EL PASO, Texas – Head Coach Billy Gillispie returns to El Paso for the first time since starting his collegiate head coaching career with the Miners in 2002 on Monday night as his Tarleton State Texans take on the UTEP Miners at 8 p.m. CT at the Don Haskins Center.
 
The game will be streamed on ESPN+ with Andy Morgan and Bobby Braswell. Kyle Crews will have the call on the Tarleton Sports Radio Network. Live stats will be provided by StatBroadcast available on tarletonsports.com. Follow @tarletonmbb on Instagram, X and Facebook for live updates, highlights and content.
 
Coach Gillispie started his head coaching career in El Paso with the UTEP Miners. After inheriting a 10-win squad in the 2001-02 season, coach Gillispie turned them into a 24-8 regular season champion and NCAA Tournament team in 2003-04. Coach Gillispie used his unheard-of turnaround of the Miners to propel him to Texas A&M the next season. Despite coaching a trio of D1 programs within the state, coach Gillispie has not taken on the Miners since his departure from the program in 2004.
 
Izzy Miles tallied eight steals against UCF, the most by a player in a single game this season in the NCAA. His eight is the second most steals in a single game by a Texan in the D1 era.
Miles notched eight steals against UCF on Sunday 12/8. He was only three steals short of Shamir Bogues D1 era and program record 11 steals on Feb. 28, 2023 vs. Southwestern Assemblies. In program history, Miles mark of eight is fourth since 1988.
 
The Texans will be taking on one familiar face on the Miners on Monday night. A season ago, Devon Barnes was a sophomore guard for the Texans. Barnes played a key role for the eventual WAC regular season runners-up starting 34 of the 35 games. The sophomore led the team at the free throw line with 126 makes and an 85.7 free throw percentage. He was second on the team with 56 made triples, 13.0 points per game and 77 assists.
 
Bubu Benjamin has been a scoring machine this season. The sophomore is second in the WAC in scoring, averaging 17.2 points per game. Benjamin has scored 20-plus points in four games this season. The Canadian broke is career-high for the third time this season with 29 against Dallas Christian. Benjamin posted 21 points in the season opener at SMU and then broke his career high again against Iona with 22 in the Bahamas.
 
Freshman Keitenn Bristow has played the last two games after missing the first nine due to a lower body injury. Bristow earned his first collegiate start playing 35 minutes at UCF. He tallied eight points and seven boards but committed eight turnovers. In his first game, he registered nine points in 22 minutes against Dallas Christian. Bristow is the only Texan to have been named a Texas Mr. Basketball finalist during his prep career. The 5A Player of the Year was a prized recruit that the Texans won last year.
 
 
Twice this season, junior college transfer, Chris Mpaka has recorded five blocks in a game. Last week against Dallas Christian, The big man posted five blocks, tying his season best. In just his third game as a Texan, Mpaka posted five blocks in a game, the second most in a game in Tarleton's D1 era. The forward also posted his first double-double as a Texan with 15 points and 11 boards. He matched his scoring high after scoring 15 against Sam Houston. Mpaka and Bubu Benjamin are the only Texans to notch a double-double or at least ten rebounds. The Congo native is second in the WAC and 46th in the nation with 18 blocks.
 
In the first two weeks of the 2024-25 NET Rankings, the Texans rank 23rd in SOS. Tarleton has the highest ranked SOS in the WAC. The average NET of Tarleton opponents is 22. Tarleton's NET ranking is 347.
 
Head Coach Billy Gillispie is chasing the 200-career win mark, needing six more to eclipse the milestone. 
 
Tarleton State will continue its two-game road trip with a Wednesday night contest against Oklahoma State in Stillwater, Okla. Tip-off is slated for 7 p.m. from the Iba-Gallagher Arena.