University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
Bulldogs Entertain Furman in Final Non-Conference Matchup
12.28.2015 | Men's Basketball
THE MATCHUP
Teams: Asheville (7-5, 1-0 BSC)
Furman (6-6, 0-0 SoCon)
Location: Kimmel Arena/Asheville, N.C.
Time: 7:30 p.m.
VIDEO (Big South Network) - AUDIO (Bulldog Radio Network)
ASHEVILLE, N.C. – The UNC Asheville men's basketball team returns from its brief holiday break on Tuesday night as they wrap up non-conference play against Furman inside Kimmel Arena in the second half of a Bulldog doubleheader. The Bulldogs look to rebound following a home loss to Elon last week that snapped a five-game winning streak, while Furman enters after losing two straight and is just 1-4 on the road this season.
NOTABLES
Getting it Done, Together: In 12 games this season, Bulldog players are inside the Top 10 in only four Big South individual statistical categories - but as a team, Asheville is first or second in eight different statistical categories.
Cleaning the Glass: The Bulldogs are at the top of the Big South when it comes to rebounding, including leading the Big South in Rebounding Margin, averaging 5.58 more rebounds than their opponents through 12 games. Asheville's 28.08 defensive rebounds per game is the best in the conference and they have pulled down 75.7% of their boards on the defensive end, also best in the conference.
In the Series: Tuesday's meeting will be the 14th meeting all-time between Asheville and Furman, with the Bulldogs trailing 7-6 in the series. The last meeting came back on Nov. 16, 2010 while the first matchup between the teams came back in the 1980-81 campaign. Tuesday will be the first matchup inside Kimmel Arena in the series, but the Bulldogs are 3-2 all-time in games played in Asheville against Furman.
Inter-Conference Meetings: Tuesday's game will be Asheville's final non-conference game of the 2015-16 slate, and the matchup with Furman will be the third meeting against SoCon teams for the Bulldogs this season. Asheville is 1-1 against the SoCon and Furman is 2-1 against the Big South this season.
QUOTABLES FROM HEAD COACH NICK McDEVITT
On the break – “It allowed the guys to get a little bit of rest. You start workouts back in the first week of school in August, so you're really at it for a long time. The break was good, but it is important that we come out of it with the same intensity that we had each and every game going into the break.”
On the growth of the young team – “One thing I like about our team is they play hard, they play together and they want to keep improving. That allows us to go into each game with a chance for success.”
On the vibe in the building – “Both us and the women's team are playing with a lot of confidence right now and we both play hard – not just on game day. If you come to any of the practices – ours or theirs – we practice hard too. You can't just turn it on for game day and that is something that both staffs preach.”
UP NEXT
-After Tuesday's game, the Bulldogs head back on the road and will ring in the New Year with Big South Conference matchups in Virginia, beginning Thursday at 2:00 p.m. at Longwood before starting 2016 at Liberty on January 2.
