Edinburg, Texas - The University of Texas-Pan American is not a complete stranger to the University of North Dakota when it comes to basketball. On the men's side, the Broncs are one of three Great West teams that the Sioux have played before, while Thursday will be the first meeting between the two on the women's side. The Sioux and Broncs will have to reintroduce themselves though before the men's game because it has been more than 40 years since a home-and-home series was played between the two clubs in the late 1960s.

Each weekend the Sioux travel for Great West road games, the staff at FightingSioux.com will take a closer look at the schools the Sioux will be competing against in their new Division I league. This weekend, Texas-Pan American and Houston Baptist will be highlighted.

Here are 10 interesting facts and figures about Edinburg, Texas and the University of Texas-Pan American:

1. The city of Edinburg, Texas, which is home to UTPA, the Rio Grande Bible Institute and a pair of state prisons operated by the Texas State Department of Criminal Justice, has a population nearing 50,000 and is located near the southern tip of the Lone Star State.

2. Located in the Rio Grande Valley, Edinburg is a sister city of McAllen and Mission and is only about 20 miles from the Mexican border.

3. The city of Edinburg is a three-time winner of the All-America City Award and a member of the award's Hall of Fame. The honor is given out annually by the National Civic League and is the oldest community recognition program in America.

4. UTPA, which is part of the University of Texas System, has a student population of more than 18,337, including nearly 2,500 graduate students.

5. The UTPA Fieldhouse is a 4,000-seat multi-purpose arena in Edinburg, Texas that was built in 1969 and is home to the Broncs' basketball and volleyball teams. The Fieldhouse is among the oldest Division I arenas in Texas. While capacity is officially listed at 4,000, a record crowd of 5,649 jammed the Fieldhouse in 1981 to see the Broncs battle Pat Foster's Lamar Cardinals.

6. Both the men's and women's basketball programs are being directed by first-year head coaches. Ryan Marks took over the men's program after spending five seasons at St. Edwards at the Division II level. Denny Downing comes to Edinburg to lead the Lady Broncs after spending seven seasons at Texas A&M-Commerce.

7. Both the men's and women's teams currently sit a top the Great West standings with 2-0 league records after defeating NJIT and Chicago State, respectively, two weekends ago.

8. The men's basketball team won the 1963 NAIA national men's basketball championship under Coach Sam Williams. Lucious Jackson (aka Luscious "Luke" Jackson) was one of the players on that championship team. Jackson was selected fourth overall during the 1964 NBA draft. He played on the 1964-65 NBA all-rookie team and played in the NBA All Star game that same year. Jackson played his entire career with the Philadelphia 76ers. Jackson ranks second on the school's all-time scoring chart with 1,813 points.

9. UTPA was a member of the Sun Belt Conference from 1991-98 and have been an independent up until joining the Great West for the 2009-10 season. The men's team played in the 1981 NIT Tournament and former NBA head coach Lon Kruger was the head coach.

10. UTPA's school slogan is “Prepare. Discover. Transform.”