In the Mavericks’ minds, it’s time to start a new streak.

After Weber State ended UTA’s 16-game winning streak on Saturday, head coach Scott Cross said today’s game against McNeese State just became the most important one of the year.

And for good reason. The Cowboys lead the Southland Conference East Division with a 10-2 SLC record and have won eight straight games, now the longest streak in the conference.

“That game is huge for us, [there’s] more riding on that game than any game this entire year,” Cross said about the matchup at 7 Wednesday in Lake Charles, La.

Cross said the hostile environment the team saw at Weber State will be comparable to McNeese State’s home crowd. The Cowboys are 9-2 at home this year.

Even though the Mavericks have already clinched a spot in the SLC tournament in March, there’s still a lot to play for, Cross said. His main goal is to win a regular season championship, and McNeese State is only two games behind UTA’s perfect 12-0 record.

Seeding is also up in the air, and the Mavericks have a chance to soldify its place as the No. 1 seed with a win tonight.

The experience of battling against a tough Weber State team will translate to how the team plays tonight, senior forward Bo Ingram said.

“We can just handle our business in conference and on Wednesday,” Ingram said. “Sometimes, we get too excited. We can’t get back into it in one possession, we just have to take our time on offense.”

The Cowboys might ride high at home, but don’t discount the Mavericks on the road. Before the game against Weber State, UTA had a run-off 10 wins in a row away from Arlington.

“We still have another opportunity for something special,” senior forward LaMarcus Reed said.