University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
Photo by: UNC Asheville
Bulldogs Host Radford Saturday in Noon Game That Will be Featured on ASN
01.27.2017 | Men's Basketball
UNC Asheville-Radford Game Notes
THE MATCHUP
Teams: UNC Asheville (15-7, 7-2 Big South Conference)
Radford (9-12, 4-5 Big South Conference)
Location: Asheville, N.C. / Kimmel Arena
When: Saturday, Jan. 28, 2017 / 12 p.m.
TV: American Sports Network -
Carried on WMYA-TV, My40 in Asheville (Affiliates)
Talent: Mike Hogewood (PxP), Jeff Jackson (Analyst)
Radio: NEWS RADIO 570 WWNC
Talent: Brian Hall
Live Stats: uncabulldogs.com
Twitter: @ashevilledogs #ThePursuit
BULLDOG BITES
BUSY SATURDAY: UNC Asheville welcomes Radford to Kimmel Arena for a men's and women's basketball doubleheader on Saturday, Jan. 28. The UNC Asheville men's basketball team will first face off against the Radford men's basketball team at 12 p.m. in a game that will be televised by the American Sports Network (affiliates, including WMYA in Asheville) before the Asheville women take on the Radford women at 2 p.m. Both the UNC Asheville men's and women's basketball coaches along with the coaches of the Radford Highlanders will wear sneakers with their suits this weekend in support of Coaches vs. Cancer's Suits and Sneakers week and in support of Princess Lacey's Laces and the fight against childhood cancer. The Greenside Up Foundation will be hosting a silent auction on the concourse to benefit the Mission Health Cancer Center in the fight against childhood cancer. UNC Asheville is also proud to welcome residents of Haywood County, home of UNC Asheville women's basketball Coach, Brenda Mock Kirkpatrick, with a discount off tickets to cheer on the Bulldogs. The discount can be redeemed online with a Haywood County address and the promo code Haywood. Fans can also show their ID at the ticket window to receive the discount. Tickets are good for both the men's and women's game. In addition, the UNC Asheville women's basketball team is proud to welcome back their alumni this weekend and they will be honoring the 10-year anniversary of the 2007 Big South Conference Championship team. Finally, UNC Asheville athletics and Moe's Southwest Grill will reward UNC Asheville students who sit in the Moe's Student section near the Bulldog bench and wear a UNC Asheville t-shirt with burritos and chips from Moe's while supplies last.
ELITE GROUP: With the win over Presbyterian, UNC Asheville head coach Nick McDevitt became just the third coach in Big South history to win at least 15 games in his first four seasons in the league. McDevitt joins Radford's Ron Bradley and Winthrop's Gregg Marshall in the elite grouping.
SHARING THE WEALTH: In the win over Presbyterian, Asheville had 12 players see action with 10 different Bulldogs scoring. In addition, out of Asheville's 27 made field goals in the contest there were 19 assists with eight different Bulldogs collecting an assist.
PERFECT: The Bulldogs were a perfect 7-of-7 as a team from the free throw line in the win over Presbyterian.
MCDEVITT THE SANDWICH ARTIST FOR A GREAT CAUSE: UNC Asheville head coach Nick McDevitt is one of the Western North Carolina head men's basketball coaches teaming up with local SUBWAY® restaurants to launch a special Coaches vs. Cancer fundraising campaign that runs through February. The coaches will join local cancer survivors to become SUBWAY® Sandwich Artists in an effort to raise awareness and support for the fight against cancer. Donations in any amount can be made at the checkout of participating SUBWAY® restaurants from Jan. 15 through Feb. 28 with 100 percent of the proceeds going to the local Coaches vs. Cancer. For more information on Coaches vs. Cancer, visit www.cancer.org. McDevitt will be featured as a Subway Sandwich Artist from 12-1 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2017 (740 Merrimon Ave., Merrimon Square, Asheville, NC 28804).
ABOUT RADFORD: The Highlanders are currently 9-12 (4-5 Big South Conference). Radford has been led this season by guard Justin Cousin (11.2 points per game) and forward Ed Polite, Jr. (10.6 points and 10.1 rebounds per game).
SERIES: With the 80-77 overtime win over the Bulldogs earlier this season, Radford now holds a slight 35-34 all-time series advantage over Asheville.
