University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
Bulldogs Ready for Radford, ESPNU Thursday at 9 PM
02.10.2016 | Men's Basketball
THE MATCHUP
Teams: Asheville (17-8, 10-3 BSC)
Radford (13-11, 6-6 BSC)
Location: Kimmel Arena / Asheville, N.C.
Time: 9:00 p.m. - ESPNU
VIDEO (Watch ESPN) - AUDIO (Bulldog Radio Network)
ASHEVILLE, N.C. – UNC Asheville welcomes in a national television audience to Kimmel Arena Thursday night when the Bulldogs host Radford on ESPNU at 9:00 p.m. The Bulldogs are on a three game winning streak and are one game ahead of the pack atop the Big South Conference standings, while Radford has lost two straight games but beat Asheville earlier this season.
Fans are reminded to note the change in tipoff time to 9:00 p.m. for the nationally televised game on ESPNU and are encouraged to wear their Bulldog Blue as part of the Blueout of Kimmel Arena. Fans can also catch the game on their computers via WatchESPN.
NOTABLES
Winning Ways: Asheville has reached 15 wins for the ninth consecutive season - the second-longest streak in Big South history. The record is 10 straight years, set by Winthrop from 1998-2008. The Bulldogs have now won at least 15 games in 18 of their 31 years in the Big South - tied with the Eagles for the second-most 15-win seasons in conference history.
Winning Ways...Part 2: Bulldog head coach Nick McDevitt is just the fifth coach in Big South history to win at least 15 games in each of his first three seasons in the league. He joined Liberty's Jeff Meyer (1991-94), Radford's Ron Bradley (1991-94), Winthrop's Gregg Marshall (1998-01) and Birmingham-Southern's Duane Reboul (2003-06) as the only coaches to achieve this feat.
Climbing the Ladder: Nick McDevitt, in his third season as the Bulldogs' head man, is the 20th youngest coach among NCAA Division I head coaches this season (36 years, 8 months). McDevitt has 49 career victories entering Thursday's game. There have been just 11 BSC coaches to reach 50 wins in three years, including two in the past week (Tim Craft at Gardner-Webb and Richie McKay at Liberty).
Defending the Three: Asheville is holding opponents to just 28.4 percent from beyond the arc, tops in the Big South and 5th in the country. The league record for 3FG defense is 27.5 percent (Coastal Carolina in 2009-10), and the Bulldogs currently own the second-best percentage allowed in Big South history.
In the Series: Thursday's meeting will be the 68th meeting all-time between Asheville and Radford, with the Bulldogs leading 34-33 in the series. Asheville has won eight of the last 12 meetings in the series.
QUOTABLES FROM HEAD COACH NICK McDEVITT
On the game – “Anytime you get to showcase your team and the university on national television, it has to be exciting for our players but also for the university itself as well. With how close the conference standings are, all games are really big. Like I've said to our team many times in the past, in order to win conference championships you have to win your home games because winning on the road is so difficult.”
UP NEXT
-Following Thursday's game, Asheville will be off for a week before hitting the road to play at Presbyterian on Thursday, February 18.
