University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
Photo by: Adrian Etheridge
UNC Asheville to Battle Austin Peay on Sunday
11.18.2017 | Men's Basketball
Game Notes
2017-18 UNC Asheville Men's Basketball Media Guide
The Matchup
Teams: UNC Asheville (1-2)
Austin Peay (1-2)
Location: Clarksville, Tenn./Dunn Center
Date/Time: Sunday, Nov. 19/3 p.m. EST
Video: OVC Digital Network
Live Stats: uncabulldogs.com
Twitter: @ashevilledogs #ThePursuit
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. - UNC Asheville men's basketball will continue its efforts in the 2017 NIT Season Tip-Off by staying in the mid-state area of Tennessee to take on Austin Peay in Clarksville, Tenn. at 3 p.m. EST on Sunday, Nov. 19.
BULLDOG BITES
CAREER DAY: In collecting his career-best 19 points in the narrow loss to Vanderbilt, Alec Wnuk also made a career-best seven field goals and tied his career-high for three-pointers made with two. He was 7-of-11 overall and 2-of-3 from beyond the arc.
STRONG ON THE GLASS: The Bulldogs out-rebounded one of the top teams in the SEC in Vanderbilt, 36-32. The Bulldogs held a 12-7 advantage in offensive rebounds. Ahmad Thomas and MaCio Teague each had three offensive boards in the game.
SERIES: UNC Asheville will take on Austin Peay for the second time ever and the first time in its NCAA Division I era. The last time that the Bulldogs were in Clarksville, Tenn. was in the 1978-79 season with the Governors picking up a 79-71 win.
ABOUT AUSTIN PEAY: The Governors are in their first year under head coach Matt Figger. Austin Peay is coming off its first win of the season in a 109-50 win over Oakland City at home. Austin Peay was picked 11th in the 2017-18 OVC preseason poll.
HOME SWEET HOME: UNC Asheville ended the 2016-17 season in the midst of a nine-game home winning streak. The Bulldogs closed out the regular season 13-1 on the year at home. UNC Asheville's home-opening win over Lees-McRae was its 10th straight home win. UNC Asheville is now 69-16 all-time at Kimmel Arena, including 48-10 in Big South Conference contests.
STRONG DEFENSIVELY: Lees-McRae came into the matchup with UNC Asheville averaging 99 points per game, which means the Bulldogs held them to 39 points under their season average. The Bulldogs closed out the win with 15 steals as a team with MaCio Teague and newcomer LJ Thorpe leading the way with four steals each.
BULLDOGS PICKED TO WIN BIG SOUTH: The UNC Asheville men's basketball team was picked to win the Big South Conference at the annual league Media Day on Tuesday, Oct. 24, at the Renaissance Suites Hotel. UNC Asheville's choice as preseason No. 1 marks the first time since the 2011-12 preseason poll that the Bulldogs have been tabbed to finish first. The Bulldogs have now been picked five times (1989-90, 1997-98, 2002-03, 2011-12 and 2017-18) to win the league in the official preseason poll.
CLOSING IN ON 1,000: UNC Asheville senior guard Kevin Vannatta is nearing becoming the latest 1,000-point scorer for the Bulldogs. After his 11 points against Vanderbilt, Vannatta now has 949 career points.
1,000 POINTS, 500 REBOUNDS, NEARING 200 STEALS: Ahmad Thomas now has 1,130 points and 535 rebounds in his career. The 56th player in Big South Conference history to score over 1,000 points and collect over 500 rebounds, Thomas after his four steals against Vanderbilt with 194 steals overall in his career is nearing becoming just the sixth player in league history with 1,000 points, 500 rebounds and 200 steals. Thomas' 99 steals last year for the Bulldogs is a program record.
BULLDOGS RANKED 24th IN PRESEASON MID-MAJOR POLL: The UNC Asheville men's basketball team is currently 28th in the poll, but the Bulldogs started the 2017-18 season in the same place that they ended the season last year in the CollegeInsider.com Men's Basketball Mid-Major Top-25 at No. 24. The CollegeInsider.com Preseason Men's Basketball Mid-Major Top-25 poll was released the evening of Monday, Oct. 30, 2017. UNC Asheville was the only Big South Conference team ranked in the preseason top-25. The Bulldogs were ranked in the CollegeInsider.com Men's Basketball Mid-Major Top-25 for five straight polls to close out the 2016-17 season. UNC Asheville originally entered the poll at No. 24 on Feb. 13, 2017. Asheville was ranked as high as 19th last season before ending the year at No. 24.
