UTEP men’s basketball gets shot at big time against Louisville basketball

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The UTEP men’s basketball team has set itself up for something special in its 6-2 start to the season, and that shot has arrived as the Miners travel to the biggest venue in their sport to take on the ACC’s Louisville.

When the schedule was released in September, this was the big game. While Louisville is currently struggling with three injuries and has a 5-4 record, this is the big time, and UTEP takes its swing Wednesday, Dec. 11, in a game between two teams that have combined to win four national championships.

UTEP’s Otis Frazier III (23) dunks the ball during a men’s basketball game against Seattle University on Saturday, Dec. 7, at the Don Haskins Center in El Paso, Texas.

More: Trip to Louisville highlights UTEP men’s 2024-25 basketball schedule

“It’s a great opportunity for us,” UTEP coach Joe Golding said. “It’s one of the best places to play in college basketball. It’s going to be 18,000 people in there. It’s an incredible opportunity for our basketball program to play on the biggest stage.

“You don’t get many of these opportunities so we’re looking forward to it. Not many times you get an opportunity to play in front of 18,000 people.”

The KFC Yum! Center

The KFC Yum! Center seats 22,090 for basketball, making it the largest arena in the United States by seating capacity designed primarily for basketball. The only place bigger that hosts basketball is Syracuse’s Carrier Dome, designed for football.

Syracuse has averaged 13,698 attendance for its six home games, where the Cardinals are 3-3. They come in on a three-game losing streak, but they face a high bar.

Louisville’s last loss came Sunday against No. 9 Duke. It led until the middle of the second half and was tied with 8:33 left before an 11-point Blue Devil run led them to a 76-65 win. The Cardinals’ losing streak also includes losses to Oklahoma and Ole Miss.

They recently lost 6-foot-10 senior forward Kasean Pryor, who was their second-leading scorer, to a knee injury and prior to that, they lost forward…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/utep-mens-basketball-gets-shot-182326680.html

Author : The El Paso Times

Publish date : 2024-12-10 18:23:00

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