ASHEVILLE, N.C. ? The UNC Asheville men's basketball team is ranked 22nd in the latest edition of the College Insider Mid-Major poll that was released on Monday. The Bulldogs received 112 votes from coaches around the country that coach in mid-major conferences. It's the first appearance ever for the Bulldogs in the Top 25 poll.
UNC Asheville is off to its best start in 23 years with its 11-3 overall record. The Bulldogs posted a huge win Saturday night when they scored the final 10 points of the game to knock off South Carolina, 61-58 in Columbia.
Asheville had been receiving votes all year long before vaulting into the Top 25 this week. Butler is 13-1 on the season and is ranked #1, followed by Gonzaga
Asheville's 112 votes have the Bulldogs ahead of Niagara (109), Davidson (102) and Northern Iowa (80). The Bulldogs are just behind Cleveland State (117) and Valparaiso (125).
“This is a great moment for our program,” commented UNC Asheville coach Eddie Biedenbach. “We appreciate the national attention our program is starting to get with the wins we've picked up this year. There are some great basketball teams in this poll and for our school to be among them is a real credit to our players and coaches.”
The Bulldogs play next at top-ranked North Carolina Wednesday night at 7 p.m. The game will be nationally televised by ESPNU. Asheville opens Big South Conference play at home Saturday afternoon against Liberty at 4:30 p.m.
