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

Expectations for UT-Arlington 2020-2021

Many fans wouldn’t expect much from a team that has one returning senior from last year’s team. Especially with one, being in the starting lineup and quite a bit of roster littered with Freshman and Sophomores.

However, the biggest x-factor to this team has to be the shooting presence of Wells. Replacing Brian Warren was going to be a tall task after he was second on the team in scoring. This team in a lot of areas has improved greatly. The Mavericks will rel y on dominant guard play to begin the season, with them having much better depth in that area.

Although the Mavericks have some talent in the frontcourt, it is very raw and expected to have some growing pains throughout the season. After having average performances during the regular season, Ogden has to be excited about the direction of the program. Add that on with the youth and how much better this team could be in a few years, there is reason for excitement.

Azore could easily be a Sun Belt Player of the Year candidate by years end and the same could be said for Wells as the conference’s Newcomer of the Year. What could make or break this team will come down to the development of players like Carter, Rojas, and Ehiogu. If they can be productive on the offensive end and even be pedestrian on defense, it will go a long way with where this team ends up.

The expectation is for the Mavericks to finish in the upper half of the conference. A 4th place finish is more than likely the safe landing spot for the gentlemen in Blue and Orange. If the progression of the frontcourt is better than expected, the Mavericks have a legit shot of winning the conference this year.