Poor-shooting Memphis becomes latest victim of surprising Texas-Arlington

If the Sun Belt Conference coaches could re-do their preseason poll armed with the information learned in the season’s first two weeks, it’s a good bet Texas-Arlington would finish higher in the voting than the eighth-place finish the coaches forecast back in the third week of October.

Texas-Arlington pulled off a second consecutive surprising road win Monday night beating Memphis 68-64, just three days after beating Ohio State in similar fashion.

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The Mavericks are certainly one of the most surprising teams in the nation at this point in the season not just because of their two most recent wins but because they are succeeding so early after losing their top-four scorers from last season.

Sophomore forward Kevin Hervey figured to be a key piece of this season’s team after averaging seven points a game a year ago. He led the Mavericks with 22 points and 11 rebounds Monday for his first double-double of the year.

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Memphis played once again without senior point guard Kedren Johnson, who has been dealing with a shoulder injury that could require surgery at some point. Neither team shot the ball particularly well, which is nothing new for Memphis.

The Tigers held a commanding advantage in free throw attempts, but made only 28 of their 44 attempts. The Mavericks went 11 of 19 at the foul line and attempted 24 more field goals in the game than Memphis, which committed 16 turnovers.

Three Memphis players grabbed double-digit rebounds led by 19 from Shaq Goodwin, but Avery Woodson was the only Memphis starter to make 40 percent of shots taken.

Memphis and Ohio State can compare notes and lick their wounds together after facing Texas-Arlington. They meet Friday in the Basketball Hall of Fame Invitational.

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[Kyle Ringo is the assistant editor of The Dagger on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @KyleRingo