SBC foes will collide when the UT Arlington Mavericks (10-6, 1-2 SBC) challenge the South Alabama Jaguars (8-7, 2-1 SBC) at College Park Center. Action gets underway at 5:15 p.m. ET on Saturday, January 6, 2018, and it can be seen on ESPN 3.
South Alabama Jaguars vs. UT Arlington Mavericks Free Preview
The last time the Jaguars played, they lost a close one to the Texas State Bobcats, 72-69. Josh Ajayi put together a solid performance for South Alabama, leading both teams in scoring with 25 points on 7-for-10 shooting. Texas State had an offensive rebounding percentage of 41.7 (above their season average of 33.5). South Alabama, on the other hand, did an excellent job of making free throws (14-15; 93.3 percent).
The Mavericks hope to keep it rolling after defeating the Troy Trojans in their last game, 86-76. UT Arlington received a boost from Erick Neal, who was the games high scorer with 21 points on 9-for-16 shooting. The Mavericks had a superb effective field goal percentage of 0.590 (above their season average of 0.524) and had an offensive rebounding percentage of 32.4 (above their season average of 29.4).
The offense of UT Arlington will square off against the elite defense of South Alabama. The Mavericks rank 210th in offensive efficiency, while the Jaguars are 41st in defensive efficiency. The Jaguars figure to have the advantage on that end of the court.
Rodrick Sikes has taken his game to another level over the last five games for South Alabama, averaging 23.6 points and 1.6 steals per game.
This will be the first matchup of the year between these two teams. The Mavericks won both meetings played against each other last season. In the most recent contest, UT Arlington won 86-75. The Mavericks dominated nearly every facet of the game. They had a superb free throw rate of 0.304 and a phenomenal effective field goal percentage of 0.616. The Jaguars recorded marks of 0.151 and 0.438, respectively, for those same stats.
South Alabama Jaguars at UT Arlington Mavericks ATS Prediction
Predictions: SU Winner – UT Arlington, ATS Winner – UT Arlington, O/U – Under
Betting Notes:
- The Mavericks rank 47th in steals per game (7.7) while the Jaguars rank 144th (5.8).
- UT Arlington ranks 15th in blocks allowed per game (2.2) while South Alabama ranks 70th (3.1).
- South Alabama ranks 82nd in three pointers attempted per game (24.4) while UT Arlington ranks 249th in three pointers allowed per game (26.8).
- The Mavericks average 38.7 rebounds per game, which ranks 62nd in the nation. The Jaguars rank 199th in rebounds allowed per game (37.4).
- UT Arlington ranks 47th in assists per game (16.6) while South Alabama ranks 176th (13.1).
Betting Trends:
- The Mavericks have been outscored by an average of 1.4 points in their last five games. On the season, UT Arlington has defeated opponents by an average of 5.9 points.
- During their last five games, the Jaguars have scored an average of 72.0 points per game (4.7 above their season average) and allowed an average of 66.4 points per game (0.7 above their season average).
