).
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