Sun Belt Basketball: UT-Arlington Mavericks 2020-21 season preview

UT-Arlington looks to place near the top of the Sun Belt for the 2020-21 season.

Even if the overall record was not what UT-Arlington Head Coach Chris Ogden expected, he was able to keep the streak going for the Mavericks. UTA has had a .500 record or above in every season, since its second to last season in the Southland (2010-2011). This included an upset win over Tulsa and winning four of their last six, headlined by an upset over Sun Belt Champion, Little Rock.

On a national scale, UTA was overall solid in just about every major statistical category last season. No true weakness, but no true strengths either. Ranking in between 115th and 195th in points scored offensive rating, points against, and defensive rating.

After making the jump from the Southland, the Mavericks had a one year stint with the Western Athletic Conference. The Mavericks since then, have settled in the Sun Belt Conference since 2012 and have been consistently a threat near the top of the conference. Even with the Mavericks making the Sun Belt Championship twice, falling short in both appearances to Georgia State in 2018 and 2019.

This year’s Mavericks team will rely on a plethora of redshirts and transfers from major programs across the country. UTA only has two seniors and one of the two was the Mavericks last year. With G Brian Warren, F Tiandre Jackson-Young, and Jabari Narcis graduating, two starters, and a role player, this team is going to have a different philosophy.

After having one player over 6-7, the Mavericks grabbed two transfers that are taller than 6-10, clearly showing that the Mavericks want to win in different ways in 2020-2021.

Even with this team expected to be younger, the talent and past pedigree certainly certify the excitement toward the direction of the program. With that in mind, let’s take a look at the projected starters for the Mavericks.