The Roadrunners will welcome Rice to town on Thursday night with the chance to do something that hasn't been done by a Roadrunner men's basketball team in a long time.
They could start conference 3-0 for only the third time in program history. The last time they started 3-0 was the 1990-91 season when they beat Samford 106-63 in the third game of the Trans-America Athletic Conference season. That was 28 years ago.
How long ago was that? For both UTSA and Rice it was several conferences ago.
UTSA was a member of the Trans-America Athletic Conference (Now known as the Atlantic Sun conference). Other members of the TAAC at that time: Centenary, Samford, Mercer, University of Arkansas-Little Rock, Georgia Southern, Georgia State and Stetson. Of those teams, only Stetson remains in the conference formerly known as the TAAC.
Rice was a member of the Southwest Conference along with Arkansas, Baylor, Houston, SMU, TCU, Texas A&M, Texas and Texas Tech. The Southwest Conference lasted until 1996.
UTSA went its entire tenure in the Southland Conference and one year in the WAC without starting 3-0. There were some close calls through the years with UTSA losing their third game by single digits seven times.
Since the 1990-91 season the Roadrunners have started conference 2-0 only to lose their third game in 10 different seasons. Those seasons were:
1989-90: lost at home to Centenary 121-116 (finished conference with 14-4 record)
1994-95: lost on road at Nicholls 100-86 (finished conference with 11-7 record)
1996-97: lost on road to Northwestern State 77-59 (finished conference 4-12)
1999-2000: lost at home to Southeast Louisiana 90-86 (finished conference 12-6)
2000-01: lost on road at McNeese 70-66 (finished conference 12-8)
2001-02: lost on road at McNeese 72-61 (finished conference 13-7)
2008-09: lost at home to UT Arlington 100-97 in double overtime (finished conference 8-8).
2009-10: lost on road at UT Arlington 72-66 (finished conference 9-7)
2011-12: lost at home to TAMU-Corpus Christi 50-49 (finished conference 10-6)
2013-14: lost on road at UAB 78-65 (finished conference 4-14)
So that is what will be at stake for the Roadrunners on Thursday night at 7 p.m. A win and its a 3-0 start to conference for the first time since George H.W. Bush was president. A loss and 2018-19 becomes the 11th season that UTSA started conference 2-0 only to lose their third game.
They could start conference 3-0 for only the third time in program history. The last time they started 3-0 was the 1990-91 season when they beat Samford 106-63 in the third game of the Trans-America Athletic Conference season. That was 28 years ago.
How long ago was that? For both UTSA and Rice it was several conferences ago.
UTSA was a member of the Trans-America Athletic Conference (Now known as the Atlantic Sun conference). Other members of the TAAC at that time: Centenary, Samford, Mercer, University of Arkansas-Little Rock, Georgia Southern, Georgia State and Stetson. Of those teams, only Stetson remains in the conference formerly known as the TAAC.
Rice was a member of the Southwest Conference along with Arkansas, Baylor, Houston, SMU, TCU, Texas A&M, Texas and Texas Tech. The Southwest Conference lasted until 1996.
UTSA went its entire tenure in the Southland Conference and one year in the WAC without starting 3-0. There were some close calls through the years with UTSA losing their third game by single digits seven times.
Since the 1990-91 season the Roadrunners have started conference 2-0 only to lose their third game in 10 different seasons. Those seasons were:
1989-90: lost at home to Centenary 121-116 (finished conference with 14-4 record)
1994-95: lost on road at Nicholls 100-86 (finished conference with 11-7 record)
1996-97: lost on road to Northwestern State 77-59 (finished conference 4-12)
1999-2000: lost at home to Southeast Louisiana 90-86 (finished conference 12-6)
2000-01: lost on road at McNeese 70-66 (finished conference 12-8)
2001-02: lost on road at McNeese 72-61 (finished conference 13-7)
2008-09: lost at home to UT Arlington 100-97 in double overtime (finished conference 8-8).
2009-10: lost on road at UT Arlington 72-66 (finished conference 9-7)
2011-12: lost at home to TAMU-Corpus Christi 50-49 (finished conference 10-6)
2013-14: lost on road at UAB 78-65 (finished conference 4-14)
So that is what will be at stake for the Roadrunners on Thursday night at 7 p.m. A win and its a 3-0 start to conference for the first time since George H.W. Bush was president. A loss and 2018-19 becomes the 11th season that UTSA started conference 2-0 only to lose their third game.
