It's hard to imagine any UTEP basketball team, men or women performing better than Keitha Adans' bunch this season. The Miners finished their C-USA road schedule undefeated, after an 89-74 win at UCF today. That's now 19 wins in a row for the Miners, who haven't lost a gme since December 1st. The win also gave UTEP their first ever outright regular season conference championship, and the first banner that will be hung inside the Don Haskins Center next season. Let's hope this team will get their first ever sellout when they host SMU on Thursday at 6pm.
This afternoon, we announced on Sportstalk that Roberto Duran, "Manos de Piedras" will be headlining our Sports and Health Expo on Sunday, April 6th. The event will be held at Sunland Park Racetrack and Casino. I met Duran last May in Las Vegas prior to the Oscar De La Hoya/Floyd Mayweather Jr. fight. Duran was all class and I asked him about coming to El Paso for the Expo. He was interested and the rest is history. What I didn't realize what just how great a champion he was over a 20 year period. Boxing historian Bert Sugar rates Duran the 8th best fighter in the history of boxing! I know we should have one of our biggest crowds ever.
Congrats to the Miners for their first conference road win in more than a calendar year. UTEP knocked off Marshall 79-76 and one of the biggest reasons for the win was the play of Stefan Jackson. DJ finally displayed the leadership this team has lacked on the road and wasn't afraid to shoot with the game on the line. I hope his performance was the first of many more clutch situations we'll see from UTEP's best player.
Just trying to figure out why Tony Barbee's team can't win a road game? Lack of Leadership? No big man? Poor point guard play? Coaching? How about all of the above! Until the Miners solve some of these issues and it could start with the Marshall game tonight, it's doesn't look like a pretty end to the season.