UMKC Hosts Vaqueros in Saturday Afternoon Outing
2/12/2016 9:25:00 AM | Men's Basketball
UTRGV Vaqueros (6-18, 2-7 WAC) at UMKC Kangaroos (9-15, 2-7 WAC)
Date / Time: February 13 - 2:05 p.m. CT
Site: Kansas City, Mo. / Municipal Auditorium (9,827)
TV: None
Talent: N/A
Listen:UMKCKangaroos.com (free)
Talent: Steven Davis (pxp)
Webstream:WAC DN (free)
Live Stats: UMKCKangaroos.com
Twitter: @UMKCMensHoops #RooUp
Series: UTRGV leads 11-8
Home: 5-4
Away: 2-7
Neutral: 1-0
Last Meeting: UTRGV won 71-66 in Edinburg, 1/16/16
Richardson vs. Opponent: 2-4
QUICK NOTES
- Martez Harrison is now fourth on the UMKC scoring chart with 1,453 points, passing Michael Jackson last game. He is tied with Tony Dumas for fourth all-time in assists (344), and just two steals from tying Dumas for fourth all-time (140). His 29 games of scoring 20+ is now tied with Quinton Day for fourth all-time.
- Harrison has 101 assists so far this year, and needs 108 to crack the single-season top 10. The school record is 131 by Day.
- Harrison is the WAC's active career leader in points (1,453), threes made (115), free throws made (462), steals (140), and assists (344).
- LaVell Boyd is the first player under Kareem Richardson to hit 50 threes in a season (62).
- Harrison's 155 free throw attempts are 46th and 120 free throw makes are 40th in the country. LaVell Boyd is 53rd with a .413 three-point percentage.
- UMKC has several players in the WAC rankings. Martez Harrison and LaVell Boyd are 3rd and 11th in scoring in the WAC at 15.7 and 13.4 ppg. Shayok Shayok is fourth in field goal percentage (.536). Harrison is 6th in assists (4.4), while sitting 5th in steals (1.3) and he and Dashawn King are 6th in free throw percentage (.774). Boyd is 3rd in three-point percentage (.413) and 3rd in three point makes per game (2.6).
- UMKC is ranked No. 282 in the RPI rankings as of Monday, fifth highest in the WAC.
- The Roos strength of schedule is No. 180 in the nation, first in the WAC.
- The Kangaroos matched the school record for best home start at 7-0.
- UMKC finished its non-conference schedule with seven wins, marking the most for the Roos since the 2010-11 team also had seven. The last team with eight or more: 2001-02 team, with 10.
- The 'Roos are facing 10 schools this season that went to postseason tournaments last year (South Dakota St., UT-Martin, Iowa, Louisville, UNC-Wilmington, Oklahoma St., USC-Upstate, Seattle, New Mexico State and Grand Canyon). So far UMKC is 3-8 against those teams.
SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION
The Vaqueros enter the game with a 6-18 overall record, and are 2-7 in the WAC. They have defeated UMKC and CSU, but have lost five straight games coming into Saturday. They are 0-12 on the road this year.
They are led by a balanced scoring attack, with four players in double figures. Shaquille Hines leads the way with 14.2 points and 6.0 rebounds a game, while Antinio Green and JJ Thompson are putting up 11.8 and 11.3 points per outing, respectively. Also putting up double figures is Dakota Slaughter, at 11.8 points a contest. UTRGV is allowing 78 points per game, while scoring 67.8 an outing.
THE COACHES
Kareem Richardson is in his third season as the head coach at UMKC, posting a 33-54 record. He was named the sixth coach in the Division I era on March 19, 2013 after helping Louisville to a National Championship in 2013 as an assistant under Hall of Fame coach Rick Pitino.
His second season in Kansas City as the head man was another step in the right direction in 2014-15, and generated several program firsts. The 8-6 WAC record was the first above .500 at UMKC since 2005-06, and its second place finish matched the highest ever in league play. UMKC finished with a 6-1 WAC home record, the best in school history in conference play.
Dan Hipsher is in his third season at UTRGV, posting a 25-62 record there. He has an overall record of 263-244, also coaching at Akron for nine seasons. He has been a top assistant in the high-major ranks as well, most recently at Alabama for four years.
THE SERIES
The Vaqueros lead the series 11-8 overall and the contest earlier this year in Texas, but UMKC won 2-of-3 meetings last season. In Kansas City, UMKC is 5-4 vs. UTRGV.
A WIN WOULD MEAN...
- The 'Roos would have improved their home record to 9-3 this season.
- The 'Roos would have won two straight at home against UTRGV.
- Missouri-Kansas City would have moved ahead of UTRGV in the standings, positioned for a No. 5 seed in the WAC Tournament.
UP NEXT
The 'Roos hit the road again for a pair of games at Grand Canyon and Utah Valley on Thursday and Saturday. GCU will be shown on the WAC Digital Network.
The Lopes lead the series with UMKC 3-2, with GCU winning in KC on Jan. 23 by an 85-78 score. The two squads split the series in each of their first two seasons in the WAC.
