RUSTON – Two of the hottest teams in Conference USA meet on the hardwood Saturday as Louisiana Tech plays host to North Texas at 4 p.m. inside the Thomas Assembly Center on Karl Malone Court.
 
The game will be streamed live on ESPN+ with Bill Hazen and Chris Mycoskie calling the action.  Fans can also listen to Dave Nitz and Jack Thigpen call the game on KXKZ 107.5 FM (Ruston), KOKA 93.3 FM/980 AM (Shreveport) and KJVC 92.7 FM (Mansfield) as well as on the LA Tech Athletic app.
 
Both teams are sitting in a tie for second in the league standings with a 4-1 mark.  LA Tech (13-4) has won seven of its last eight games while North Texas (10-8) has won six of its last seven. 
 
Both teams are coming off decisive victories this past Thursday as the Bulldogs cruised to a 72-56 win over the Rice Owls and the Mean Green put away the Golden Eagles of Southern Miss by a final score of 72-52 in Hattiesburg.
 
LA Tech ranks No. 1 in the conference in field goal percentage defense, allowing opposing teams to shoot just 38.3 percent from the field.  UNT ranks No. 1 in the league in field goal percentage, shooting 47.5 percent. 
 
For the 'Dogs, defense has played a major role in the team's success this season.  They have forced 15+ turnovers in 12 of the 17 games while averaging 19.8 points per game off turnovers.
 
Offensively, they have owned the paint for the most part.  They definitely owned it against the Owls, outscoring them, 46-16, in that area which was a season-high for paint points and paint-point differential. 
 
The regulars like DaQuan Bracey and Kalob Ledoux have kept up their offensive production, averaging 12.6 and 12.3 points per game, respectively.  Coming on lately though has been Derric Jean who is averaging 10.6 points during league play while shooting 62 percent from the field.
 
North Texas comes in battle-tested, having played one of the toughest non-conference schedules in the country by playing teams like VCU, Arkansas, Rhode Island, Utah State, Oklahoma and Dayton.
 
The Mean Green have been really hot as of late, shooting 52.0 percent from the field and 41.1 percent from beyond the arc during conference action. 
 
They are led by Umoja Gibson who is averaging a team-high 14.2 points per game.  He shoots 41 percent from three, having taken 124 shots from long range this season.
 
LA Tech leads the all-time series, 25-10.  Since the two teams became league foes in C-USA, the Bulldogs hold a 7-3 advantage.