Nation’s two slowest teams, Virginia and North Texas, battle tonight in NIT

By Jerry Ratcliffe

No one has documented college basketball pace of play prior to when Ken Pomeroy began his analytical rankings 20 years ago, but for the first time over those two decades America’s two slowest teams — Virginia and North Texas — will meet tonight in the second round of the NIT.

For UVA fans who have “embraced the pace,” it may be a culture shock when the Cavaliers battle the Mean Green in Denton, Texas (6 p.m. ESPN+). While their Wahoos have been the slowest-tempo team in the nation for the past six years, Virginia is actually next-to-slowest to North Texas this season.

Virginia owns a 59.4 possessions-per-game pace, compared to the Mean Green’s 59.2.

This could be a bit of a trap game for the Cavaliers, who will be the highest-profiled program to play at North Texas since LSU visited in 2011. The Mean Green were a No. 2 seed in the NIT, while UVA was essentially a sixth seed.

“To get a home game in the second round of the NIT says a lot about our guys and the season we have had to this point,” said North Texas coach Grant McCasland, a former assistant at Baylor. “It’s a fun time of the year to be playing. At the same time, we’re playing to win. This is what we’re prepared for and are excited about the opportunity.”

North Texas is 25-6 and won Conference USA’s regular-season title before being knocked off in the league tournament by Louisiana Tech. For reference-sake, Old Dominion is a member of C-USA.

Denton is excited about hosting a Power 5 school in the tournament, noting in the city’s newspaper “one of the storied programs in college basketball,” was coming to town. The Mean Green plays in the “Super Pit,” which has drawn 8,500 fans to one game late in the season, although 3,386 showed up for their 67-63 overtime win over Texas State in the first round of the NIT.

Just how slow is the North Texas pace? The Mean Green lost a 42-36 decision in the C-USA title game and shot a season-low 24.1 percent in the process.

Don’t let that fool you, though. North Texas has players back from last season’s upset win over Purdue in the NCAA Tournament. McCasland’s team also lost to ACC’s Miami by only 69-63 this season.

“Coach Mac has told us that it’s not normal for a [high-major] school to come down here and play us,” guard Mardrez McBride told the Denton Record. “It’s a great chance to show off our talent.”

Teammate Thomas Bell, a NABC All-District first-team player for the Mean Green is excited about the opportunity of hosting UVA as well.

“We have an opportunity in the tournament to do something we haven’t done,” said Bell, a senior, who averages 12.6 points and 6.9 rebounds per game. “Virginia is another team in our way. They are a good team and a historical program. We have to take advantage of the opportunity.”

As far as playing a team that boasts a slow tempo like his own team, Bell added, “It’ll be like playing ourselves. It will be fun.”

North Texas is led by Tylor Perry, a second-team NABC All-District player, who is one of only four players in the nation to lead his team in scoring as a non-starter. Perry comes in off the bench but averages 13.6 points per game. He has made game-winning 3-pointers in four conference games.

McCasland, who has elevated the North Texas program, has known UVA coach Tony Bennett for a long time. 

“I got to know Coach Bennett as a person and respect him and the program he has built,” said McCasland, who was coaching at Midland College when he sent forward Ivory Clark to play for Bennett at Washington State. “[Virginia] has won at a high level consistently. He’s a humble guy. His teams play in a way to connect winning and unselfishness.”