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Upstart but dangerous North Texas will look to continue its record-breaking season Sunday when it hosts blueblood Virginia in a National Invitation Tournament second-round game in Denton, Texas.
The winner will advance to the tournament quarterfinals and will play either Oklahoma or St. Bonaventure on March 22 or 23.
Sunday's dustup promises to be a grinder of a game between two of the most deliberate teams in the country.
The Mean Green (25-6), one of the four No. 2 seeds in this event, earned a berth in the second round with a 67-63 overtime victory over Texas State on Tuesday. North Texas' 25 wins is a single-season program record, surpassing the 24-win team of 2009-10.
"It's a group that has always hung in there with each other and loved each other," North Texas coach Grant McCasland said. "They love being in that locker room together. It seemed right that we would bounce back from the toughest loss of the season (in the Conference USA semifinals) to win the game that set the record."
North Texas has the nation's best scoring defense, holding opponents to 55.2 points per game, almost three points fewer than any other team. The Mean Green held 11 of their last 15 opponents to under 60 points.
Virginia (20-13) sported the seventh-best scoring defense, allowing 60.1 points a game.
The Cavaliers advanced to the second round with a 60-57 home win over Mississippi State on Wednesday. Coach Tony Bennett said he challenged his team prior to the win to use its spot in the NIT to show resolve.
"This, to me, is a statement game for us," Bennett said afterward. "Not for anyone else. What are we made of? What kind of fight will we have?"
The victory allowed Virginia to reach 20 wins for the 10th time in the past 11 seasons. The only season it fell short was last year's COVID-shortened 25-game campaign.
"I know we've had some 30-win seasons and what we've done, but what this group accomplished, the way that we started, up to this point and to fight to get 20 wins, that's what this is about," Bennett said.
It will be just the second meeting between the teams. Virginia beat North Texas 80-64 in 2013 at home in the only previous matchup.
--Field Level Media
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