NATIONAL COACH OF THE YEAR PREDICTION: There is the rest of the 2017-18 season ahead, but ESPN's Jeff Goodman believes that by the end of the season it will be UNC Asheville's Nick McDevitt that will be the National Coach of the Year. Goodman made the prediction in the official ESPN staff predictions that were released on Tuesday, Nov. 7.
TEAGUE AND THOMAS TABBED TO LOU HENSON AWARD PRESEASON WATCH LIST: UNC Asheville men's basketball standouts MaCio Teague and Ahmad Thomas were both tabbed to the Lou Henson Award Preseason Watch List on Wednesday, Nov. 8, 2017. The Lou Henson Award is presented annually to the nation's top Division I Mid-Major player.
TEAGUE NAMED TO LUTE OLSON AWARD PRESEASON WATCH LIST: UNC Asheville sophomore guard MaCio Teague was selected to the 2017-18 Lute Olson National Player of the Year Award Preseason Watch List. The Lute Olson Award is presented annually to the nation's top Division I player who has played at least two seasons.
THOMAS TABBED PRESEASON ALL MID-MAJOR: UNC Asheville men's basketball senior guard Ahmad Thomas was chosen preseason All-Mid Major by College Sports Madness. The Bulldog guard was tabbed as a third-team preseason All-Mid Major selection.
WNUK NOTED AS ONE OF THE MORE UNDERRATED PLAYERS IN COLLEGE BASKETBALL: UNC Asheville senior forward Alec Wnuk was listed by College Court Report as one of the more underrated players in all of college basketball. Using the hashtag #Underrated351, College Court Report has been picking one player from each team in college basketball that they feel is underrated and will be a big part of the success of their team in the upcoming year. College Court Report notes, "key cog for the team this season. He'll get his due."
TEAGUE NAMED ONE OF TOP-25 SOPHOMORES IN COLLEGE BASKETBALL BY ESPN: UNC Asheville sophomore guard MaCio Teague was ranked among the top 25 sophomores in all of men's college basketball by ESPN. Teague is listed at No. 25 in ESPN's draft rankings entering the 2017-18 season.
BANNER YEAR WITH BIG SOUTH REGULAR-SEASON TITLE NO. 6: UNC Asheville men's basketball had another banner year last year as the Bulldogs picked up their sixth Big South Conference regular-season title in the 2016-17 season (1996-97, 1997-98, 2001-02, 2007-08, 2011-12 and 2016-17). Asheville head coach Nick McDevitt has been a part of five of the six Big South Conference regular-season crowns either as a player, assistant coach or head coach (1997-98, 2001-02, 2007-08, 2011-12 and 2016-17).
ONE OF THE TOP RETURNING DUOS IN THE COUNTRY: UNC Asheville sophomore guard MaCio Teague and senior guard Ahmad Thomas give the Bulldogs one of the top returning scoring duos in college basketball (see below).
NCAA Division I Top Returning Scoring Duos - 2016-17 Statistics
(Points Per Game)
1. 39.1 Jaylen Adams (20.6) and Matt Mobley (18.5), St. Bonaventure
2. 37.9 Jonathan Stark (21.9) and Terrell Miller (16.0), Murray State
3. 37.6 Tiwian Kendley (21.0) and Phillip Carr (16.6), Morgan State
4. 36.8 Mike Daum (25.1) and Reed Tellinghuisen (11.7), South Dakota State
5. 36.7 Ike Smith (19.6) and Tookie Brown (17.1), Georgia Southern
6. 36.2 Chris Clemons (25.1) and Shane Whitfield (11.1), Campbell
7. 35.8 Tyler Hall (23.1) and Harald Frey (12.7), Montana State
8. 34.5 Cameron Morse (22.9) and Francisco Santiago (11.6), Youngstown State
9. 33.4 Ahmad Thomas (18.0) and MaCio Teague (15.4), UNC Asheville
10. 33.3 Shamorie Ponds (17.4) and Marcus LoVett (15.9), St. John's
11. 32.9 Trevon Bluiett (18.5) and J.P. Macura (14.4), Xavier
12. 32.8 Khadeen Carrington (17.1) and Desi Rodriguez (15.7), Seton Hall
13. 32.5 Matt Scott (17.0) and Kahlil Dukes (15.5), Niagara
14. 32.0 Joe Chealey (17.8) and Jarrell Brantley (14.2), College of Charleston
15. 31.4 Deandre Burnett (16.5) and Terence Davis (14.9), Ole Miss
BULLDOGS EARN NABC TEAM ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE AWARD: The UNC Asheville men's basketball team was noted for its performance in the classroom during the 2016-17 athletic year by earning the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Team Academic Excellence Award. The fifth annual Team Academic Excellence Awards, created by the NABC Committee on Academics, recognize outstanding academic achievement by teams with cumulative grade-point averages (GPA) of 3.0 or better for the 2016-17 season. In order to earn a NABC Team Academic Excellence Award, institutions in the NCAA, NAIA and NJCAA must count the grade-point averages of all men's basketball student-athletes who competed during the 2016-17 season. The UNC Asheville men's basketball team finished the 2016-17 athletic year with a cumulative team grade-point average of 3.094. "This honor means a great deal to our program," UNC Asheville men's basketball head coach Nick McDevitt said. "Our program truly takes a great deal of pride in taking care of things in the classroom, and this honor further emphasizes that our student-athletes care about winning on and off the court."
