Gameday: Bulldogs take on Villanova at 12:40 on TruTV

THE MATCHUP

Teams: No. 15 Asheville (22-11)

No. 2 Villanova (29-5)

NCAA Tournament First Round

Location: Barclays Center / Brooklyn, N.Y.

Time: 12:40 p.m.

VIDEO (TruTV or NCAA March Madness App)

BROOKLYN, N.Y. – The practices, media availability and all that comes with the NCAA Tournament lead up is over and it's time to play the game. The No. 15-seeded UNC Asheville men's basketball team plays No. 2 seed Villanova Friday afternoon at 12:40 p.m. inside the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

The game can be seen nationally on TruTV or streamed on a computer or mobile device via the NCAA March Madness App. Fans in the Asheville area can listen to the game on the radio on the Bulldog Radio Network, WWNC 570 AM, but due to NCAA restrictions, a radio stream feed will not be available.

Fans in Asheville and across North Carolina are encouraged to view the game at one of several Watch Parties that are being hosted. In Asheville, the game will be shown on campus at the Highsmith Grotto, Pack's Tavern South Bar in downtown and Hickory Tavern in South Asheville/ Biltmore Park.

The game can be viewed with fellow Bulldog fans in the Durham/RTP area at Rookie's Sports Bar in Durham, and in Charlotte the game will be on at Dilworth Neighborhood Grill.

NOTABLES

Defensive Specialists: UNC Asheville enters the NCAA Tournament with the best three-point defense in the country, holding opponents to 28.4 percent shooting from long range. The Bulldogs enter the Dance with the fourth-most total steals (304) and the sixth-best steals per game average (9.3 per) in the country. The Bulldogs' top-15 statistical leaderboard finishes No. 14 nationally in turnovers forced per game (15.73), while Asheville led the Big South in all four of the categories.

Bulldog Lifer: Bulldog head coach Nick McDevitt is in his 19th overall season with the Asheville program, beginning as a guard from 1997-2001 before serving as an assistant coach and associate head coach prior to becoming the head coach in 2013. He 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 earlier this season in the Bulldog victory at Presbyterian.

Winning Ways: Asheville has recorded at least 15 wins in nine consecutive seasons - the second-longest streak in Big South history. The record is 10 straight years, set by Winthrop from 1998-2008. The Bulldogs have won at least 15 games in 18 of their 31 years in the Big South - tied with Winthrop for the second-most 15-win seasons in conference history.

Soaring Sutton: Bulldog freshman Dwayne Sutton has turned in a spectacular opening campaign. One of two players to start every game this season, he scored a career-high 25 points in the Big South Championship win over Winthrop, adding 18 rebounds. Sutton tallied 24 points in Asheville's regular season finale against Coastal Carolina (2/27) and scored 23 points in Asheville's comeback win at Presbyterian (2/18). Including the Big South Tournament, Sutton had had eight double-double games as a rookie and six more games two or fewer rebounds shy of double-double.

Double Trouble: Asheville is one of two Big South programs to have five players averaging double figures in points, along with Longwood (whose season is complete). The Bulldogs and Lancers are the first league members to have five players average at least 10.0 points since Charleston Southern in 2013-14.

Leader of the Pack: Bulldog sophomore guard Kevin Vannatta will be on the court a lot. Vannatta has logged 34.0 minutes played per game and 1,122 total minutes, marks that make him the Big South league leader in both categories and also tops on Asheville's roster in the two categories.

Controlling the Glass: Despite its perceived height disadvantage, Asheville is +2.3 in total rebounds this season, averaging 37.8 rebounds per game to opponents' 35.5. Asheville won the team rebounding battle in 21 of its 33 games this season and holds a 19-2 record in the 21 games it out rebounded the opponent.

NCAA Experience: While no current player on the UNC Asheville roster has any NCAA Tournament experience, three members of the Bulldog coaching staff do.

-Nick McDevitt has been on the bench as an assistant to Biedenbach for the 2003, 2011 and 2012 NCAA Tournament games, with 2016 marking his first NCAA Tournament head coaching action.

-Associate Head Coach Brett Carey, former teammate of McDevitt with the Bulldogs, was an assistant for the 2011 and 2012 NCAA Tournament games.

-Director of Basketball Operations Madison Davis was a member of the 2011 and 2012 teams that played three total games in the NCAA Tournament.