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Texas men's basketball preview and prediction: Longhorns end nonconference against UTA

thomas jones, austin american-statesman
·2 min read
Texas guard Chendall Weaver, a former star at UTA, will play against his former team when the Mavericks visit Moody Center Monday afternoon.
Texas guard Chendall Weaver, a former star at UTA, will play against his former team when the Mavericks visit Moody Center Monday afternoon.

In its final nonconference game before tipping off Big 12 play against visiting Texas Tech Jan. 6, No. 21 Texas (10-2) will host UT-Arlington (6-6) Monday at 1 p.m. at Moody Center (Longhorn Network, 1300).

Here's what you need to know about the matchup:

Chendall Weaver: Former Mav making a mark

Texas sophomore Chendall Weaver, a 6-foot-3, 170-pound combo guard, transferred from UTA in the offseason after earning the WAC’s freshman of the year honor last season. He led the Mavericks in minutes a season ago while averaging 9.5 points, 4.6 rebounds and two assists. Weaver only gets 14.4 minutes a game on a deep Texas bench, but he’s averaging 4.1 points and 2.6 rebounds per contest with totals of six blocks and seven steals, and head coach Rodney Terry praises Weaver’s defense and energy off the bench.

More: Dillon Mitchell's Year 2 jump has turned the Texas forward into a double-double machine

Tyrese Hunter: Texas PG coming off big game

In his most productive game of the season, junior point guard Tyrese Hunter scored a season-high 23 points on 8-of-12 shooting from the floor in Friday’s resounding 72-37 win over UNC-Greensboro. Hunter also tied his season high with seven assists and pulled down six rebounds in 29 minutes. Best of all for Terry, Hunter had just one turnover after back-to-back games with five turnovers.

More: Dylan Disu's return from injury a most-wanted holiday gift for Texas men's basketball

KT Turner: Former Texas assistant in year one with UTA

KT Turner may be in his first year as UTA’s head coach, but he’s no stranger to the Texas program. A noted recruiter who worked for John Calipari before taking the UTA job, Turner spent the 2020-21 season at Texas, where he served as an associate head coach under Shaka Smart. Turner has helped the Mavs navigate a tricky early schedule, which included a 77-66 loss to Texas Tech Dec. 21. Shemar Wilson, a 6-9 senior forward, is UTA’s most dangerous player with three 20-point games.

Texas vs. UTA prediction

Texas. The Longhorns’ defense just held an efficient UNC-Greensboro team to a season-low 37 points on 29.8% shooting. A locked-in Texas squad means a long afternoon for UTA.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Texas men's basketball preview and prediction: Longhorns face UTA