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Grand Canyon (7-3) vs. North Texas (7-2) – 5:30 PM ET (ESPN+)
Today’s UTR Game of the Day is part of the Jerry Colangelo Classic at the Footprint Center in Phoenix (home of the Suns and Mercury) – while it is technically a neutral-court game in the eyes of the NCAA, it is a de facto home game for the Grand Canyon Antelopes. While teams like Seattle, Sam Houston and New Mexico State have grabbed headlines for various reasons in the WAC, it is the Lopes who are the preseason favorites to win the conference. Loyola Marymount beat Grand Canyon 69-65 in their last game; it was a rare noncon loss for the Lopes at home. Jovan Blacksher Jr. leads the Lopes with a 12.7 PPG average.
North Texas ended up finishing 2nd in the Baha Mar Hoops Nassau Championship with wins against San Jose State and Long Beach State before losing to UNC-Wilmington in the championship game. More recently, the Mean Green got back on track with back-to-back wins against Omaha and next-door neighbor UT-Arlington on the road. Tylor Perry averages 17 points a game for the Mean Green.