Who’s playing
UAB Blazers @ North Texas Mean Green
Current records: UAB 7-6, North Texas 9-3
How to watch
- When: Tuesday, December 31, 2024 at 4 p.m. ET
- Or: The Super Pit – Denton, Texas
- TV: ESPN University
- Follow: CBS Sports app
- Online broadcast: fuboTV (Try for free. Regional restrictions may apply.)
- Ticket cost: $12.00
What you need to know
UAB has played five home games but will have to dust off its road jersey soon. They and the North Texas Mean Green will face off in a battle of American Athletic at 4:00 p.m. ET on Tuesday at the Super Pit. One thing that works in the Blazers’ favor is that they have scored at least 82 points in their last four games.
Last Sunday, UAB didn’t have too many problems against Alcorn State as they won 91-74.
UAB’s success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Yaxel Lendeborg led the charge by posting a double-double with 14 points and 12 rebounds. Lendeborg is becoming a bellwether for UAB’s success: When he pulls down at least eight rebounds, the team is 4-1 (and 3-5 if he doesn’t). The team also received help from Bradley Ezewiro, who made all 5 of his shots, accumulating 19 points.
Meanwhile, North Texas had already won two in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 22.5 points) and they went ahead and made it three last Sunday. They cruised past the Huskies with points to spare, winning the game 62-46.
North Texas earned its victory thanks to several key players, but it was Johnathan Massie up front who went 5 of 8 on his way to 14 points.
UAB now has a winning record of 7-6. As for North Texas, they improved their record to 9-3 with the win, which was their seventh straight at home.
Tuesday’s game is shaping up to be a scrappy game: UAB has crashed the boards this season, averaging 41.6 rebounds per game. It’s a different story for North Texas, as they only average 33.2. Given UAB’s considerable advantage in this area, North Texas will need to find a way to close that gap.
UAB was able to pull out a solid win against North Texas in their previous meeting in February, winning 71-62. The rematch might be a little tougher for UAB since the team won’t have home-court advantage this time around. We’ll see if the change of location makes a difference.
Odds
North Texas is a solid 5.5-point favorite against UAB, according to the latest college basketball odds.
Oddsmakers had a good idea of the line for this one, as the game opened with the Mean Green as a 6.5-point favorite.
The over/under is 140.5 points.
See college basketball picks for every game, including this one, from SportsLine’s advanced computer model. Get Picks Now.
History of the series
UAB has won 6 of its last 10 games against North Texas.
- February 18, 2024 – UAB 71 vs. North Texas 62
- January 31, 2024 – UAB 82 vs. North Texas 79
- March 30, 2023 – North Texas 68 vs. UAB 61
- March 10, 2023 – UAB 76 vs. North Texas 69
- February 9, 2023 – North Texas 82 vs. UAB 79
- January 21, 2023 – North Texas 63 vs. UAB 52
- February 19, 2022 – North Texas 58 vs. UAB 57
- January 6, 2022 – UAB 69 vs. North Texas 63
- March 6, 2021 – UAB 65 vs. North Texas 61
- March 05, 2021 – UAB 65 vs. North Texas 51
