Game Notes In PDF Format

OPENING TIP
The No. 5 seed UTEP men's basketball team (18-15) will lock up with No. 3 seed WKU (21-11) in the championship contest of the 2024 Conference USA Tournament at 6:30 p.m. MT/7:30 p.m. CT Saturday. The Miners have advanced to their first title tilt since 2011 and third overall (2010, 2011 and 2024) since joining CUSA. They have done so in dramatic and historic fashion, rallying to win back-to-back conference tournament games when trailing by double digits for the first time in school history. UTEP overcame being down 12 (54-42, 10:33, 2H) to beat No. 4 seed Liberty, 66-57, in the quarterfinals on March 14 on the strength of a game-closing 24-3 run. The Miners then erased a 14-point deficit (46-32, 13:11, 2H) against regular-season champion Sam Houston in a 65-63 win in the semifinals on March 15. UTEP used a contest-changing 23-4 run to lead 55-50 with 4:33 to play, and it never trailed again. A shot to tie it with one second left didn't go for Sam Houston, which had its eight-game winning streak stopped. UTEP picked up its fifth straight win, matching its season long. It's been a far different story for the Toppers, who have won their two tilts at the league tourney by a combined 51 points. They beat No. 6 seed NM State 89-69, on March 14 before crushing No. 7 seed Middle Tennessee, 85-54, in the semifinals on March 15. UTEP is in search of its initial CUSA tournament crown and sixth overall in program history (won WAC tourney in 1984, 1986, 1989, 1990 and 2005). A victory would also send it to the "Big Dance" for the first time since 2010. UTEP and WKU split the season series, with each defending home court. The game will be broadcast nationally on CBS Sports Network with Carter Blackburn (PXP), Avery Johnson (color) and Tiffany Blackmon (sideline) describing the action. It will also air on "The Home of UTEP Basketball" 600 ESPN El Paso and the UTEP Miners App with Jon Teicher (43rd year) and Steve Yellen (21st year) on the call.
 
MAKING AN UNPRECEDENTED RUN
UTEP's No. 5 seed is the lowest in the 13 appearances that it has now made in a conference tournament championship game. UTEP won WAC titles in 1984 (#1 seed), 1986 (#2 seed), 1989 (#2 seed), 1990 (#4 seed) and 2005 (#2 seed), giving this year's team the chance to also become the lowest seed at the school to cut down the nets.
 
MORE ALONG THOSE LINES
No. 5 seed UTEP is the lowest seed to appear in a CUSA championship final since Marshall (#6 seed) in 2017. The last time a seed of #5 or lower won the CUSA tournament crown was in 2010 when incidentally No. 7 seed Houston bested the top-seeded Miners, 81-73. UTEP still received an at-large berth to the NCAA Tournament, which was also the last time it competed in the "Big Dance."
 
TAKING OUT THE TOP SEED
UTEP ousted CUSA regular-season champion and top seed Sam Houston, 65-63, in the semifinals on March 15. It marked the first victory for the Miners against a No. 1 seed in the league tournament since the 1993 WAC Championships (W, 85-80, OT, vs. Utah). They had lost four straight in the situation, most recently being ousted by No. 1 seed Middle Tennessee in the semifinals of the 2017 CUSA Tournament.
 
WINNING MULTIPLE GAMES AT THE CUSA TOURNEY
For the first time since 2011 (most-recent title game appearance), UTEP has won multiple contests at the CUSA Tournament. The Miners are now 3-2 under head coach Joe Golding at the event and 16-17 since joining CUSA in 2005-06. They are also 43-32 all time in league tournament play (includes a forfeit against Hawaii in the 1996 WAC Tournament).
 
THAT RECORD DIDN'T LAST LONG
UTEP put together a game-closing 24-3 run to overcome a 12-point deficit (54-42, 10:33, 2H) to beat No. 4 seed Liberty, 66-57, in the CUSA Quarterfinals on March 14. It marked the biggest comeback for the Miners at the CUSA Tournament since they joined the league. Less then 15 hours later, that record had been broken. The Miners came back from 14 points down (46-32, 13:11, 2H) vs. Sam Houston. This time it was a 23-4 run that altered the contest and put the Miners ahead for good in the eventual 65-63 triumph.
 
TALKING TWO-POINT GAMES IN THE LEAGUE TOURNAMENT
Prior to the 65-63 victory against Sam Houston in the semifinals on March 15, the Miners had lost their previous six league tournament contests decided by two points or less. UTEP knocked off Colorado State, 66-65, in the quarterfinals of the 1992 WAC Championships, which was the most recent such victory prior to this year. The Miners had their hearts broken, however, on a half-court heave in a 73-71 setback to BYU in the championship tilt that year. It all worked out in the end in 1992, with the Miners advancing to the Sweet 16 after stunning No. 1 seed Kansas, 66-60.
 
