Weber State Eyes BracketBusters Win

2/17/2012 5:32:04 PM

A Look At All of Saturday's Matchups

Weber State brings a 15-game home court winning streak into Saturday's Sears BracketBusters contest. The Wildcats opponent, Texas-Arlington has won 16 in a row. Something has to give.

The Wildcats and Mavericks square off at 6 p.m. Mountain in a game that will be shown live on ESPN3 with Greg Heister and Bill Herenda calling the game. The game highlights the Big Sky's Sears BracketBusters action, which features all nine Big Sky teams playing non-conference games.

Since dropping a game to Idaho State on Jan. 28, Weber State has won five in a row. Randy Rahe's Wildcats have won 15 of its last 16. Weber State is led by junior All-America candidate Damian Lillard, who is tied for the national lead in scoring with an average of 24.8 points per game. Lillard needs 31 points to reach 1,800 for his career.

Texas-Arlington, of the Southland Conference, has won 20 games for just the fourth time in school history. Its 16-game winning streak is the second-longest active streak in the nation, behind Kentucky's 17-game streak. The Mavericks are coming off a 51-47 road win against Stephen F. Austin.

Weber State, a 79-70 road winner over Montana State on Wednesday, leads the nation in free-throw shooting at 81.4 percent. The Wildcats also rank in the top 10 nationally in 3-pointers per game, 3-point field-goal percentage, and are in the top 15 in turnovers per game and points per game.

Lillard, a 6-foot-2 junior from Oakland, Calif., ranks in the top 15 nationally in scoring, 3-pointers per game, 3-point field-goal percentage and free-throw shooting.

Both Weber State and Texas-Arlington played Utah State earlier this season. Weber State beat Utah State at home by 10 points on Nov. 15. Texas-Arlington lost to the Aggies 73-69 in Logan on Dec. 20. The Mavericks haven't lost since. Texas-Arlington's other losses came to Baylor, Texas, Tulsa and Samford. Weber State has lost to Saint Mary's, Cal, BYU and Idaho State.

Of the other eight matchups on Saturday, five feature Big Sky teams going head-to-head against teams from the Big West. In the other three, Big Sky teams take on WAC teams.

Montana, which is seeking its ninth victory in a row and 20th of the season, plays host to Hawai'i of the WAC. Hawai'i has won four of five with its only loss during the span to WAC-leader Nevada. Montana is led by junior guard Will Cherry, who averages 15.8 points and a league-high 2.5 steals per game.

Sears BracketBusters Pairings