CEDAR CITY, Utah. After stunning the college basketball community with a near-upset of No. 6 Kansas in the Phog Allen Fieldhouse last week, the Southern Utah men's basketball team heads to paradise with the North Shore Classic in Laie, Hawaii for back-to-back contests starting Friday, Nov. 25 and ending Saturday, No. 26.
Southern Utah opens the two-day affair with a game against Texas State on Friday, Nov. 25 at 9 p.m. MT, before facing either Hawaii or Sacramento State on Saturday, Nov. 26 depending on the outcomes of day one action.
GAME INFO
Game 1
Southern Utah vs. Texas State
Date: Friday, November 25
Tipoff: 6 p.m.HT, 9 p.m. MT
Game 2
Southern Utah vs. TBD by the outcome of day 1 (Hawaii or Sacramento State)
Date: Saturday, November 26.
Tipoff: 4:30 p.m. HT, 7:30 p.m. MT or 7 p.m HT, 10 p.m. MT
PREVIEW
SOUTHERN UTAH (3-2)
T-Bird Tidbits
Southern Utah has outscored its opponents by an average of 39 points having produced 103.8 points per game against 64.8 for the competition so far this season.
SUU is outshooting its opponents 53.4 percent to 38.8 percent, while also bettering its competition from beyond the arc, 36.7 to 30.9 percent.
The 'Birds shoot nearly three more free throws per game than their competition, 13 versus 10.8 per game, while also outrebounding their foes, 46.3 to 34. The Thunderbirds also produce 11 more assists per game (21.3-10.3), while also inducing 10 more turnovers per contest (22.0-12.5)
Individual Leaders
Southern Utah's balanced scoring attack features five players averaging double digits in scoring. Senior guard Tevian Jones leads the way with 18 points per game, while sophomore center Jason Spurgin (10.5), senior forward Maizen Fausett (10.3), senior guard Harrison Butler (10.0) and graduate student guard Cameron Healy (10.0) also have cleared 10 points per game.
Fausett and Spurgin have been powerhouses on the glass as the top two rebounders on the team. Fausett averaged 6.8 rebounds a game, while Spurgin has corralled 5.3 rebounders per contest.
Sophomore guard Drake Allen is the primary distributor on the team with 4.3 assists per game while teaming up with Fausett to lead the squad with 2 steals per contest each.
LAST TIME OUT
LAWRENCE, Kan. The Southern Utah men's basketball team nearly accomplished an epic upset in an 82-76 loss to the reigning national champion No. 6 Kansas Jayhawks at Phog Allen Fieldhouse on Friday, Nov. 18. The contest featured an amazing 25 lead changes in a game that drew national interest with upset alerts aplenty. SUU moved to 3-2 on the season with Kansas improving to 4-0.
T-Bird Tidbits
The box score definitely told the tale of how close this contest proved to be with SUU outshooting Kansas from the line, 69-63 percent, with both teams shooting 16 charity tosses.
SUU proved active on the glass as well, owning a 45-41 advantage including a strong 14 offensive boards. Those offensive rebounds nearly keyed an upset as Southern Utah amassed 17 second-chance points during the game. SUU also had the better bench, outscoring the Jayhawk subs, 12-4.
Top T-Birds
Senior guard Tevian Jones paced the Thunderbirds offensively with 25 points, shooting 9-for-27 from the field and 3-13 from beyond the arc. He also corralled six rebounds against the Jayhawks.
Senior forward Maizen Fausett (14) and senior guard Harrison Butler (12) also scored in double digits with Fausett just missing a double-double with a game-high nine rebounds. Butler came close to a double-double of his own with eight rebounds to go along with a game-high five assists.
TEXAS STATE (2-2)
Texas State holds a 2-2 record this season with victories against Mid-America Christian (71-53) and Rhode Island (70-66). Before heading to Hawaii, Texas State travels to Berkeley, Calif., to face the California Golden Bears on Monday, Nov. 21.
The Bobcats score 64.5 points per game with 43 percent shooting (95-221) as well as 23.6 percent (17-72) from beyond the arc. Texas State also shoots 62.2 percent (51-82) from the line as well as dishes 10.5 assists per contest.
Defensively, the Bobcats snag 28.8 rebounds and snare eight steals per game along with 3.8 blocks per matchup.
A pair of Bobcats average more than 10 points per contest, with senior guard Mason Harrell nearly clearing 20 with 19 points per contest. Senior forward Tyrel Morgan, meanwhile, averages 12 points per game. Morgan also leads the Bobcats with 5.5 rebounds per contest.
HAWAII (3-1)
Hawaii boasts a 3-1 record this season with triumphs against Mississippi Valley State (72-54), Eastern Washington (71-51) and Hawaii Pacific (79-55).
The Rainbow Warriors score 70.3 points per game from 42.7 percent (105-246) shooting. Additionally, Hawaii owns a 32.3 percent (32-99) three-point shooting rate, while also connecting on 76.5 percent (39-51) of its free throws.
The Rainbow Warriors corral 39.8 caroms per contest, while also distributing 14 helpers per game. Hawaii also forces 7.5 turnovers with 5.0 thefts and 4.8 rejections per tilt.
A trio of Rainbow Warriors averages more than 10 points per game. Junior guard Noel Coleman paces the team with 15.8 points per game, while junior forward Bernardo da Silva (11.0) and senior forward Kamaka Hepa (10.8) also own double-figure averages. Da Silva (8.8) and Hepa (8.0) also pace Hawaii in rebounds per game.
SACRAMENTO STATE (3-1)
Sacramento State owns a 3-1 record with wins coming against UC San Diego (65-55), Denver (73-69) and UC Merced (58-43). The Hornets play UC Davis on Tuesday, Nov. 22 prior to heading to Hawaii for the North Shore Classic.
Sacramento State scores 61.5 points per game from 41.4 percent (89-215) shooting. The Hornets also claim a 31.3 percent (25-80) shooting rate from beyond the arc, while connecting on 59.7 percent (43-72) of their shots at the charity stripe.
Sacramento State snares 38.8 rebounds and 11.5 assists per contest while including 9.3 turnovers. The Hornets also pilfer 4.3 steals a game to go with 1.5 blocks per contest.
Junior guard Cameron Wilbon (12.5), senior center Callum McRae (10.5) and senior guard Zach Chappell (10.3) lead the way for the Hornets with double-digit scoring averages, while McRae nearly averages a double-double with 9.5 rebounds per contest.
HISTORY
Southern Utah holds a 1-1 record against Texas State with the two previous contests occurring back in 1994 and 1995. SUU beat Texas State, 83-49, in Cedar City in 1994, while dropping a close 64-62 contest in San Marcos, Texas in 1995. The Thunderbirds are 0-1 against Hawaii taking a 65-48 loss in Honolulu in 2009.
SUU, meanwhile, has plenty of history with former Big Sky Conference foe Sacramento State. The T-Birds own the series lead, 22-14, having first played and beat the Hornets 109-89 in 1989. Southern Utah currently rides a four-game win streak against Sacramento State and has won seven of the past nine contests.
FOLLOW US
Stay up to date during the 2022-23 Southern Utah Men's Basketball season by following @SUUBasketball on Twitter and Instagram and by liking the Southern Utah Basketball page on Facebook.
TICKETS
Head on over to our online ticket store to purchase season, package and single-game tickets!
