UTEP still looking for offensive spark as C-USA race reaches midpoint
The UTEP men's basketball team's past week went like it was supposed to.
A Miner squad that looks like it will spend the season flirting with .500 split two games, thoroughly beating one of the league's worst, Florida International, before a somewhat competitive loss to now-No. 21 Florida Atlantic on an 18-game winning streak.
What could represent a fairly typical week the rest of the way left UTEP in a four-way tie for fifth in a league where five teams get a bye through the first round of the Conference USA tournament (all 11 qualify for Frisco).
This Saturday's game with second-place North Texas marks the midpoint of the 20-game C-USA marathon and is one more chance for UTEP to author a turnaround on its league season, which isn't out of the question.
Depending on whether FAU wins the conference tournament, C-USA will be a one- or two-bid league so the Miners' only hope at the postseason is to get hot late and steal a bid. There certainly is a chance that between now and the first week of March the Miners turn a corner and become a tough out in Frisco. If they get there as a No. 5 seed they'll need a three-game win streak at the right time.
This far into the season UTEP is likely to stay who it is, which is a strong defensive team that plays hard and usually gives itself a chance. The Miners don't have a pure scorer and don't have a reliable outside shooter, so they lean on points in the paint, where they hurt themselves by missing free throws.
Those negative attributes on offense can to some extent change if the Miners can heat up. Florida Atlantic's plan against UTEP was to pack in tight and the Miners will see a lot of that. If Tae Hardy and Shamar Givance can start hitting outside shots at a reasonable clip the team could transform offensively, at least to a point, and UTEP isn't all that far away from the top third of the standings.
Here is the simple case for optimism: If UTEP shoots 33 percent from 3-point range instead of 28 percent and 65 percent from the free-throw line instead of 60 percent, that would be four more points a game for a team that has lost four of its five C-USA games on a final possession or overtime. UTEP would look like a third or fourth seed in the tourney.
If none of that changes for the better, the Miners go to the league tournament at 9-11 or 10-10 and will be in a toss-up in the first round.
Teams that work as hard as UTEP will have a chance for something good to come along. This past week didn't change that feeling. Now the Miners need to make the next step and that will have to come with its offense.
Women stay in fight for second
The UTEP women's basketball team can feel reasonably good for a split of its Florida road trip, as it survived Saturday in overtime at Florida Atlantic despite some mounting injury problems.
The latest is star point guard N'Yah Boyd, who played 20 minutes against FIU before getting hurt. That UTEP could bounce back and win two days later is encouraging.
More:C-USA women's basketball standings
Boyd's status is unknown. UTEP was being tight-lipped about her health, but her absence from practice Tuesday is in line with concussion protocol and likely means the Miners will be without her Saturday against North Texas.
They'll have a chance to survive that game but will need all hands available next weekend for its biggest stretch of the year, the homestand with 9-0 Middle Tennessee and the 6-3 Western Kentucky team the Miners are tied with for second.
On the bright side, Erin Wilson made the most of her opportunity for a first career start and is a hot hand, but Boyd is hard to replace.
With a 13-5 record and 11 games to play, a 7-4 finish (with two games remaining against Middle Tennessee that will be a challenge) would likely put the Miners in commanding position for a WNIT bid and a top three position for the league tournament.
As this point Mahri Petree returning from a concussion doesn't seem imminent so maximizing the health of what they have left (still a deep team) is a priority.
UTEP has overcome a lot in this season to move into contention, at least for second, and can use that as a map in a tough road ahead.
Bret Bloomquist can be reached at 915-546-6359; bbloomquist@elpasotimes.com; @Bretbloomquist on Twitter.
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: UTEP looking for offensive spark as C-USA race reaches midpoint
