Turn Up the Orange | UTEP sports talk

UTEP one win from C-USA title?

Make it 11 consecutive wins. 

The UTEP men’s basketball team continued its winning ways Wednesday night with a 59-56 win against Southern Miss in Hattiesburg, Miss.

Derrick Caracter and Randy Culpepper were once again big for the Miners. Each player collected 17 points. 

UTEP got off to a stunningly slow start and even went into halftime down by a point. But the Miners exploded offensively in the second half, taking a double-digit lead and doing enough to hold off the Eagles in a wild final minute for the win. 

UTEP remains atop Conference USA. And with Houston’s upset of Memphis on Wednesday night, a delightful scenario is presented. 

Win two of the next three games and the Miners own the Conference USA regular season title. 

One win makes things tricky, but, the Miners can potentially get only one win during their remaining three games and still clinch the regular season crown. 

It would help if that one win was against UAB or Marshall. 

Explanation:

Memphis and UAB are behind UTEP with three conference losses each (the Tigers are, for now, the official second-place team by virtue of their win over UAB on Feb. 3). Both teams will face each other next Wednesday in Birmingham in what could be a de facto playoff for the No. 2 seed in the conference tournament. 

Here are the possibilities:

If Memphis wins out and UTEP loses two of its next three, it means UAB will have four conference losses and UTEP will be even with Memphis but own the head-to-head tiebreaker. 

If UAB wins out and UTEP loses two of its next three (and one of those is to the Blazers), it means Memphis will have four conference losses and the Miners and Blazers will have split their series. 

According to Conference USA, the first tiebreaker is head-to-head, which would be null in this situation. The second tiebreaker is each team’s record against the team with the highest winning percentage in the final regular season standings (or in the case of a tie for the championship, the next highest winning percentage in the regular season standings) continuing down through the standings until one team gains an advantage. 

That essentially means the title will be decided by both teams’ record against the next conference team in line in the overall standings. That likely will be Memphis (20-8) or Marshall (21-7). 

UTEP has a higher winning PERCENTAGE against Memphis (1-0) this season then UAB (1-1, with the scenario of UAB beating Memphis and winning out). 

Should the Miners beat Marshall next Wednesday, they’ll have a higher winning percentage (1-0) then the Blazers (1-1)

Confused yet? I sorta am, too. Here’s hoping the Miners put it away with two wins and set up a finale in El Paso against UAB on March 6 that’ll be more monstrous than the Monster Jam truck show that’ll be in the Sun Bowl that same night. 

Conference USA standings (updated Feb. 24)

School Conf. (W-L) All (W-L)
UTEP 12-1 21-5
Memphis 10-3 20-8
UAB 10-3 22-5
Marshall 9-4 21-7
Tulsa 8-5 19-8
Southern Miss. 6-7 16-11
Houston 6-7 14-13
SMU 6-7 13-14
UCF 5-8 13-14
East Carolina 3-10 9-18
Tulane 2-11 7-19
Rice 1-12 8-19

Wednesday’s other C-USA games

UAB 53, UCF 49
SMU 59, East Carolina 54
Houston 92, Memphis 75
Marshall 77, Rice 54

Better get your UTEP basketball tickets soon

In the previous post, Lowercase Ray asked:

UAB is our last game of the regular season. Should sell out quick! Anybody know if the ticket office is already selling tickets for that game?

Yeah, they are selling tickets for that game, Ray! Pablo and I bought ours several weeks ago.

In fact, associate athletic director for media relations Jeff Darby says there are only 2,000 seats left for that game.

There are two home games left: Saturday vs. Rice, and March 6 vs. UAB. There are about 2,000 seats left for each game, Darby said.

"To have only 2,000 left for UAB 10 days in advance of the game is very good," Darby said.

So run over to the ticket center soon, or fire up Ticketmaster, folks.

UTEP's eggs haven't hatched yet

UTEP basketball is on a roll and is ranked in the coaches poll. But not everyone agrees that they are a lock for the big dance.

Gary Parrish of CBS Sports sent out these two tweets today:

Honestly, UTEP isn't as safe it probably thinks. Miners would be wise not to chance it. But they at least have a win at Memphis.

and

League title and league tournament title game would probably do it for UTEP in terms of an at-large. But they're nowhere close to safe.

Nowhere close to safe? UTEP fans probably don't want to hear it, but he's probably right.

UTEP is the clear favorite now for the league title, but Gary thinks if they then lost in the early rounds of the conference tournament they could still be on the outside looking in.

That's a scary thought.

UTEP graffiti on NMSU campus

Now while I don’t condone vandalism, there really isn’t anything like good old-fashioned college rivalry. 

Check out this story by Las Cruces Sun-News reporter Ashley Meeks. 

Apparently, some UTEP fans have been declaring their love — in the form of graffiti — for the old alma mater on property that happens to belong to New Mexico State. 

This is certainly a salvo in the Battle of I-10 rivalry that is sure to be answered.

