ASHEVILLE, N.C. ? The UNC Asheville men's basketball team is off to its best start in 23 years but will face its biggest test of the year when it takes on national power Tennessee in Knoxville Wednesday night at 7:30 p.m. The Bulldogs improved to 8-2 on the season after an 87-76 victory over South Carolina State at home Monday night. This is the first time UNC Asheville has been 8-2 since the 1983-84 season when the Bulldogs were coached by former UT head coach Jerry Green. The game will be regionally televised by SportSouth.
Asheville is looking for its first ever win over the Volunteers as the Bulldogs are winless in four tries. The teams have not met since the 2003-04 season when Tennessee won, 80-67 in Knoxville. A young Asheville team battled hard that night and had the game tied with seven minutes left before the Volunteers took control down the stretch and got the victory. The Vols were coached by Asheville native and former UNC Asheville ball-boy Buzz Peterson that night.
The Bulldogs face a very good UT squad that is 9-1 on the season and ranked 12th in the country. Head Coach Eddie Biedenbach is very impressed the Volunteers.
“Tennessee is very good and among the top teams in the country,” stated Biedenbach. “They're a team that plays great defense and just simply wears you down. This is a program that came pretty close to going to the Final Four last season and will be making a run at going there again this year.
“Bruce Pearl is an excellent coach,” added Biedenbach. “Bruce has the Tennessee program going in such a positive direction right now. We know that we're in for a huge challenge Wednesday night.”
Tennessee is 6-0 at home and enters Wednesday's game with a 22-game home-court winning streak. It is the fifth longest active winning streak in the country. UT is led by senior guards JaJuan Smith and Chris Lofton. Smith is averaging 15 points per game, while Lofton is at 14.4 points per game. Tennessee has knocked down 102 treys on the year and forced 235 opponent turnovers. The Vols edged Western Kentucky, 88-82 Saturday in Nashville.
UNC Asheville continues to be led by its senior guards in Bryan Smithson and K.J. Garland. Smithson leads the Dogs in scoring with a 16.7 average. He is shooting 58 percent (40-of-79) from beyond the arc and 51 percent (40-of-79) from the field. Garland is averaging 16.3 points per game and has 60 assists (6.7), second best in the Big South. Junior forward Reid Augst continues his good play and has an 11.0 scoring average. He leads the Big South and is fifth nationally in free throw percentage at 91.7 percent (33-of-36). 7-7 center Kenny George leads the nation in blocked shots (46) with a 4.8 per game average. Senior forward Vincent James scored 19 points in the South Carolina State win and is averaging a solid 12.5 points per game.
NOTES ? K.J. Garland moved into 21st place on the career scoring list with 1,085 points with his 18 points against South Carolina State...Garland has 389 career assists and needs just 11 to become the third player in school history to have 400 assists...Dating back to last year, UNC Asheville has won 12 of its last 15 games...Asheville has also been doing the job on the road during that stretch winning five of its last seven road games...the Bulldogs have shot at 50 percent or better from the field in seven of their first 10 games...Asheville is either first or second in eight different Big South statistical team categories going into the Tennessee game.
