North Texas Mean Green NCAA Basketball News

It only seems appropriate on Selection Sunday that we continue our off-season questions series on UNT basketball with Part III - Can the UNT men recover lost momentum? It doesn't seem all that long ago that UNT was sitting there on campus, waiting to see its name pop up on the NCAA tournament bracket.

North Texas senior guard Brandan Walton, far right, hits a 3-pointer against Rice in the first round of the Conference USA tournament Tuesday in El Paso.

North Texas junior forward Colin Voss drives to the basket in a loss to Southern Miss earlier this season.

Update 12:59 - Pretty good UNT crowd on hand. The UNT women's team and coaches stayed to cheer on the men.

Day two features four games, including UTEP and East Carolina, lets see what's going on in the Don on Wednesday.

GAME NOTES: The 2014 Conference USA Tournament gets underway with the first matchup of the opening round between the 15th-seeded Rice Owls and the 10th- seeded North Texas Mean Green.

After an inconclusive regular season, a true champion will be crowned as the 19th-annual Conference USA Tournament is set to begin at the Don Haskins Center.

Terri Cuffie sat behind the North Texas bench at Halton Arena earlier this season, holding one of the few people in the stands wearing Mean Green apparel.

It's getting to the end of the season and thus some questions about the future of both the UNT men's and women's basketball programs, both in the short and long term.

North Texas point guard Chris Jones talks with senior guards Brandan Walton and Alzee Williams during a 79-68 loss to Tulsa on Thursday at the Super Pit.

GAME NOTES: The Tulsa Golden Hurricane look to escape with a possible Conference USA regular-season title when they take the court against the North Texas Mean Green at UNT Coliseum.

The former Mesquite standout will play in front of his family and friends at the Super Pit one last time when the Mean Green takes on Tulsa at 7 p.m. That opportunity is one of the key reasons Vaughns transferred to UNT from George Mason and joined a group of seniors whose time in college basketball has been anything but conventional.

Matt Willms had 14 points, eight rebounds and three blocks as Texas-El Paso won 74-54 and ended North Texas's four-game winning streak Sunday.

MARK LAMBIENEL PASO TIMES UTEP head basketball coach Tim Floyd coached his 400th win Saturday against UTSA at the Don Haskins Center.

North Texas coach Tony Benford maintained throughout some tough times for the Mean Green this season that sooner or later the tide would turn.

They played well and in rhythm in the first half and then hit all sorts of sour notes after intermission.

Jordan Williams scored 14 points and Brandan Walton added 13 as North Texas used a big second half to top Texas-San Antonio 71-62 on Thursday.

There was a time before North Texas opened the season a few months ago when Armani Flannigan seemed destined to be a major part of the Mean Green's plans - if not a star.

Vertrail Vaughns made two free throws to give North Texas its first lead of the second half, 48-46 with 15:48 remaining, and the Mean Green led the rest of the way.

Marquan Botley hit a 3 to put FAU up three after UNT had tied it up with a 7-0 run.