UT Arlington (3-1) at No. 1 Kentucky (5-0)
Tuesday | 6 p.m. | Rupp Arena
SEC Network | Watch ESPN | KKGM 1630 AM (Online) | GameTracker

The Mavericks won't face a stiffer challenge this season than Tuesday night. UT Arlington squares off against No. 1 Kentucky at Rupp Arena in a nationally-televised nonconference clash.

Tip is 6 p.m. on SEC Network, with local radio coverage on KKGM 1630 AM. UTA is playing the Wildcats for the second consecutive season.

"When you're going to play the No. 1 team in the country that just beat Kansas by 20 points, you definitely want to have a little momentum going into that game," UT Arlington coach Scott Cross said. "Buffalo had Kentucky down five at halftime. I felt like we played awful against Buffalo and we lost by six.

"If we play our best basketball, we can go in there and we can play with them. If we don't play our best basketball, their size will overwhelm us."

Cross added that ball movement, solid defense and a commitment to rebounding will be needed against UK. The Mavericks do carry momentum into the legendary arena, having won their last two games to improve to 3-1. UT Arlington is also 2-0 on the road for only the second time in Cross' nine-year tenure at his alma mater.

In addition to the Wildcats' talent and depth, Rupp Arena provides a formidable challenge in itself. Kentucky is averaging more than 22,000 fans per game this season.

"It's always fun playing in front of a big crowd," junior guard Johnny Hill said. "It kind of gets us going, like Grand Canyon that atmosphere was so great."

UTA is coming off an 87-69 victory over Houston Baptist on Saturday night. Senior guard Jamel Outler set a career high with seven 3-pointers and tied his career high with 26 points. Outler's seven 3-pointers tied for third most in UTA history for a single game and his 87.5 shooting percentage (7-8) tied for seventh best in one game.

Senior guard Lonnie McClanahan scored 12, his third straight double-digit effort off the bench. The Mavericks shot 50 percent (29-58) from floor and 61.9 percent (13-21) on 3-pointers.