New West Virginia head men's basketball coach Ross Hodge has only been the head coach of North Texas for two seasons, but he's seen his fair share of big games while at the helm.
Hodge comes to WVU having played in nine Quad 1 games over the last two seasons, with some of their opponents being Power Four competition.
This past season, North Texas went 0-3 in Quad 1 games, with their three losses being to McNeese State, Memphis, and Utah State, which are three NCAA Tournament teams from this past season. Hodge's group went 0-3 in such games, however, their average margin of defeat was just 2.33 points, and none of those games came at home.
In Quad 2 games this past season, Hodge's Mean Green went 5-3, picking up four road wins in the process, including two against power four opponents in Minnesota and Oklahoma State. In Quad 2 games, UNT outscored its opponents by an average of 3.63 points. UNT's largest margin of victory in a Quad 2 game this past season was 20 points in a 68-48 win over Northern Iowa at a neutral venue.
As far as playing away from home, Hodge's group had an even point differential in away Quad 1 and 2 games this past season and were positive in neutral games this past year.
The year prior, Hodge's group also did not have much success in Quad 1 games, going 0-6, but they went 2-4 in Quad 2 games during the 2023-2024 season.
The six Quad 1 losses averaged out to a margin of defeat of five points, with losses to St. John's, Boise State, Mississippi State, Florida Atlantic, and SMU.
Their two Quad 2 wins that year came over SMU and Memphis, both coming at home. At home, North Texas outscored its opponent by an average of 2.67 points per game that season. During away games, they were outscored by 5.20 points, and then in neutral settings, they were outscored by 7.25 points.
Overall, this past season, Hodge and North Texas outscored their opponents by 2.0 total points in Quad 1 and Quad 2 games, showing their ability to keep it close against better opponents, while also being able to win with a higher margin of victory.
In 2023-2024, UNT was still close to it being a one-possession margin, with them being outscored by 3.92 points in Quad 1 and 2 games that year.
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