UTD Women's Basketball Team

The UT Dallas women's basketball team captured the American Southwest Conference's East Division crown during the regular season. The Comets have won 20 of their last 21 games.

The UT Dallas men’s and women’s basketball teams will begin postseason play in the American Southwest Conference (ASC) tournaments this week on a roll.

The women’s team (22-3, 15-1 ASC), which will be competing for its third league title in five years, has won nine straight games and 20 of its last 21. The Comets, who won the title in 2013 and 2015, will face Sul Ross State in the first round on Thursday in Brownwood, Texas. Game time is 2:30 p.m.

UT Dallas is making its 11th consecutive trip to the postseason, boasting a 9-8 all-time record in the event. The Comets are 15-3 all-time against Sul Ross State, including a 70-52 road win this season.

Caleb Banks

Junior point guard Caleb Banks leads the men's basketball team in scoring and could set the UT Dallas career assists record during this week's tournament.

Senior guard Alyssa Crockett leads the Comets with 15.0 points per game, ranking seventh in the ASC. Fellow seniors Micaela Gonzalez and Kayla Reinhart are also among the top 20 scorers in the ASC. Gonzalez, who leads the Comets in rebounding (6.7 per game) and the ASC in field goal percentage (47.6), ranks 12th with 12.5 points per game, while Reinhart is 19th at 11.8 points per contest. Senior point guard Zavier Landry ranks third in the league in assists (3.9 per game).

Offensively, the Comets lead the conference in scoring margin (+15.8 points per game) and three-point percentage (34.6). Defensively, the Comets allow just 54.4 points per game, the best in the conference. They also lead the league in field goal defense (34.7 percent), three-point defense (26.0 percent) and rebounding margin (+7.8 boards per game).

Meanwhile, the men’s team (11-14, 8-8 ASC) has won eight of its last nine games after a 3-13 start. UT Dallas put together a seven-game winning streak over the final month of the season to continue the longest-active streak of ASC Tournament appearances.

The Comets will open the ASC Tournament at noon Thursday against Mary Hardin-Baylor in Longview, Texas. They are 7-18 all-time against Mary Hardin-Baylor, including an 83-71 loss at home on Jan. 16. UT Dallas is 14-11 all-time in its 14 previous trips to the ASC Tournament, winning the title in 2005, 2009 and 2014.

Junior point guard Caleb Banks leads four Comets in double-digit scoring with 12.9 points per game, and also ranks first in the ASC with 6.8 assists per outing. Banks, who set both the school's single-game (14) and single-season (171) assist records this year, could break the school’s career mark in the tournament. With 409 career assists, Banks needs just three more to pass former Comet Travis Carruthers.

Senior forward Kyle Coulter ranks second on the team in both scoring (12.4 ppg) and rebounding (6.0 rpg), while junior guard Jon Hatcher averages 11.9 points per game. Freshman guard Dimitrius Underwood leads the team in rebounding (6.7 rpg) and averages 10.6 points per game.

The Comets are among the top scoring defenses in the ASC, giving up 75.3 points per game. UT Dallas holds opponents to just 32.9 percent accuracy from three-point range, which is fourth best in the league.

The winners of the conference tournaments will earn automatic berths in the NCAA Division III National Championship tournaments.