FIRST MEETING OF THE YEAR (12/29/16): For the first time in quite some time the UNC Asheville men's basketball team dropped its Big South Conference opener with Radford holding off the Bulldogs for an 80-77 overtime win at the Dedmon Center. Five different Bulldogs ended their efforts in double figures with Ahmad Thomas, MaCio Teague and David Robertson tying for team-high honors with 14 points each. Robertson added five assists and Teague had five rebounds. Thomas ended his day with a double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds, which included five offensive boards. Alec Wnuk posted 11 points in the game, while Kevin Vannatta had 11 points, six rebounds, two assists and two steals. Radford's Caleb Tanner led all in the contest with 24 points. Radford shot 49.2 percent (29-for-59) from the field as a team, while the Bulldogs ended the game shooting 46.5 percent (33-of-71) as a team.
ESPNU TO TELEVISE UNC ASHEVILLE-WINTHROP ON FEB. 9 AT KIMMEL ARENA: ESPNU has selected the Winthrop at UNC Asheville men's basketball contest scheduled for Thursday, Feb. 9 as its Big South Wildcard Selection broadcast. Game time will be 7 p.m. inside Kimmel Arena in Asheville, N.C. Robert Lee (play-by-play) and Nate Ross (analyst) will handle the call from courtside. "We're looking forward to showcasing our program and our University to a national television audience," UNC Asheville head men's basketball coach Nick McDevitt said. "The Asheville-Winthrop series is one of the best rivalries in college basketball. Our game in Rock Hill was a close and exciting contest and I'm sure the game here on Feb. 9 will be very similar."
HOME SWEET HOME: The Bulldogs are 8-1 on the year at home. The Asheville men protected home court very efficiently last season as well, going 11-3 at home. UNC Asheville is 63-16 at Kimmel Arena all-time. Asheville is 43-10 all-time in Big South Conference contests played at Kimmel Arena.
AMONG THE BEST: Ahmad Thomas is currently tied for fifth in the country in total steals with 64. He is seventh in the country in steals per game with 2.91 steals per outing. Thomas is just six steals away from becoming the first Big South player with back-to-back 70-steal campaigns since VMI's Chavis Holmes (2006-08). Currently second in the league in steals, Thomas is trying to become the first player to lead the league in steals in consecutive years since Radford's Javonte Green (2013-15).
FANTASTIC FRESHMAN START: UNC Asheville freshman guard MaCio Teague is currently in the top-10 in the Big South Conference in scoring (sixth, 15.4 points per game), field goal percentage (fifth, .473), assists (ninth, 2.64 per game) and free throw percentage (second, .857). With 338 points already this season he is just 62 points away from 400 in his freshman year, which would allow him to join a group of 25 in league history that posted 400 or more points in their freshmen campaigns.
NEARING 1,000: Junior guards Ahmad Thomas and Kevin Vannatta are both nearing 1,000 points. Currently, Thomas has 877 career points, while Vannatta has scored 794 in his Bulldog career. Asheville senior guard David Robertson is also closing in on 1,000 points in his career as he currently has 817 points in his four-year career.
STREAKING: UNC Asheville has put together two five-game winning streaks over the course of the 2016-17 season.
IT'S A STEAL: The UNC Asheville men's basketball team boasts one of the top defenses in the entire country with the Bulldogs fifth in the country in total steals (207). The Bulldogs are also eighth in the country in steals per game (9.41).
BIG SOUTH UNVEILS NEW BRAND IDENTITY (Per the Big South Conference): "The Big South Conference introduced its new brand identity on Saturday, Jan. 14, that epitomizes the league's strong commitment to its student-athletes and re-establishes the Conference's vitality, personality and longstanding success in NCAA Division I collegiate athletics under a new mantra – 'Where Winners Are Made.'" Full Release: Visit BigSouthSports.com.
UP NEXT: UNC Asheville opens the month of February by welcoming Charleston Southern to Kimmel Arena for a 7 p.m. contest on Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2017.
