North Texas basketball chalk talk -- UNT at Florida Atlantic

Where: FAU Arena, Boca Raton

Records: UNT 18-4, 11-1 Conference USA; FAU 15-10, 8-4 Conference USA

Last game: UNT 67, Rice 44; Western Kentucky 76, FAU 69

Radio: Mean Green Sports Network

Projected UNT starting lineup:

PG: Rubin Jones, 6-5, So. — Jones scored six points and handed out three assists in UNT's win over Rice. The sophomore has hit all 12 of his free throws over the Mean Green's last five games. He is averaging 8.5 points and 3.2 rebounds per game.

G: JJ Murray, 6-1, Sr. — Murray scored four points, handed out two assists and picked up two steals in UNT's win over Rice. The senior is shooting 37.3% from 3-point range and is averaging 4.5 points and 3.5 rebounds per game.

G: Mardrez McBride, 6-2, Sr. — McBride extended his string of games with at least two 3s to seven when seven when he went 3-for-5 from deep in UNT's win over Rice. The senior is shooting 40.6% from deep and has scored in double figures in five straight games. He is averaging 10.6 points and 3.0 rebounds per game.

F: Thomas Bell, 6-6, Sr. — Bell matched his career high with 21 points in UNT's win over Rice. The senior has hit the 21-point mark in two of UNT's last four games. He is averaging 12.8 points and 6.9 rebounds per game.

F: Abou Ousmane, 6-10, So. — Ousmane grabbed a career high 12 rebounds in UNT's win over Rice and added six points. The sophomore has scored in double figures in seven of UNT's last nine games. He is averaging 9.9 points and 5.7 rebounds per game.

Scouting Florida Atlantic:

Florida Atlantic has exceeded expectations this season and is sitting in second place in C-USA's East Division heading into this week's games at 8-4.

The Owls, who were picked to finish ninth in the league in the preseason coaches' poll, had won seven of their last eight games before falling at Western Kentucky in their last game. Junior guard Michael Forrest is averaging 14.4 points per game and is one of three players averaging double figures for FAU.

Guards Alijah Martin and Bryan Greenlee are adding 13.8 and 10.2, respectively. Vladislav Goldin, a 7-foot-1 center, is posting 7.1 points and 5.2 rebounds per game.

What you need to know:

UNT has won 10 straight games heading into what will be one of its more challenging weeks of the season.

FAU is 13-3 at home. The Mean Green will complete a two-game road trip when they face UAB on Saturday. The Blazers are the only team that has beaten UNT in C-USA play this season.

UNT coach Grant McCasland and his players vowed to not overlook the Owls.

"FAU’s pace and shot making at home are better," McCasland said. "You can tell that they are playing with a lot of confidence. I don’t think it is one guy. That is what makes them difficult to prepare for.

"They have multiple perimeter scorers and can space the floor around one threat at the rim. Any time you can do that with multiple people it makes them difficult to defend."

UNT has met every challenge it has faced since falling to UAB at home back on Jan. 6, thanks largely to its defense. The Mean Green are allowing just 55.5 points per game, a total that leads the country.

Matching that total will be tough against the Owls, who are averaging 75.4 points per game and have two guards who have made more than 60 shots from 3-point range this season in Forrest and Martin, who have 70 and 64, respectively.

UNT has a host of players who have contributed to its winning streak, including Aaron Scott. We featured the freshman forward in this week's UNT newsletter. 

Here's a link in case you haven't seen the story yet.