Under the Radar Game of the Day: Texas-Arlington at Florida Gulf Coast

Texas-Arlington at Florida Gulf Coast, 7:00 PM Eastern, espn3

A pair of preseason favorites to win their respective conferences meet tonight in the Under the Radar Game of the Day as the Sun Belt’s Texas-Arlington Mavericks travel to Fort Myers, Florida to take on the Atlantic Sun’s Florida Gulf Coast Eagles.  Arlington enters the game with a record of 1-1, having defeated Texas Southern in their opener before falling Monday night at Minnesota.  Jalen Jones scored 23 points in the opener win for Arlington and followed that with 17 more in Minnesota.  Kevin Hervey was the top player off the bench for the Mavs, hitting a double-double in the opener with 16 points and 11 rebounds, and leading the bench with 8 points in the Minnesota game.  The Mavs have the depth and talent to win the Sun Belt this year, and a win at Dunk City tonight will certainly help validate that position.

FGCU enters tonight’s game having only played once so far, falling to in-state rival Florida 80-59 on opening night.  Brandon Goodwin led the team with 14 points in the loss, while Demetris Morant pulled down 9 rebounds.  Marc-Eddy Norelia, expected to be the Eagles’ best player this season, has been out since the preseason with a broken hand and is questionable for tonight’s game.  Without him, the Eagles will have a tougher time with UT-Arlington, but should still have enough depth and talent on the roster, combined with the home court advantage, to make this a very good game.