The UTEP men’s basketball team has had its fair share of ups and downs throughout the preseason, although the Miners (9-7) plan to push through to the C-USA Championships. Their most recent, and final, non-conference game against Chicago State ended in the Miners’ favor, with a 74-69 win over the Cougars (7-15) at the Don Haskins Center.
As the Miners push forward into the regular season, the preseason shows that UTEP has potential. The Miners started the preseason off strong back in November, winning five games in a row, two of which were a part of the SoCal Challenge tournament.
The win streak ended in the Miners’ final game of the tournament, losing to the Bradley Braves by four points (59-63). UTEP would take two more losses to close out November but began December with a 28-point win over Western New Mexico (90-62).
The Miners would continue to take two losses, one of which was against Coach Joe Golding’s alma mater, Abilene Christian; the game remained close with the Miners only losing by a six-point gap (82-88).
The WestStar Don Haskins Sun Bowl Invitational was a major success, as the Miners kept the tournament win at home; the championship game ended in an 11-point lead over the Wyoming Cowboys (78-67).
Despite the success in the tournament, the Miners closed out 2023 with a tough loss against Seattle Dec. 30 (61-73).
The Miners began their C-USA season with the Battle of I-10, playing NMSU in Las Cruces; the game resulted in a defeat for the Miners. This game marked the first conference game for both teams, and the first time they faced off in a league game in over 60 years. “We’ve got seven more opportunities on the road, so you’ve got to keep battling and trust the process. We’re going to have an opportunity in a month from now to protect our home floor (vs. NM State). We’ve got to keep our chin up, keep working and find the guys who want to do it our way.”
Joe Golding remains hopeful for the Miners, as this is just the beginning of the C-USA season.
“It’s a 16-game Conference USA schedule,” Golding said. “You’ve got to steal as many as you can (on the road) and we’re 0-1.”
The game against Chicago State Jan. 7 marked UTEP’s first win of the new year, and the Miners played hard for the win, shooting 52.0 percent from the floor and forcing 27 turnovers against the Cougars.
The Miners will be facing off against Florida International Jan. 13 in their second conference away game. UTEP will return to the Don Jan. 18 to play Middle Tennessee.
Nicholas Maes is the sports editor and may be reached at [email protected]
