Monday Preview: Hot UT-Arlington faces another Sun Belt test and more

It’s Monday and there’s basketball. Need we say more?

Here are the games, story lines and watching/streaming info to know:

UT-Arlington at Georgia Southern | 7:00 PM ET | American Sports Network, ESPN3

Mondays belong to the Sun Belt, and the past month has belonged to UT-Arlington. The Mavericks are 8-1 since Jan. 16, and are coming off a thrilling last-second win at Georgia State. They’re leading the league at 10-3, and can create separation with Georgia Southern, one of the two 10-4 teams trailing them. The game will have great guards all over the place, like Tookie Brown and Ike Smith for the Eagles, and Erick Neal and Jalen Jones for the Mavericks. But it may turn in the paint, and not just because of UTA’s Kevin Hervey. Georgia Southern has struggled keeping teams off the offensive glass in league play, while UTA has thrived creating second chances.

Other story lines to follow:

• SUN BELT: The loser of Georgia State and Texas State will have six losses, and a dim chance of a regular season title. Both are coming off achingly-close Saturday losses to teams above them in the standings. (Texas State at Georgia State | 7:00 PM ET | ESPN3)
• SWAC: Texas Southern, albeit without Derrick Griffin, is not running away with the SWAC as (almost literally) everyone assumed. Alcorn State (11-3) is breathing down the 11-2 Tigers’ necks, in no small part because of Mississippi Valley State. The Delta Devils beat Texas Southern in overtime on Jan. 23, in a game that Ta’Jay Henry, Marcus Romain and Isaac Williams combined for 82 points. The return game is in Houston; will lightning strike twice? (Mississippi Valley State at Texas Southern | 8:30 PM ET | YouTube.com)

The rest:

North Carolina A&T at UMES, 7:30 PM ET, YouTube.com
Morgan State at Delaware State, 7:30 PM ET, YouTube.com
Coastal Carolina at South Alabama, 8:00 PM ET, usajaguars.com
Alabama State at Southern, 8:30 PM ET, swac.org
UAPB at Prairie View A&M, 8:30 PM ET, PVAMU Sports Network