joe golding

It's officially UTEP men's basketball gameday, as the Miners host McMurry for their first game of the season on Monday night at 7 p.m. at the Don Haskins Center.

The UTEP men's basketball program landed a commitment from class of 2023 center Babacar Mbengue (7-foot, 225 lbs) from Olympus Preparatory Academy in New Jersey.

UTEP received a positive commitment from a double-digit scoring mid-major transfer on Sunday that should provide a spark of optimism and excitement for the fan base.

UTEP men's basketball head coach Joe Golding identified the guard position as his top priority this offseason and he has already added two of them for 2023.

The men’s matchup tips off at 4:00 with the Countdown to Tip-off Show, followed by a 4:30 local start between UTEP (9th seed) and Western Kentucky (8th seed).

Although the UTEP men's basketball team would like to end their regular season with a win, that could put them in position to meet top seed FAU next week.

The Don Haskins Center has been without heat over the last week and the UTEP men's basketball team has been cold as well, losing sic of their last seven games.

On Saturday, the Miners will have a chance for their best win of the year as they face off against 24th ranked Florida Atlantic in a C-USA showdown that tips off at 7 p.m.

At a crossroads in their season, the Miners have to hope they can snap their three-game losing streak on the road against a tough LA Tech team on Saturday.

As they enter 2023, the free throw shooting by the UTEP men's basketball team has been historically bad and it continues to cost them valuable wins.