University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
Photo by: UNC Asheville
UNC Asheville at Winthrop Big South Rivalry Showdown to be Featured on ESPNU
12.26.2016 | Men's Basketball
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (www.BigSouthSports.com) – ESPNU has selected the UNC Asheville at Winthrop men's basketball contest scheduled for Thursday, Jan. 19, as its Big South Wildcard Selection broadcast, it was announced by the Big South Conference office on Monday, Dec. 26. Game time will be 9 p.m. inside the Winthrop Coliseum in Rock Hill, S.C.
Robert Lee (play-by-play) and Nate Ross (analyst) will handle the call from courtside.
"We are incredibly thankful ESPNU has picked this game as a Wildcard Selection broadcast," UNC Asheville head men's basketball coach Nick McDevitt said. "We consider this to be one of the best rivalries in all of college basketball, and we are really excited that the first of our meetings this year will be featured on national television."
The game will be the first meeting of the season between the two teams and a rematch of last year's Big South Championship contest, which was won by Asheville, 77-68. The teams are currently atop the league standings, as Winthrop is 8-3 while Asheville sits just behind at 8-5. Both teams boast a league-high four true non-conference road wins -- the Eagles' road wins include triumphs at Manhattan, Illinois and Saint Louis, while Asheville's road victories include Coastal Carolina and Elon.
Each squad features two preseason All-Conference players, led by Big South Preseason Player of the Year Keon Johnson of Winthrop. Johnson is second in the conference with 18.7 points per game, and has surpassed 20 points six times already this season -- including a career-high 38 in the win at Illinois. Teammate Xavier Cooks is averaging 16.1 points per contest to give the Eagles the only pair of Big South teammates averaging at least 15 points a game.
Asheville's Ahmad Thomas is the nation's steal leader in overall thefts (44) and third in steals per game (3.38), and also contributes 16.2 points (third in the league) and 5.7 rebounds while shooting 53.4 percent from the field. Kevin Vannatta is the remaining preseason All-Big South selection and leads the squad in assists. Freshman MaCio Teague is the second-leading freshman scorer in the conference with 14.3 points (sixth overall) and is an 85.3 percent shooter from the free throw line.
Winthrop is the Big South's leading offensive team with 78.1 points per game, while the Bulldogs' defense is forcing a league-best 18.1 turnovers per contest, and is fifth in the nation in steals (137) and sixth in steals per game (10.54).
The UNC Asheville at Winthrop game is the first of four Big South ESPNU Wildcard broadcasts this season. ESPNU also has Wildcard broadcasts scheduled for Thursday, Jan. 26 at 7 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 9 at 7 p.m. and Thursday, Feb. 23 at 9 p.m., and those selections will be determined 21 days in advance.
**Story courtesy of the Big South Conference**
Robert Lee (play-by-play) and Nate Ross (analyst) will handle the call from courtside.
"We are incredibly thankful ESPNU has picked this game as a Wildcard Selection broadcast," UNC Asheville head men's basketball coach Nick McDevitt said. "We consider this to be one of the best rivalries in all of college basketball, and we are really excited that the first of our meetings this year will be featured on national television."
The game will be the first meeting of the season between the two teams and a rematch of last year's Big South Championship contest, which was won by Asheville, 77-68. The teams are currently atop the league standings, as Winthrop is 8-3 while Asheville sits just behind at 8-5. Both teams boast a league-high four true non-conference road wins -- the Eagles' road wins include triumphs at Manhattan, Illinois and Saint Louis, while Asheville's road victories include Coastal Carolina and Elon.
Each squad features two preseason All-Conference players, led by Big South Preseason Player of the Year Keon Johnson of Winthrop. Johnson is second in the conference with 18.7 points per game, and has surpassed 20 points six times already this season -- including a career-high 38 in the win at Illinois. Teammate Xavier Cooks is averaging 16.1 points per contest to give the Eagles the only pair of Big South teammates averaging at least 15 points a game.
Asheville's Ahmad Thomas is the nation's steal leader in overall thefts (44) and third in steals per game (3.38), and also contributes 16.2 points (third in the league) and 5.7 rebounds while shooting 53.4 percent from the field. Kevin Vannatta is the remaining preseason All-Big South selection and leads the squad in assists. Freshman MaCio Teague is the second-leading freshman scorer in the conference with 14.3 points (sixth overall) and is an 85.3 percent shooter from the free throw line.
Winthrop is the Big South's leading offensive team with 78.1 points per game, while the Bulldogs' defense is forcing a league-best 18.1 turnovers per contest, and is fifth in the nation in steals (137) and sixth in steals per game (10.54).
The UNC Asheville at Winthrop game is the first of four Big South ESPNU Wildcard broadcasts this season. ESPNU also has Wildcard broadcasts scheduled for Thursday, Jan. 26 at 7 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 9 at 7 p.m. and Thursday, Feb. 23 at 9 p.m., and those selections will be determined 21 days in advance.
**Story courtesy of the Big South Conference**
Players Mentioned
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Monday, March 18
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