POSTSEASON PLAY: Last year's appearance in the CIT marked UNC Asheville's sixth appearance in a postseason tournament. The Bulldogs have advanced to the NCAA Tournament four times before (2003, 2011, 2012 and 2016) and the NIT (2008) once.
TREMENDOUS FRESHMAN: The 2016-17 Big South Conference Freshman of the Year last year, MaCio Teague ended his first year in a Bulldog uniform with 509 points to become just one of seven players in league history to record 500 or more points during their freshman season.
IMPRESSIVE FREE THROW STREAK COMES TO A CLOSE: MaCio Teague connected on his first three free throws in the Gardner-Webb game on Feb. 23, 2017, to extend his made free throw streak to 29. When he missed his fourth attempt on the night it snapped the impressive streak.
WIN NO. 75: UNC Asheville men's basketball head coach Nick McDevitt picked up his 75th win in charge of the Asheville men's basketball program in the Bulldog win over Presbyterian on Feb. 15, 2017.
FASTEST TO 20: UNC Asheville's win over Longwood on Feb. 11, 2017, allowed last year's Bulldog men's basketball team to reach 20 wins in the fewest number of games (27) in the Bulldogs' time in the Big South Conference.
SPECIAL LEAGUE STREAK CONTINUES: With the UNC Asheville win over High Point on Feb. 9, 2017, UNC Asheville assured itself of at least 10 wins in Big South Conference play for the 10th straight year, which is a new league record.
ELITE GROUP: With the win over Presbyterian on Thursday, Jan. 26, 2017, 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 joined Radford's Ron Bradley and Winthrop's Gregg Marshall in the elite grouping. Gardner-Webb's Tim Craft became the fourth and joined McDevitt in the elite group later in the 2016-17 regular season.
2017-18 UNC Asheville Men's Basketball Media Guide
The Matchup
Teams: UNC Asheville (1-2)
Austin Peay (1-2)
Location: Clarksville, Tenn./Dunn Center
Date/Time: Sunday, Nov. 19/3 p.m. EST
Video: OVC Digital Network
Live Stats: uncabulldogs.com
Twitter: @ashevilledogs #ThePursuit
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. - UNC Asheville men's basketball will continue its efforts in the 2017 NIT Season Tip-Off by staying in the mid-state area of Tennessee to take on Austin Peay in Clarksville, Tenn. at 3 p.m. EST on Sunday, Nov. 19.
BULLDOG BITES
CAREER DAY: In collecting his career-best 19 points in the narrow loss to Vanderbilt, Alec Wnuk also made a career-best seven field goals and tied his career-high for three-pointers made with two. He was 7-of-11 overall and 2-of-3 from beyond the arc.
STRONG ON THE GLASS: The Bulldogs out-rebounded one of the top teams in the SEC in Vanderbilt, 36-32. The Bulldogs held a 12-7 advantage in offensive rebounds. Ahmad Thomas and MaCio Teague each had three offensive boards in the game.
SERIES: UNC Asheville will take on Austin Peay for the second time ever and the first time in its NCAA Division I era. The last time that the Bulldogs were in Clarksville, Tenn. was in the 1978-79 season with the Governors picking up a 79-71 win.
ABOUT AUSTIN PEAY: The Governors are in their first year under head coach Matt Figger. Austin Peay is coming off its first win of the season in a 109-50 win over Oakland City at home. Austin Peay was picked 11th in the 2017-18 OVC preseason poll.
