Hits: 20
Old Dominion 73 (13-8 6-3)
North Texas 67 (6-15 0-9)
Starters
Derail Green
Shane Temara
Ryan Woolridge
Ja’Michael Brown
J-Mychal Reese
Player of the Game honors are to be handed out to J-Mychal Reese. Reese scored 17 points to lead the team in scoring. He was 5 of 8 (62.5%) from the floor, a perfect 2 of 2 from behind the arc, and 5 of 7 (71.4%) from the free throw line. He also picked up 3 defensive rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steal on 30 minutes of play.
Also in double figures was Rickey Brice, Jr. (13) coming off the bench and Shane Temara (12).
While watching the game Saturday afternoon, myself and another Mean Green fan were wondering how much North Texas was being out-scored in the second half. Well, I pulled the numbers and it isn’t good. On average in the past 5 seasons, North Texas has been out-scored in the second half by 66.6 (what an odd coincidence!) cumulative points. Right now North Texas is losing by a margin of 5 points per game which is the worst margin in Benford’s coaching career here at North Texas.
| Season | NT First Half | Opponent First Half | First Half Margin | NT Second Half | Opponent Second Half | Second Half Margin | Games Played | Point Margin |
| 2016 | 617 | 670 | -53 | 796 | 848 | -52 | 21 | -5.0000 |
| 2015 | 1073 | 1149 | -76 | 1310 | 1342 | -32 | 32 | -3.7188 |
| 2014 | 998 | 950 | 48 | 1018 | 1150 | -132 | 31 | -2.8387 |
| 2013 | 1030 | 1067 | -37 | 1167 | 1221 | -54 | 32 | -2.6563 |
| 2012 | 992 | 1026 | -34 | 1090 | 1153 | -63 | 32 | -2.6265 |
Noteworthy: North Texas must win the remaining 9 games if they want to finish 15-15 on the season. The odds of that happening are nearly at 0. A losing season is all but a done deal, just like Tony Benford of not coaching another season for the Mean Green.
North Texas welcomes the Rice Owls for the final game of a 3-game homestand on Saturday, February 4th at 2:00 PM at the Super Pit in Denton, TX. North Texas must win this game or they will finish the season with a losing record.
CUSA Action
UT San Antonio 66
Western Kentucky 81
Louisiana Tech 61
Middle Tennessee 71
UTEP 91
Marshall 68
Charlotte 67
Rice 84
Southern Miss 84
UAB 87
CUSA Standings
| TEAM | CONF | GB | OVR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Middle Tennessee | 9-0 | – | 19-3 |
| UAB | 7-2 | 2 | 14-8 |
| Louisiana Tech | 6-3 | 3 | 14-8 |
| Old Dominion | 6-3 | 3 | 13-8 |
| Marshall | 6-3 | 3 | 13-9 |
| Western Kentucky | 5-4 | 4 | 11-11 |
| UT San Antonio | 4-4 | 4.5 | 9-12 |
| UTEP | 4-4 | 4.5 | 6-14 |
| Rice | 4-5 | 5 | 14-8 |
| Charlotte | 4-5 | 5 | 10-10 |
| Southern Mississippi | 3-6 | 6 | 6-15 |
| Florida Atlantic | 2-6 | 6.5 | 6-13 |
| Florida Intl | 1-7 | 7.5 | 5-16 |
| North Texas | 0-9 | 9 | 6-15 |
Noteworthy: North Texas is 3.5 games behind the 12th place team if they want to make the CUSA Conference tournament.