Charlotte/UTSA preview

Charlotte redshirt sophomore Aly Khalifa (15) and sophomore forward Igor Miličić Jr. (24) on the sideline during a game against the University of North Texas on Thursday, Feb.23, 2023.

 Photo by Chris Crews

The Charlotte men's basketball team will look to win their fifth game in a row on Thursday, March 2, as they travel to Texas to take on the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) Roadrunners. 

Head Coach Ron Sanchez's squad look to spoil UTSA senior night and continue to build momentum heading into the final game of the regular season. 

Matchup history

Thursday will be the 11th meeting between the 49ers and Roadrunners. 

Charlotte holds the series lead with a 6-4 record against UTSA but is 2-2 games when playing in San Antonio. The two teams met earlier in the season on Jan. 14 when the 49ers took home a 72-54 win at Dale F. Halton Arena.

Scouting the Roadrunners

The Roadrunners enter Thursday's contest with a 9-21 record on the season, which includes a last-place 3-16 mark in Conference USA (C-USA) play. They are coming off a 95-91 win against Florida International University on Feb. 25.

UTSA is led by seniors Japhet Medor and Jacob Germany, who average 13.1 and 12.2 points per game, respectively. 

Medor also leads the team in assists, averaging 3.7 per game, while Germany is the team's leading rebounder averaging 8.3 boards per game, tied for No. 1 in the C-USA. 

The UTSA squad also features a pair of young guards, sophomore John Buggs III and freshman DJ Richards. The pair are No. 3 and No. 4 on the team in scoring, averaging 10.8 and 10.6 points per game, respectively.

Overall, the Roadrunners are averaging 68.9 points, 35.3 rebounds and 10.5 assists per game while shooting 40.7 percent from the field. 

UTSA's opponents are averaging 76.8 points, 37.3 rebounds and 14.1 assists a game while shooting 44.8 percent from the field against the Roadrunners.

Scouting the 49ers

Charlotte enters Wednesday with an 18-11 overall record, including a 9-9 record in C-USA play. The 49ers are coming off a 70-54 victory over C-USA opponent Rice University, the team's fourth win in a row.

Charlotte is led by reigning C-USA Player of the Week Brice Williams, averaging a team-best 12.6 points per game. Williams will be looking to build on an impressive performance against rice in which he recorded 25 points and 13 rebounds for a double-double.

Sophomore Aly Khalifa leads the team in rebounds averaging 6.6 per game and is No. 2 on the team in scoring with 11.4 points per game. 

Sophomore guard Lu'Cye Patterson leads the 49ers in assists with 3.0 per game and is also the No. 3 leading scorer on the team, averaging 9.6 points per game. 

Overall, the 49ers are averaging 65.7 points, 29.8 rebounds and 13.0 assists per game while shooting 46.9 percent from the field. 

Opponents are averaging 61.1 points, 29.1 rebounds and 9.8 assists per game while shooting 43.0 percent from the field against the 49ers on the season.

Looking to gameday

Charlotte will take on the UTSA Roadrunners on Thursday, March 2, in San Antonio. The game is slated for an 8 p.m. EST tip-off from the UTSA Convocation Center and can be streamed on ESPN+.