HOME SWEET HOME: UNC Asheville ended the 2016-17 season in the midst of a nine-game home winning streak. The Bulldogs closed out the regular season 13-1 on the year at home. UNC Asheville's home-opening win over Lees-McRae was its 10th straight home win. UNC Asheville is now 69-16 all-time at Kimmel Arena, including 48-10 in Big South Conference contests.
STRONG DEFENSIVELY: Lees-McRae came into the matchup with UNC Asheville averaging 99 points per game, which means the Bulldogs held them to 39 points under their season average. The Bulldogs closed out the win with 15 steals as a team with MaCio Teague and newcomer LJ Thorpe leading the way with four steals each.
BULLDOGS PICKED TO WIN BIG SOUTH: The UNC Asheville men's basketball team was picked to win the Big South Conference at the annual league Media Day on Tuesday, Oct. 24, at the Renaissance Suites Hotel. UNC Asheville's choice as preseason No. 1 marks the first time since the 2011-12 preseason poll that the Bulldogs have been tabbed to finish first. The Bulldogs have now been picked five times (1989-90, 1997-98, 2002-03, 2011-12 and 2017-18) to win the league in the official preseason poll.
CLOSING IN ON 1,000: UNC Asheville senior guard Kevin Vannatta is nearing becoming the latest 1,000-point scorer for the Bulldogs. After his 11 points against Vanderbilt, Vannatta now has 949 career points.
1,000 POINTS, 500 REBOUNDS, NEARING 200 STEALS: Ahmad Thomas now has 1,130 points and 535 rebounds in his career. The 56th player in Big South Conference history to score over 1,000 points and collect over 500 rebounds, Thomas after his four steals against Vanderbilt with 194 steals overall in his career is nearing becoming just the sixth player in league history with 1,000 points, 500 rebounds and 200 steals. Thomas' 99 steals last year for the Bulldogs is a program record.
BULLDOGS RANKED 24th IN PRESEASON MID-MAJOR POLL: The UNC Asheville men's basketball team is currently 28th in the poll, but the Bulldogs started the 2017-18 season in the same place that they ended the season last year in the CollegeInsider.com Men's Basketball Mid-Major Top-25 at No. 24. The CollegeInsider.com Preseason Men's Basketball Mid-Major Top-25 poll was released the evening of Monday, Oct. 30, 2017. UNC Asheville was the only Big South Conference team ranked in the preseason top-25. The Bulldogs were ranked in the CollegeInsider.com Men's Basketball Mid-Major Top-25 for five straight polls to close out the 2016-17 season. UNC Asheville originally entered the poll at No. 24 on Feb. 13, 2017. Asheville was ranked as high as 19th last season before ending the year at No. 24.
NATIONAL COACH OF THE YEAR PREDICTION: There is the rest of the 2017-18 season ahead, but ESPN's Jeff Goodman believes that by the end of the season it will be UNC Asheville's Nick McDevitt that will be the National Coach of the Year. Goodman made the prediction in the official ESPN staff predictions that were released on Tuesday, Nov. 7.
TEAGUE AND THOMAS TABBED TO LOU HENSON AWARD PRESEASON WATCH LIST: UNC Asheville men's basketball standouts MaCio Teague and Ahmad Thomas were both tabbed to the Lou Henson Award Preseason Watch List on Wednesday, Nov. 8, 2017. The Lou Henson Award is presented annually to the nation's top Division I Mid-Major player.
TEAGUE NAMED TO LUTE OLSON AWARD PRESEASON WATCH LIST: UNC Asheville sophomore guard MaCio Teague was selected to the 2017-18 Lute Olson National Player of the Year Award Preseason Watch List. The Lute Olson Award is presented annually to the nation's top Division I player who has played at least two seasons.
THOMAS TABBED PRESEASON ALL MID-MAJOR: UNC Asheville men's basketball senior guard Ahmad Thomas was chosen preseason All-Mid Major by College Sports Madness. The Bulldog guard was tabbed as a third-team preseason All-Mid Major selection.
WNUK NOTED AS ONE OF THE MORE UNDERRATED PLAYERS IN COLLEGE BASKETBALL: UNC Asheville senior forward Alec Wnuk was listed by College Court Report as one of the more underrated players in all of college basketball. Using the hashtag #Underrated351, College Court Report has been picking one player from each team in college basketball that they feel is underrated and will be a big part of the success of their team in the upcoming year. College Court Report notes, "key cog for the team this season. He'll get his due."