Some of you UTEP fraternity brothers better establish a 24-hour watch on campus. Or at least get a few pranks ready. 

Here's the story.  

A rash of University of Texas at El Paso graffiti was discovered at New Mexico State University Tuesday morning.

A night custodian spotted the graffiti when he arrived at 4 a.m. - "UTEP," spray-painted in black on the NMSU logo on the east side of the stadium. The same abbreviation, plus a drawing of a penis, was left on a wall near a trash receptacle, on several walls of the Stan Fulton Athletics Center and on a sign over a gate to upper-level seating.

Another series of tags, in upper level seating, included a name, initials, El Paso's 915 area code and the Spanish word for batteries.

NMSU police will be contacting representatives at the El Paso school to see if the nicknames match anyone at that school, according to NMSU Police Lt. Garrett Ferreiro, who said no paint cans were found at the scene.

The grounds department has not yet completed an cost estimate of the damages, but a suspect would probably face several charges of criminal property damage, Ferreiro said.

"Graffiti is common on campus, especially in the last few years," Ferreiro said, though he said vandalism usually didn't involve school rivalry. "I believe there was an incident before where they put something on the field that changed the grass, but it's not a common occurrence for other schools or people supposedly representing other schools."

Anyone with information on the vandalism or a possible suspect is asked to call NMSU police at (575) 646-3311.

City would help underwrite C-USA tourney

Story at www.elpasotimes.com

By David Burge / El Paso Times

The city is putting its money where its mouth is on trying to bring the Conference USA men's and women's basketball tournaments to the Don Haskins Center next year.

The City Council voted 7-0 Tuesday to help underwrite the event if it comes to El Paso. The bid that's being put together by the Convention & Visitors Center, the El Paso Sports Commission and UTEP would include an unspecified revenue guarantee to the conference.

If that's not met, the Sports Commission would cover the first $50,000 of any shortfall. Anything above that would be split evenly by the city and county and would be paid for with hotel occupancy tax money.

The groups who are putting together the bid declined to say what the revenue guarantee would be. City Rep. Steve Ortega has estimated that the city's share would be a maximum of about $100,000.

Bill Blaziek, general manager of the Convention & Visitors Bureau, estimates fans, teams and the conference could spend anywhere from $3.5 million to $4.5 million while here.

Blaziek said he doesn't anticipate there will be any revenue shortfall.

"This will be a hot ticket," he said.

Talking C-USA football

Any Miner fans out there in need of a football fix? 

Well, ESPN.com has you covered. 

College football writer Graham Watson took the time to look at three questions each Conference USA team must answer during spring football season. 

Some familiar themes emerge with UTEP’s Q&A:

“UTEP fired defensive coordinator Osia Lewis after the Miners had one of the worst defenses in the country for the past two seasons. Former UNLV defensive line coach Andre Patterson takes over, which doesn’t inspire a lot of confidence since UNLV wasn’t a defensive juggernaut. Some fresh blood and a simpler defense might do the Miners some good.

“UTEP returns several key players on offense, but needs to use this spring to gel and develop some consistency. The offensive line should shoulder some of that blame. The line loses two starters from 2009, but returns some players with experience. Their goal will be to continue opening holes for running back Donald Buckram.

“Quarterback Trevor Vittatoe was hit and miss in his junior season and part of that was because of line play and drops by receivers. The Miners will look for some playmakers and replacements for receivers Jeff Moturi and Tufick Shadrawy. Kris Adams could be in line for a big senior year.”

Read the skinny on the rest of C-USA here. 

And on the subject of Q&A’s, Conference USA Commissioner Britton Banowsky answered a few questions for Watson on the league’s football teams recent flirting with the national spotlight.

Any Miner fan can’t help but snicker while reading the interview. You wonder if Banowsky is seething over media darling Case Keenum and his Houston team’s choke job last season in El Paso.

Sorry, Britton. 

Bracket Racket: Feb. 23

In this segment, we'll take a look at what the national media thinks of the UTEP men's basketball team and what the week ahead will hold. 

The bracket

NCAA tournament bracket projections from various national outlets:

ESPN: Getting closer to home. Joe Lunardi has UTEP as a No. 9 seed in the Midwest regional facing former WAC foe and No. 8 seed UNLV. This game would take place in Oklahoma City, an easy drive for many UTEP alums in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, and a Southwest flight away for those in El Paso, San Antonio, Austin and Houston and all the points in between. 

CBS: Jerry Palm pits UTEP against Gonzaga in what would be an intriguing 6-11 contest. This one would be in San Jose, Calif., as part of the Midwest regional.

Rivals: This Web site doesn't offer up bracket, but Mike Huguenin has promoted UTEP from a No. 12 to a No. 11 seed. 

Another week, another accolade

UTEP junior guard Randy Culpepper was named the Conference USA Player of the Week for the second week in a row, UTEP athletics officials announced Monday.

Culpepper scored 29 points in 30 minutes in UTEP's 78-70 victory Saturday at Tulsa. The win was UTEP's 10th straight conference win, a school record.

