University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
Bulldogs Set to Battle #2 Ohio State Tuesday Night
12.20.2010 | Men's Basketball
Asheville (5-5) has won its last two straight games over the last 10 days as the Bulldogs have also taken their final exams during that time. Asheville knocked off a solid Division II foe King College, 90-72 Thursday night at Justice Center. The Bulldogs placed four players in double figures and shot a season-high 56 percent from the field in the win.
"We played well against King College and beat a good team," stated Asheville coach Eddie Biedenbach. "I thought we made adjustments on defense that helped us. Our guys did a good job of attacking on offense, and I really liked our rebounding during the game."
Asheville faces a tremendous challenge in facing the Buckeyes (10-0). Ohio State is coming off a comfortable 79-57 victory over South Carolina Saturday afternoon.
"Were going to face one tough challenge on Tuesday at Ohio State," explained Biedenbach. Ohio State is a tremendous team that could win the national championship this year. They do everything well and throw in the fact that Thad Matta is a great coach and you have a fantastic team.
"However, we're looking forward to playing Ohio State," added Biedenbach. "This is a game that makes us better and prepares us for the Big South Conference."
Tuesday's game will be the third time the Bulldogs and Buckeyes have squared off on the hardwood in the last four years. The teams met in the first round of the 2008 NIT with Ohio State winning, 84-66 They met two years ago with the Buckeyes posting an 83-59 victory.
The game with Ohio State will be homecoming for Ohio native and starting center D.J. Cunningham. The sophomore from Waterford has enjoyed a good year for the Bulldogs as he averaging 11.4 points and 9.7 rebounds per game. He leads the club in blocked shots with 18.
Asheville continues to be led in scoring by its guards. Junior Matt Dickey tops the club with a 16.7 average, while J.P. Primm is right behind with a 16.5 average. Dickey leads the team in steals (22) and free throw percentage (83%). Primm leads Asheville in assists (44) and three-pointers made (24).
After the battle with Ohio State, the Bulldogs will take a few days off for Christmas. They'll return to action on Dec. 28 when Asheville hosts Western Carolina at Justice Center starting at 7 p.m.
NOTING THE BULLDOGS
UNC Asheville is 0-11 all-time vs. the Big 10. The Bulldogs are 0-4 vs. Michigan State, 0-3 vs. Ohio State, 0-2 vs. Minnesota, 0-1 vs. Michigan and 0-1 vs. Iowa.
Ohio State will be the third ranked team the Bulldogs have played this season. Asheville has played at #25 North Carolina and #16 Georgetown. The game with the #2 Buckeyes will be the highest ranked team Asheville has faced since facing #1 North Carolina on Nov. 28, 2008.
The Bulldog have been on the road for much of the first six weeks of the season. Asheville has played seven of its first 10 games away from home. That trend will begin to change after the game with Ohio State as Asheville returns home to start a three-game homestand next week. The Bulldogs host Western Carolina (Dec. 28), VMI (Dec. 31) and Liberty (Jan. 2). Asheville has a 12-game winning streak at Justice Center dating back to last season.
The Bulldogs have 108 steals on the year and their 10.8 per game average has them sixth in the nation in that category. Asheville had a strong of seven straight games of getting at least 10 steals broken vs. King when the Bulldogs recorded just three.
Asheville's 12-game winning streak at Justice Center is tied for the 15th longest homecourt winning streak in the nation.
J.P. Primm and Matt Dickey have scored in double figures in nine of Asheville's 10 games this year.
