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GAME NOTES: The red-hot Texas-El Paso Miners visit Moody Coliseum tonight for a Conference USA clash with the Mustangs of SMU.

UTEP has taken over sole possession of first place in the C-USA standings thanks to seven straight victories in league play. This past Saturday, the Miners rolled to a 73-59 triumph over Tulsa. Beginning with tonight's contest, they'll play three of their next four on the road, although it's been nearly a month since the Miners have lost a game on the road.

As for the Mustangs, they are coming off Saturday's impressive 66-48 victory at Tulane. The win was their fifth over the last six games, which has brought their league mark up to 4-4. Following tonight's tilt, SMU will play three of its next four on the road.

UTEP has taken 13 of the last 14 meetings with SMU, including a 49-45 victory over the Mustangs a month ago in El Paso, Texas. The Miners lead the all-time series, 21-14.

The Miners used a 26-9 run in the second half of Saturday's game to claim the double-digit victory over Tulsa. Their seven-game conference win streak is the program's longest since the 1986-87 season. Four players scored in double figures for UTEP, led by Jeremy Williams with 15 points on 6-of-7 shooting from the floor. Derrick Caracter (12 points, 12 rebounds) and Arnett Moultrie (10 pts, 11 rbs) each posted double-doubles, while Christian Polk contributed 10 points off the bench. Caracter has produced three straight double-doubles. In wins over Houston and Tulsa last week, he averaged 17.0 points and 12.5 rebounds per game and was instrumental in the second half of both contests. On the season, Randy Culpepper leads the team with 16.3 ppg. Caracter is shooting 57.4 percent from the floor and is averaging 14.1 points and 9.1 boards per outing. Polk, Williams and Moultrie are all averaging 11 ppg. The Miners are holding opponents to 38.7 percent shooting from the floor and are winning by an average of 12.6 ppg.

Leading the way for SMU is Derek Williams, who averages 35.3 minutes and 17.3 points per game. He is complemented by Papa Dia, a 55.1 percent shooter from the floor who is registering 12.2 points and 8.5 boards per contest. The Mustangs generally have a tough time winning if either or both of those players has an off-game. But as a team, the Mustangs seem to be hitting their stride of late, and one of the reasons has been rebounding. On the season, SMU is now a solid +4.5 in rebounding margin. Against Tulane on Saturday, it was once again Williams and Dia leading the charge. The Mustangs were able to jump out to an early 21-4 lead, thanks to a combined 17 points from those two. Williams finished with 18 in the win, while Dia racked up 17 points and 16 boards. Robert Nyakundi also got involved, posting 14 points, six rebounds and three steals. Foul shooting and defense were two major storylines for the Mustangs, as they made 19-of-20 free throws for the game and held Tulane to 30.6 percent shooting from the floor.

If SMU continues to play solid defense while maximizing its free-throw opportunities, UTEP will be in for a tough test on the road. However, given the way the Miners have been hitting on all cylinders, it's tough to envision them losing to a team they've beaten in 13 of the last 14 meetings.