WINNING TIGHT
UTEP improved to 3-1 on the year in games decided by three points or less with the two-point triumph in the CUSA semifinals. The Miners bested Cal (75-72, Nov. 20) on a Tae Hardy 3-point buzzer beater, knocked off Norfolk State (67-65, Dec. 20) and Sam Houston (65-63, March 15). The lone loss in the situation this season was against Liberty (L, 67-65, Feb. 3).
 
TRYING TO GET TO THE BIG DANCE
With a victory against WKU, the Miners would lock up the Conference USA automatic bid to the 2024 NCAA Tournament. UTEP last appeared in "March Madness" in 2010 when it earned an at-large bid.  The last time the Orange and Blue won the conference tournament to snag an automatic qualifier was at the 2005 WAC Championships. That was their final season in the WAC. Overall UTEP has 17 NCAA Tournament Appearances. The Miners made history by starting five African-Americans to defeat Kentucky, 72-65, and win the 1966 NCAA Championship on the way to inspiring the Disney hit movie Glory Road.
 
GOING BACK IN TIME
UTEP roared back from a 14-point second-half deficit (down 46-32, 13:11 to play) on the way to toppling top-seeded Sam Houston, 65-63, inside Propst Arena at the Von Braun Center in the semifinals of the Conference USA Championships on March 15. Trailing by 14, the Miners scored the next 10 points to ignite a game-altering 23-4 run over the next nine minutes to take a lead (55-50, 4:33, 2H) they would never relinquish. The Bearkats had a chance to tie or win the game on the final possession, but Davon Barnes's two-point try in the waning seconds didn't go. Calvin Solomon grabbed the rebound to start the celebration for the Miners.
 
WON THE BOARDS AGAINST ONE OF THE BEST
UTEP outrebounded Sam Houston (36-33), even though the Bearkats entered the game with a +3.9 margin (third CUSA/64th NCAA). The Miners fought for 11 offensive boards that they converted into 11 crucial second-chance points. UTEP is now 11-2 this year when winning the boards.
 
BEST STREAK OF GOLDING ERA
UTEP has won the rebounding battle for four straight contests. It is the longest stretch under head coach Joe Golding and the best since also doing so in four in a row in 2019-20 to begin CUSA play
 
RECORD-TYING STEALS EFFORT
Zid Powell tied the UTEP conference tournament record by tallying five steals vs. Sam Houston. The effort matches Marvin Kilgore (vs. Tulsa, March 13, 2008) and Hall of Famer Tim Hardaway, who did so twice (vs. Wyoming, March 9, 1989 and vs. Wyoming, March 12, 1988). If Powell could manage four thefts vs. WKU, he'd tie the UTEP record for most in a conference tournament at 11.
 
MANY STEPPED UP
Corey Camper Jr. (19 points) and Tae Hardy (18 points) both hit double digits to lead UTEP on offense. Derick Hamilton provided big minutes off the bench with nine points and a career-high seven boards in 13 minutes en route to finishing with a team-best +15. Zid Powell pitched in eight points and matched Hamilton with seven boards to go along with the UTEP league-tournament record-tying five steals. Trey Horton III notched five points, including a huge 3-pointer and a tip-in during the rally.
 
SHUT DOWN THE 3-POINTER
After Liberty knocked down nine 3-pointers, the Miners locked up Sam Houston from distance. The Bearkats were limited to connecting on just 2-10 on triples. The two treys made tied as the fewest by a UTEP opponent this season.  The Orange and Blue also held I-10 rival NM State to a pair (2-19, 10.5 percent) from beyond-the-arc in the 74-49 rout on Feb. 10
 
INSTANT OFFENSE
Derick Hamilton has played only 21 minutes at the two CUSA Tournament games, but he has scored 19 points in that timeframe on 8-11 shooting.
 
HAMILTON HAS COME ON STRONG
Derick Hamilton tallied 14 points over his first 10 games played vs. DI opposition this year. In the eight contests he's appeared in since, he has come alive to tally 61 points (7.6 ppg) on a sensational 29-38 (76.3 percent) shooting. Making those figures even more impressive is that he is logging 10.4 mpg during that timeframe. Overall, he has connected on 69.7 percent (46-66) from the floor in his 21 total appearances (including non DI opponents) while producing 4.8 ppg in 6.9 mpg.
 
