University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
Critical Thursday Contest Awaits Bulldogs
02.24.2016 | Men's Basketball
THE MATCHUP
Teams: Asheville (18-10, 11-5 BSC)
Liberty (12-17, 9-7 BSC)
Location: Kimmel Arena / Asheville, N.C.
Time: 7:00 p.m.
VIDEO (Big South Network) - AUDIO (Bulldog Radio Network)
ASHEVILLE, N.C. – UNC Asheville looks to close the regular season strong beginning Thursday night when the Bulldogs welcome Liberty to town in a key Big South Conference matchup. An Asheville win Thursday would give the Bulldogs a first-round bye in next week's Big South Championships, played at Campbell.
The Bulldogs are coming off of a one-point loss at Winthrop last Saturday, giving the Eagles a one game lead over Asheville and High Point in the Big South standings entering Thursday's games. Liberty sits in the middle of a two-game losing streak but had previously won seven straight games before this recent setback.
NOTABLES
Continued Success: For the third consecutive year, at least five teams have won 10 Big South games in the same season. UNC Asheville was the first team with 10 conference wins -- the Bulldogs' record-tying ninth consecutive campaign with double-digit Big South victories. High Point, Gardner-Webb, Winthrop and Coastal Carolina have now also won 10 or more conference games this season.
Consistency at the Top: Bulldog head coach Nick McDevitt became just the fifth coach in Big South history to win at least 15 games in his first three seasons as the head man. McDevitt, the 20th youngest coach in Division I men's basketball this season, became the 12th head coach in Big South history to win 50 games in three years with the Asheville victory at Presbyterian last week.
Scoring Smith: Freshman Dylan Smith is on the verge of joining a list of 22 Big South freshman to score 400+ points in their first season. Smith enters Thursday night with 381 points this year and is averaging 13.6 points per game, a number that has risen to 14.5 points per game in Big South league play.
Tough Luck: Following the loss at Winthrop on Saturday, the Bulldogs have now lost five conference games by a total of 13 points, including two of the last three games by one point each (Radford on Feb. 11 and Saturday).
In the Series: Thursday's meeting will be the 56th meeting all-time between Asheville and Liberty, with the Bulldogs leading 35-20 in the series. The Bulldogs have won the last eight meetings, including in Lynchburg back on January 2. Asheville has won 8 of the last 10 meetings and 15 of the last 20 overall. The series dates back to the 1991-92 campaign, and in the regular season the Bulldogs are 18-5 in games played in Asheville.
UP NEXT
-Following Thursday's game, the Bulldogs close the regular season Saturday afternoon at 4:30 p.m. against Coastal Carolina on Homecoming in Asheville. The men's game will be the second game of a doubleheader with the Bulldog women hosting Campbell at 2:00 p.m.
