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MANHATTAN — Josh White made the shot that sent North Texas to the NCAA Tournament. Tristan Thompson helped get him in that position.
Both Mean Green players are junior guards, and both have scored more than 1,000 points during their college careers. Their coach, Johnny Jones, says they are as good as any backcourt in the Sun Belt Conference.
But North Texas boasts more than just quality perimeter play.
"We have two pretty good inside guys, too," Jones said.
The Mean Green insist their frontcourt — 6-foot-7 Eric Tramiel and 6-foot-8 George Odufuwa — is what sets them apart.
"We're good enough to compete with anyone inside," said Odufuwa, a junior forward. "We're not afraid to play physical or aggressive. We never back down."
Heading into Thursday's first-round NCAA Tournament game against No. 2 seed Kansas State at the Ford Center in Oklahoma City, that tenacity is what No. 15 North Texas will rely on.
The Wildcats may offer a tougher challenge than anything North Texas has seen this season — with Curtis Kelly's shot-blocking ability and a McDonald's All-American coming off the bench in Wally Judge — but the Mean Green have already faced Oklahoma State and Texas A&M this season.
"We have guys in our conference that transferred from the Big 12, SEC or one of the other so-called big conferences," Jones said. "They've fared really well against them. They're competitive. They'll compete at the level they need to. That's what's in them. They're great basketball players."
Tramiel, a 230-pound senior forward, averages 13 points and 5.9 rebounds per game.
During the early stages of conference play, Tramiel injured his wrist and missed four straight games. North Texas went 2-2 without him, but has won 14 of 16 since his return. Going into the NCAA Tournament, the Mean Green have won 11 straight games, including the Sun Belt Tournament.
"Eric is the warrior of our team," Jones said. "He's been a big cog, and a big reason why we've been on the run we have."
That success has given the Mean Green confidence.
"We're not satisfied with simply being in the field," Odufuwa said. "We're going to compete and we're going to compete hard. We understand we're the underdog, but we're playing to win."
Odufuwa, 240 pounds, has been consistent all season. After beginning his career at Arizona State as a big-time recruit out of the Dallas area, he transferred closer to home and has been lighting up the stat sheet ever since.
This season, Odufuwa averaged 11.5 points and 10.7 rebounds. He is one of only about a dozen players nationally who average a double-double.
"He's an impact player for us," Jones said. "He's been a force inside and a tremendous force for our team."
K-State coach Frank Martin agrees. He believes the duo make North Texas one of the better 15 seeds he's ever scouted.
"There's not going to be an easy game in this tournament," Martin said. "That's been reinforced to me after watching tape all night. They're athletic. I think they're good."