LOOKING AT OUR STATS IN THE CUSA TOURNEY
UTEP has relied heavily in Tae Hardy (14.5 ppg), Corey Camper Jr. (13.0 ppg) Zid Powell (10.5 ppg), Derick Hamilton (9.5 ppg) and David Terrell Jr. (8.0 ppg) in its two wins at the CUSA tourney. No other Miner is above 4.0 ppg at the event. The quintet has accounted for 111 of UTEP's 131 points in the tournament. Powell (11-15, 73.3 percent), Hardy (10-11, 90.9 percent) and Terrell Jr. (6-8, 75.0 percent) have all done lots of damage at the charity stripe. Powell also leads the team in rebounding (7.0 rpg), assists (3.0 apg) and steals (3.5 spg) in the two games. Camper Jr. (37.3 mpg), Hardy (31.5 mpg) and Powell (31.4 mpg) are all playing heavy minutes with Otis Frazier III (27.8 mpg) and Calvin Solomon (20.3 mpg) the only others above 20.0 mpg.  UTEP is shooting 45.8 percent (44-96), despite being at 21.7 percent (5-23) from 3-pointers. The Miners are at 76.0 percent (38-50) from the charity stripe. Foes have been held to 42.6 percent (43-101), including 36.7 (11-30) from 3-point range. UTEP is +5.0 (34.5-29.5) on the boards.
 
STEALS A PLENTY AT THE TOURNEY
Given that UTEP leads the nation in steals per game (11.5 spg), it should come as no surprise that the Miners have piled up 23 total thefts in two contests. UTEP had 11 vs. Liberty and 12 against Sam Houston. The Orange and Blue now boast 22 games this year where they have recorded at least 10 thefts.
 
SHOOT IT BETTER AND WIN
UTEP is 15-2 this year, including 2-0 at the CUSA Championships, when finishing with a better shooting percentage that the opposition.
 
NORMALLY NEED 70+ POINTS
UTEP entered the CUSA Tournament at 2-12 on the season when being held to less than 70 points in a game. The Miners, however, have advanced to their first appearance in the championship contest since 2011 despite not cracking 70 points.
 
CUSA HONORS POUR IN
Numerous postseason honors from Conference USA were bestowed upon the Miners, the league office revealed on March 11. Tae Hardy was tabbed to the All-CUSA Second Team, David Terrell Jr. was voted as the CUSA Freshman of the Year, Otis Frazier III earned placement on the five-member CUSA All-Defensive team along with securing All-CUSA Honorable-Mention accolades, and the Miners accounted for three of the five individuals on the CUSA All-Freshman Team in the form of Trey Horton III, Elijah Jones and Terrell Jr.
 
GET TO KNOW WKU
WKU rolled through nonconference play with a sparkling record of 11-3, which included winning its final seven contests. The Toppers opened league action at 3-4 before catching fire with five consecutive victories to improve to 8-4 within the league. They struggled a bit down the stretch with four straight losses, but they came by a combined 13 points. To say WKU, the No. 3 seed, has regained its early-season swagger since arriving in Huntsville, Ala., would be an understatement. The Toppers have cruised into the final after winning their first two contests by a combined 51 points. WKU blasted No. 6 seed NM State by 20 (89-69) in the quarterfinals before crushing No. 7 seed Middle Tennessee, 85-54, in the semifinals. The Toppers feature the top scoring offense in the league (80.7 ppg-34th NCAA). They also lead the conference in bench scoring (29.4-15th NCAA), shooting percentage (46.8-64th NCAA) and defensive rebounds per game (29.3-ninth NCAA). WKU is also among the top-100 nationally for fastbreak scoring (13.7-second CUSA/29th NCAA), field-goal percentage defense (41.3-second CUSA/51st NCAA), free throw attempts per game (20.8-third CUSA/95th NCAA), free throws made per game (14.9-third CUSA/95th NCAA), rebound margin (+3.3-fourth CUSA/84th NCAA), steals per game (7.5-fourth CUSA/67th NCAA), 3-point percentage defense (31.5-second CUSA/63rd NCAA) and turnover forced per game (14.1-third CUSA/46th NCAA). Individually, All-CUSA First-Team honoree Don McHenry leads the way for the Toppers with 14.9 ppg (fifth CUSA). All-CUSA Honorable-Mention honoree Brandon Newman (10.3 ppg-23rd CUSA) and Rodney Howard (10.2 ppg) join him in double figures, but there's plenty of other firepower. Khristian Lander (9.8 ppg), All-CUSA Honorable-Mention member Tyrone Marshall (8.6 ppg), Dontaie Allen (8.3 ppg) and Babacar Faye (7.5 ppg) all produce at least 7.0 ppg CUSA All-Freshman Team member Teagan Moore provides 6.3 ppg, as does Enoch Kalambay. Newman  and Faye share the team's top spot for rebounding (5.5 rpg-tied 11th CUSA). In addition to being the top scorer, McHenry paces the unit in assists (2.4-15th CUSA).  WKU has scored at least 80 points in 17 games, including both contests vs. UTEP (L, 93-87, Jan. 20, W, 90-80, Feb. 15). The Toppers have surpassed that figure in both tilts at the league tourney and four of the past five. As result of its up-tempo pace, they yield 74.2 ppg (eighth CUSA), but as covered earlier, they are second in the league and in the top-100 nationally for field-goal percentage defense. The only other area that has been a concern is committing 18.5 fouls per game (seventh CUSA/298th NCAA). Notable university alumni include Romeo Crennel (former head coach of the Cleveland Browns & KC Chiefs), the late Duncan Hines (pioneer of restaurant ratings for travelers) and the late Cordell Hull (Secretary of State under FDR).
 