QUOTABLES
"It's a noon tipoff on Saturday, so you're talking about 36 hours from the time we got back from Presbyterian to tipping it off against a really good opponent in Radford. It will be a very different game (from Presbyterian). That's the other part in that not only is it a quick turnaround, but the way Presbyterian plays they're going to zone you a lot and Radford is going to press us a lot and play man-to-man defense. Two very different games." - Head Coach Nick McDevitt
THE MATCHUP
Teams: UNC Asheville (15-7, 7-2 Big South Conference)
Radford (9-12, 4-5 Big South Conference)
Location: Asheville, N.C. / Kimmel Arena
When: Saturday, Jan. 28, 2017 / 12 p.m.
TV: American Sports Network -
Carried on WMYA-TV, My40 in Asheville (Affiliates)
Talent: Mike Hogewood (PxP), Jeff Jackson (Analyst)
Radio: NEWS RADIO 570 WWNC
Talent: Brian Hall
Live Stats: uncabulldogs.com
Twitter: @ashevilledogs #ThePursuit
BULLDOG BITES
BUSY SATURDAY: UNC Asheville welcomes Radford to Kimmel Arena for a men's and women's basketball doubleheader on Saturday, Jan. 28. The UNC Asheville men's basketball team will first face off against the Radford men's basketball team at 12 p.m. in a game that will be televised by the American Sports Network (affiliates, including WMYA in Asheville) before the Asheville women take on the Radford women at 2 p.m. Both the UNC Asheville men's and women's basketball coaches along with the coaches of the Radford Highlanders will wear sneakers with their suits this weekend in support of Coaches vs. Cancer's Suits and Sneakers week and in support of Princess Lacey's Laces and the fight against childhood cancer. The Greenside Up Foundation will be hosting a silent auction on the concourse to benefit the Mission Health Cancer Center in the fight against childhood cancer. UNC Asheville is also proud to welcome residents of Haywood County, home of UNC Asheville women's basketball Coach, Brenda Mock Kirkpatrick, with a discount off tickets to cheer on the Bulldogs. The discount can be redeemed online with a Haywood County address and the promo code Haywood. Fans can also show their ID at the ticket window to receive the discount. Tickets are good for both the men's and women's game. In addition, the UNC Asheville women's basketball team is proud to welcome back their alumni this weekend and they will be honoring the 10-year anniversary of the 2007 Big South Conference Championship team. Finally, UNC Asheville athletics and Moe's Southwest Grill will reward UNC Asheville students who sit in the Moe's Student section near the Bulldog bench and wear a UNC Asheville t-shirt with burritos and chips from Moe's while supplies last.
ELITE GROUP: With the win over Presbyterian, UNC Asheville head coach Nick McDevitt became just the third coach in Big South history to win at least 15 games in his first four seasons in the league. McDevitt joins Radford's Ron Bradley and Winthrop's Gregg Marshall in the elite grouping.
SHARING THE WEALTH: In the win over Presbyterian, Asheville had 12 players see action with 10 different Bulldogs scoring. In addition, out of Asheville's 27 made field goals in the contest there were 19 assists with eight different Bulldogs collecting an assist.
PERFECT: The Bulldogs were a perfect 7-of-7 as a team from the free throw line in the win over Presbyterian.
MCDEVITT THE SANDWICH ARTIST FOR A GREAT CAUSE: UNC Asheville head coach Nick McDevitt is one of the Western North Carolina head men's basketball coaches teaming up with local SUBWAY® restaurants to launch a special Coaches vs. Cancer fundraising campaign that runs through February. The coaches will join local cancer survivors to become SUBWAY® Sandwich Artists in an effort to raise awareness and support for the fight against cancer. Donations in any amount can be made at the checkout of participating SUBWAY® restaurants from Jan. 15 through Feb. 28 with 100 percent of the proceeds going to the local Coaches vs. Cancer. For more information on Coaches vs. Cancer, visit www.cancer.org. McDevitt will be featured as a Subway Sandwich Artist from 12-1 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2017 (740 Merrimon Ave., Merrimon Square, Asheville, NC 28804).
ABOUT RADFORD: The Highlanders are currently 9-12 (4-5 Big South Conference). Radford has been led this season by guard Justin Cousin (11.2 points per game) and forward Ed Polite, Jr. (10.6 points and 10.1 rebounds per game).
SERIES: With the 80-77 overtime win over the Bulldogs earlier this season, Radford now holds a slight 35-34 all-time series advantage over Asheville.
