UTEP vs. Charlotte: Miners in Must-Win Situation on the Road

The two-decade-plus streak of making a post-season conference tournament for the Miners is on the line this weekend as the Miners travel to take on Charlotte on Sunday in their second game of C-USA Bonus Play.

In order for the Miners (8-18, 3-12 C-USA) to get in the postseason league tournament, they will need to win out their remaining games, including a home-and-home with Middle Tennessee next week.

If Rice beats Middle Tennessee, it actually bodes extremely well for the Miners' chances as well since the Blue Raiders are in 12th place and also on the bubble.

But on the downside, the Miners haven't won a road game this season (0-11) and have lost nine of their last 11 games.

They are also juggling Efe Odigie's injury, in which he sprained his ankle at practice before the Rice game. His status is still questionable moving forward, but he was in crutches and a walking boot at the Rice game.

Still, this weekend's matchup is set up to be the best opportunity for a Miner road win.

Charlotte (6-20, 3-12 C-USA) has lost eight of their last nine games and sit as the last-place team in C-USA. They are led by senior Jon Davis, who averages 21 points, four rebounds and four assists per game.

In their last game against the Miners, Davis scored 23 points, but UTEP pulled away 57-53 at home. Charlotte is also coming off a 86-67 loss to Middle Tennessee, where the 49ers shot 47.1 percent from the field and went 9-for-27 from three-point range. As a group, Charlotte ranks last in C-USA for scoring (60.0 ppg) and scoring margin (-8.7).

Tip-off between the two is set for tomorrow at 1 p.m.