SERIES HISTORY: WKU LEADS, 10-2
WKU leads the series, 10-2, with the Miners snapping a seven-game winning streak in the series by the Toppers in a 93-87 triumph at home on Jan. 20. That was a season high in points for UTEP. WKU avenged that setback by knocking off UTEP, 90-80, in Bowling Green, Ky., on Feb. 15. That game, which featured seven ties and five lead changes, was knotted at 65-65 with eight minutes left before the Toppers ripped off an 11-2 run to lead 76-67 with roughly five minutes to play. UTEP continued to battle but could never recover. Eight of the past 12 meetings between the programs have been decided by six points or less. This is the second straight year that the programs are locking up in the CUSA Tournament. Last season, WKU (#8 seed) knocked off the Orange and Blue (#9 seed), 73-67 in the first round. Prior to the 2022-23 campaign, the two programs had not faced each other more than once in a season. UTEP's first win in the series came in OT (93-89, Feb. 6, 2016) in front of a capacity crowd as part of the 50-year celebration of the Miners winning the 1966 NCAA Championship vs. Kentucky, 72-65.
 
ZID IS HOT AT THE RIGHT TIME
Zid Powell has tallied double figures in points in six of the past eight contests. He has 18 double-double scoring efforts on the year, with the Miners standing 13-5 in those contests.
 
MR. CONSISTENCY
Tae Hardy has been the most consistent player at the offensive end for UTEP in 2023-24. He has reached double figures in scoring in both games of the CUSA Tournament, 22 of the past 25 and a team-high 29 times total this year.
 
A STEALS MACHINE
Otis Frazier III has been a machine all season for steals, but particularly since the turn of the calendar. He has 53 steals in 19 games (2.8 spg) since Jan. 1, with nine contests of three or more. His 73 total steals are third all time on the Miners' single-season charts. Hall of Famer Tim Hardaway (93, 1988-89; 77, 1987-88) holds the top two spots in the record book for the Orange and Blue. 
 
SHATTERING THE SCHOOL SINGLE-SEASON STEALS MARK
The Miners have piled up a school-record and counting 380 steals, blowing way past the prior school single-season standard of 288 that had been shared by the 2009-10 and 2022-23 teams. UTEP, which leads the nation in both turnovers forced per game (18.8) and steals per game (11.5) now also has the fourth-most steals in a season in CUSA history. UTEP needs six thefts vs. WKU in the championship contest to take over second place on the list. The breakdown for the most by CUSA programs (all others except UTEP now former members) in a campaign is as follows:
Team             Total           Year                  GP
UAB                395               2002-03             34
Houston       385               2005-06             31
UAB                382               2004-05             33
UTEP              380               2023-24             32
UAB                371               2003-04             32
 
A PROUD PROGRAM
This is the 103rd season of UTEP men's basketball. There have been 17 NCAA tournament appearances (last in 2010), including winning the 1966 NCAA Title while making history by starting five African Americans. The Orange and Blue sport 11 NIT bids (last in 2015), and 12 conference championships (last in 2010). The Miners have also won five league tournaments (last in 2005). They boast 26 seasons with at least 20+ victories (last in 2021-22). UTEP has a strong presence in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame with Don Haskins, Nate Archibald, Nolan Richardson, the 1966 team and Tim Hardaway all representing UTEP.