UTEP Starting Forward Tydus Verhoeven Enters the Transfer Portal
The UTEP men s basketball program saw another member of the frontcourt enter the transfer portal on Thursday, as starting forward Tydus Verhoeven elected to leave the program as a graduate transfer, per Verbal Commits.
In addition, the Miners saw JUCO transfer Adam Hess enter the transfer portal. Verhoeven and Hess join Efe Odigie and Vuk Vulikić as four members in the transfer portal so far. The NCAA transfer portal already has over 1,000 players electing to leave their program.
Verhoeven was UTEP s best rim protector and anchored the frontcourt s defense through many stretches this year. He started all 24 games at the forward position alongside Bryson Williams in 2020-21, averaging 4.9 points and 4.4 rebounds per contest. His playing time jumped up in a major way from his sophomore to junior year, going from 13.7 minutes last season to 24.6 minutes per game this year. In addition, the shot-blocker (21 blocks
Let s dive into both matchups for the UTEP men s and women s teams.
UTEP Women s Basketball - No. 2 Seed
The UTEP women s basketball team (16-7, 13-5) clinched the second overall seed in the C-USA West Divison, putting themselves in a position to make a run at the league s title. First off, they won t have to play until Thursday when they face either Florida Atlantic (3rd seed, East Division), UAB (6th West) or UTSA (7th West), all of whom the Miners have faced at one point this year.
After they won nine straight games, Florida Atlantic beat the Miners at the Haskins Center (67-62). The squad regrouped the next day and smashed the Owls (92-62) to split the series. In the middle of their winning streak, they swept both UAB and UTSA. Sophomore point guard Katia Gallegos leads the team by averaging 14.1 points, 4.3 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 2.0 steals per game. She was named to the league s All-Conference First Team on Monday.
UTEP at No. 13 Kansas: Three Things to Know Before Tipoff
Who: UTEP (12-10, 8-8 C-USA) vs. No. 13 Kansas (18-8, 12-6 C-USA)
When: Thursday, 6 p.m. MT
Where: Allen Fieldhouse (Lawrence, Kansas)
Watch: ESPN+
UTEP s non-conference games really shaped up
The conversation of having Kansas on the schedule had been in the works for a while now, according to head coach Rodney Terry. They tried to work out a game earlier this season but nothing came of it. Terry credited assistant coach Nick Matson for staying in constant communication with the Jayhawks. When both schools had an open week before their respective league tournaments, the game fell into place and the Miners scheduled another quality non-conference opponent.
Like their valiant effort on Saturday, the Miners duplicated their performance for a powerful 77-62 home victory against Charlotte at the Haskins Center on Sunday to complete the series sweep.
The Miners (12-10, 8-8 C-USA) have now strung four consecutive wins to close out C-USA play and will close out the regular season at No. 17 Kansas next Thursday.
On Senior Day, forward Bryson Williams notched an efficient double-double with 23 points and 14 rebounds (11-of-17 shooting). They rode a 23-point performance by junior guard Souley Boum, who scored a combined 38 points against Charlotte in this series. Once again, junior forward Efe Odigie came off the bench to provide valuable minutes and scored 12 points (6-for-8 FG) and five rebounds in 16 minutes.