University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
Bulldogs Prepare for Connecticut
11.23.2011 | Men's Basketball
Asheville had a 55-minute practice in the 4,500-seat arena that is being constructed just for this three-day tournament. The Bulldogs (2-2) are looking forward to the challenge of playing the unbeaten Huskies (4-0). Connecticut will bring a 15-game winning streak into Thursday's game dating back to last March.
Bulldog players Matt Dickey and J.P. Primm are excited about playing against one of the top backcourts in the nation in Jeremy Lamb and Shabazz Napier.
"Everybody knows Jeremy Lamb and Shabazz Napier," said Dickey. "They're solid guards and we like that challenge. We have challenged each other from the first day we came on campus. We both want to play professionally. To get the chance to play against guards like Lamb and Napier is the exact challenge we want."
"In Napier and Lamb, they're going up against perhaps the best guard combination in the country," said Asheville head coach Eddie Biedenbach. "I'm really looking forward to seeing these two guys go against what most people consider two great pro prospects."
"Since our freshman year, Matt and I, we've played the best of guards," Primm said. "Austin Rivers at Duke and John Wall at Kentucky. This is going to be a challenge, but we're going to be ready for that and I wouldn't ask for it to be any other way."
"Everybody's eyes are wide open," Dickey said, "and we're excited about the opportunity that we have. We get to play one of the best teams in the nation in the first round and I think we have a good chance. We're going to have to play a strong, tough game, especially down low, but we're excited about our chances."
Connecticut coach Jim Calhoun said in his press conference how much he was impressed with Dickey and Primm.
"The thing that impressed me is there is no back-off to them at all," stated Calhoun. "They're not going to be scared of us by any stretch of the imagination. Asheville is the best team we will have played this year."
NOTES - UNC Asheville is second nationally in points scored at 91.2 points per game...the Bulldogs are ninth nationally in assists at 19.5 per game...Asheville has won nine of its last 12 games dating back to last season...this is the first time the Bulldog program has played out of the United States since playing two games in the Virgin Islands in the 1971-72 season...former Asheville baseball player and newest member of the Philadelphia Phillies Ty Wigginton is staying at Paradise Island and is expected to be at Thursday's game along with his family.