UTEP has had the Conference USA Player of the Week in four of the last five weeks. Derrick Caracter was selected Feb. 1, and Culpepper was honored previously on Jan. 25 and Feb. 15.

Rankings

In the biggest shaft of the week, the Miners received 86 votes in the Associated Press top 25 to fall just one spot out of the poll. UTEP steady rise makes it deserving of being ranked among the nation’s best. For shame, national writers.  

At least UTEP cracked the ESPN/USA Today poll, where the Miners are ranked No. 25. It is their first national ranking in 18 years. 

Plan your sick days

March 16: Opening-round game in Dayton, Ohio.

First and second rounds

March 18 and 20: New Orleans; Providence, R.I.; San Jose, Calif.; Oklahoma City. 

March 19 and 21: Buffalo, N.Y.; Jacksonville, Fla.; Milwaukee; Spokane, Wash. 

Regional semifinals and final 

March 25 and 27: Syracuse, N.Y.; Salt Lake City. 

March 26 and 28: St. Louis; Houston.

Final Four 

April 3 and 5: Indianapolis.

This week

The Miners go for 11 consecutive wins this Wednesday on the road against Southern Miss at 6 p.m. El Paso time at the in Hattiesburg, Miss. The game will be televised on Time Warner’s MetroSports Channel 24. On Saturday, UTEP returns to the Don Haskins Center for the first time since Feb. 13 to host Rice. Tipoff is at 7:05 p.m. Only one home game will remain after this week. 

UTEP 78, Tulsa 70

The UTEP men's basketball team hit the gas early and held off a furious rally late to earn a 78-70 win over the Tulsa Golden Hurricane in Tulsa, Okla.

The Miners looked refreshed after a break from play early in the week. And aside from a bit of a letdown in the second half, played well at both ends during their big win against the preseason Conference USA favorite.

The win is UTEP's 10th consecutive and brings them to 20 wins for the first time since 2005. More importantly, the Miners stay at the front of Conference USA heading into the final two weeks of the regular season.

After this performance, it'd be a travesty if UTEP is not ranked in the Associated Press top 25 come Monday.

The Miners are hitting a crescendo at their season's most key time. Road games at Southern Miss and Marshall as well as home dates with Rice and UAB still lie ahead. Not an easy stretch. At worst, should UTEP get a 2-2 split, they'd still get a first-round bye in the conference tournament. The Miners can lose one of their remaining games and still have a chance at winning the C-USA regular season title.

TV notes

-- UTEP's success the past several weeks has been stunning. But so has Tulsa's downward spiral. The Golden Hurricane is reeling, losing four of its last five games. Two of those were to UTEP. This was further evidenced by the numerous empty seats in the Reynolds Center on Saturday. You would think a visit by the Conference USA leader and the home team's desperate need for a win would yield nothing less than a sellout.

-- I appreciated the vast knowledge of both teams displayed by the CBS College Sports commentators. Those guys did their homework. Though, did anyone else get that weird audio glitch after the under-15 timeout in the second half? Made for quite the distraction.

-- We had another good look at how this Miners team handles adversity. With Tulsa getting within 10 points, with the Miners' best inside player in foul trouble, with the home crowd howling, UTEP knuckled up and did enough to win. These are situations teams will face in the postseason. Great teams find ways out of them. Sent on the Now Network? from my Sprint® BlackBerry

Tulsa falters. UTEP up next.

Tulsa’s men’s basketball team continues to struggle. 

The Golden Hurricane dropped their third game in 12 days after falling to Marshall on Wednesday night in Huntington, W. Va.

Thundering Herd forward Hassan Whiteside’s 17 points spurred Marshall to the 64-58 upset win. 

The loss, coupled with UAB’s 59-54 Wednesday-night win over Southern Miss, puts the Blazers in third place in Conference USA ahead of Tulsa by virtue of their head-to-head win on Jan. 26. 

The Hurricane is now in fourth place with Marshall nipping at their heels. 

Saturday’s home date with UTEP suddenly becomes a must-win for Tulsa. The Miners are entering dangerous territory here. But a win against a team that, presumably, is still fighting for its postseason life will show what kind of character this UTEP team has built during its successful nine-game winning run. 

C-USA scores, standings (updated Feb. 17)

Memphis 77, Tulane 64
SMU 67, Rice 57

School Conf. (W-L) All (W-L)

UTEP 10-1 19-5

Memphis 9-2 19-7

UAB 8-3 20-5

Tulsa 8-4 19-7

Marshall 7-4 19-7

Southern Miss. 5-6 15-10

Houston 5-6 13-12

UCF 5-6 13-12

SMU 5-6 12-13

East Carolina 2-9 8-17

Tulane 2-10 7-18

Rice 1-10 8-17

ESPN's Andy Katz talks to UTEP's Tony Barbee

In case any of you missed this Saturday, here's Miner coach Tony Barbee talking to to ESPN.