FIRST MEETING OF THE YEAR (12/29/16): For the first time in quite some time the UNC Asheville men's basketball team dropped its Big South Conference opener with Radford holding off the Bulldogs for an 80-77 overtime win at the Dedmon Center. Five different Bulldogs ended their efforts in double figures with Ahmad Thomas, MaCio Teague and David Robertson tying for team-high honors with 14 points each. Robertson added five assists and Teague had five rebounds. Thomas ended his day with a double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds, which included five offensive boards. Alec Wnuk posted 11 points in the game, while Kevin Vannatta had 11 points, six rebounds, two assists and two steals. Radford's Caleb Tanner led all in the contest with 24 points. Radford shot 49.2 percent (29-for-59) from the field as a team, while the Bulldogs ended the game shooting 46.5 percent (33-of-71) as a team.
ESPNU TO TELEVISE UNC ASHEVILLE-WINTHROP ON FEB. 9 AT KIMMEL ARENA: ESPNU has selected the Winthrop at UNC Asheville men's basketball contest scheduled for Thursday, Feb. 9 as its Big South Wildcard Selection broadcast. Game time will be 7 p.m. inside Kimmel Arena in Asheville, N.C. Robert Lee (play-by-play) and Nate Ross (analyst) will handle the call from courtside. "We're looking forward to showcasing our program and our University to a national television audience," UNC Asheville head men's basketball coach Nick McDevitt said. "The Asheville-Winthrop series is one of the best rivalries in college basketball. Our game in Rock Hill was a close and exciting contest and I'm sure the game here on Feb. 9 will be very similar."
HOME SWEET HOME: The Bulldogs are 8-1 on the year at home. The Asheville men protected home court very efficiently last season as well, going 11-3 at home. UNC Asheville is 63-16 at Kimmel Arena all-time. Asheville is 43-10 all-time in Big South Conference contests played at Kimmel Arena.
AMONG THE BEST: Ahmad Thomas is currently tied for fifth in the country in total steals with 64. He is seventh in the country in steals per game with 2.91 steals per outing. Thomas is just six steals away from becoming the first Big South player with back-to-back 70-steal campaigns since VMI's Chavis Holmes (2006-08). Currently second in the league in steals, Thomas is trying to become the first player to lead the league in steals in consecutive years since Radford's Javonte Green (2013-15).
FANTASTIC FRESHMAN START: UNC Asheville freshman guard MaCio Teague is currently in the top-10 in the Big South Conference in scoring (sixth, 15.4 points per game), field goal percentage (fifth, .473), assists (ninth, 2.64 per game) and free throw percentage (second, .857). With 338 points already this season he is just 62 points away from 400 in his freshman year, which would allow him to join a group of 25 in league history that posted 400 or more points in their freshmen campaigns.
NEARING 1,000: Junior guards Ahmad Thomas and Kevin Vannatta are both nearing 1,000 points. Currently, Thomas has 877 career points, while Vannatta has scored 794 in his Bulldog career. Asheville senior guard David Robertson is also closing in on 1,000 points in his career as he currently has 817 points in his four-year career.
STREAKING: UNC Asheville has put together two five-game winning streaks over the course of the 2016-17 season.
IT'S A STEAL: The UNC Asheville men's basketball team boasts one of the top defenses in the entire country with the Bulldogs fifth in the country in total steals (207). The Bulldogs are also eighth in the country in steals per game (9.41).
BIG SOUTH UNVEILS NEW BRAND IDENTITY (Per the Big South Conference): "The Big South Conference introduced its new brand identity on Saturday, Jan. 14, that epitomizes the league's strong commitment to its student-athletes and re-establishes the Conference's vitality, personality and longstanding success in NCAA Division I collegiate athletics under a new mantra – 'Where Winners Are Made.'" Full Release: Visit BigSouthSports.com.
UP NEXT: UNC Asheville opens the month of February by welcoming Charleston Southern to Kimmel Arena for a 7 p.m. contest on Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2017.
QUOTABLES
"It's a noon tipoff on Saturday, so you're talking about 36 hours from the time we got back from Presbyterian to tipping it off against a really good opponent in Radford. It will be a very different game (from Presbyterian). That's the other part in that not only is it a quick turnaround, but the way Presbyterian plays they're going to zone you a lot and Radford is going to press us a lot and play man-to-man defense. Two very different games." - Head Coach Nick McDevitt
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