After the first week in C-USA basketball play, teams and programs have started to separate themselves and start off on the right (or wrong) foot.
At 5-8 overall, the Miners are coming off losing their first two games in conference play to UTSA, but statistically, UTEP stacks among some of the best -- and worst -- in the conference through various categories.
Let's take a look at what's going on in C-USA:
2018-19 Men's Basketball Standings
The Miners currently sit toward the bottom of the pack. There are four winless conference teams in the league, including the Miners, as well as four undefeated teams in C-USA. The Miners will host North Texas (15-1) on Thursday and Rice (7-9) on Saturday.
Scoring offense & defense
The Miners as a team fare among some of the bottom teams when it comes to scoring offensively, 11th overall in C-USA at 67.8 points per game. Defensively, though, UTEP is seventh in the leauge, allowing opponents 69.5 ppg. They are one of five teams to have a negative scoring margin (-1.7).
As a team, the Miners are close to the middle of the pack in field goal percentage, ranked ninth in the league (.434). Freshman forward Efe Odigie's 53.7 percent shooting from the field puts him at 11th best in C-USA for field goal percentage.
Sophomore guard Evan Gilyard is currently eighth in scoring at 18.0 ppg, while Odigie ranks 13th for scoring at 15.2 ppg.
At the top: FIU currently averages 90.7 ppg, which is 10.5 more points scored than Marshall at No. 2 (80.2 ppg). Old Dominion allows just 58.1 ppg, which puts them as the top scoring defense in the league. Charlotte's Jon Davis is currently No. 1 in C-USA scoring at 21.4 ppg, while Jhivvan Jackson of UTSA, who the Miners recently faced, is right behind him at 20.5 ppg and second in scoring.
Probably the most noteworthy stat for the Miners is the fact that Odigie leads the league in rebounds per game (10.2) over highly-touted Western Kentucky freshman forward Charles Bassey (9.0), who has NBA scouts watching him each game. Odigie is also No. 1 in defensive rebounds per game at 7.8.
Gilyard is fifth in C-USA for 3-point field goal percentage and 3-pointers made with a 43.6 percent make beyond the arc and nearly three 3-pointers per game.
In the Middle of the Pack
UTEP is in the middle of the conference in field goal percentage defense, allowing opponents to shoot 41.9 percent against them (sixth in C-USA). UTEP is ninth in field goal percentage offensively (.434).
On the glass, UTEP is fifth in defensive rebounds (27.6 per game) and seventh in defensive rebound percentage (.733). The Miners are eighth overall in the league for their +1.9 rebound margin.
They were among the best in the conference in terms of 3-point efficiency, but after three bad stretches of shooting, they are now sixth in 3-point FG percentage (.340) and eighth in 3-point defense (.333). If they get hot in January, this could go back up to some of the best in the conference.
UTEP at the Bottom of the Barrel
In Conference USA, the Miners do fare in the bottom half of various statistical categories, starting on offense.
UTEP is 11th in C-USA for their scoring margin (-1.7) and is one of five teams to have a negative scoring margin. They are the second-worst free throw shooting team, shooting only 63.5 percent from the charity stripe. In assists, UTEP is 11th in the conference with 11.8 assists per game, which is only two assists better than the worst in the league. Although they succeed on the glass, UTEP is the second-worst team in grabbing offensive boards (9.4 per game).
Turnovers have been the Achilles heel for the Miners, yet they don't have the worst turnover margin in C-USA. UTEP is currently 12th in the conference with a -2.7 turnover margin, averaging 16.6 turnovers per game. In assists to turnover ratio, the Miners stand at No. 12 in the league (0.7).
Defensively, the Miners are No. 12 and 13 in the conference as a team for blocked shots (2.5 per game) and steals (4.8 per game).