TEAGUE NAMED ONE OF TOP-25 SOPHOMORES IN COLLEGE BASKETBALL BY ESPN: UNC Asheville sophomore guard MaCio Teague was ranked among the top 25 sophomores in all of men's college basketball by ESPN. Teague is listed at No. 25 in ESPN's draft rankings entering the 2017-18 season.
BANNER YEAR WITH BIG SOUTH REGULAR-SEASON TITLE NO. 6: UNC Asheville men's basketball had another banner year last year as the Bulldogs picked up their sixth Big South Conference regular-season title in the 2016-17 season (1996-97, 1997-98, 2001-02, 2007-08, 2011-12 and 2016-17). Asheville head coach Nick McDevitt has been a part of five of the six Big South Conference regular-season crowns either as a player, assistant coach or head coach (1997-98, 2001-02, 2007-08, 2011-12 and 2016-17).
ONE OF THE TOP RETURNING DUOS IN THE COUNTRY: UNC Asheville sophomore guard MaCio Teague and senior guard Ahmad Thomas give the Bulldogs one of the top returning scoring duos in college basketball (see below).
NCAA Division I Top Returning Scoring Duos - 2016-17 Statistics
(Points Per Game)
1. 39.1 Jaylen Adams (20.6) and Matt Mobley (18.5), St. Bonaventure
2. 37.9 Jonathan Stark (21.9) and Terrell Miller (16.0), Murray State
3. 37.6 Tiwian Kendley (21.0) and Phillip Carr (16.6), Morgan State
4. 36.8 Mike Daum (25.1) and Reed Tellinghuisen (11.7), South Dakota State
5. 36.7 Ike Smith (19.6) and Tookie Brown (17.1), Georgia Southern
6. 36.2 Chris Clemons (25.1) and Shane Whitfield (11.1), Campbell
7. 35.8 Tyler Hall (23.1) and Harald Frey (12.7), Montana State
8. 34.5 Cameron Morse (22.9) and Francisco Santiago (11.6), Youngstown State
9. 33.4 Ahmad Thomas (18.0) and MaCio Teague (15.4), UNC Asheville
10. 33.3 Shamorie Ponds (17.4) and Marcus LoVett (15.9), St. John's
11. 32.9 Trevon Bluiett (18.5) and J.P. Macura (14.4), Xavier
12. 32.8 Khadeen Carrington (17.1) and Desi Rodriguez (15.7), Seton Hall
13. 32.5 Matt Scott (17.0) and Kahlil Dukes (15.5), Niagara
14. 32.0 Joe Chealey (17.8) and Jarrell Brantley (14.2), College of Charleston
15. 31.4 Deandre Burnett (16.5) and Terence Davis (14.9), Ole Miss
BULLDOGS EARN NABC TEAM ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE AWARD: The UNC Asheville men's basketball team was noted for its performance in the classroom during the 2016-17 athletic year by earning the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Team Academic Excellence Award. The fifth annual Team Academic Excellence Awards, created by the NABC Committee on Academics, recognize outstanding academic achievement by teams with cumulative grade-point averages (GPA) of 3.0 or better for the 2016-17 season. In order to earn a NABC Team Academic Excellence Award, institutions in the NCAA, NAIA and NJCAA must count the grade-point averages of all men's basketball student-athletes who competed during the 2016-17 season. The UNC Asheville men's basketball team finished the 2016-17 athletic year with a cumulative team grade-point average of 3.094. "This honor means a great deal to our program," UNC Asheville men's basketball head coach Nick McDevitt said. "Our program truly takes a great deal of pride in taking care of things in the classroom, and this honor further emphasizes that our student-athletes care about winning on and off the court."
POSTSEASON PLAY: Last year's appearance in the CIT marked UNC Asheville's sixth appearance in a postseason tournament. The Bulldogs have advanced to the NCAA Tournament four times before (2003, 2011, 2012 and 2016) and the NIT (2008) once.
TREMENDOUS FRESHMAN: The 2016-17 Big South Conference Freshman of the Year last year, MaCio Teague ended his first year in a Bulldog uniform with 509 points to become just one of seven players in league history to record 500 or more points during their freshman season.
IMPRESSIVE FREE THROW STREAK COMES TO A CLOSE: MaCio Teague connected on his first three free throws in the Gardner-Webb game on Feb. 23, 2017, to extend his made free throw streak to 29. When he missed his fourth attempt on the night it snapped the impressive streak.
WIN NO. 75: UNC Asheville men's basketball head coach Nick McDevitt picked up his 75th win in charge of the Asheville men's basketball program in the Bulldog win over Presbyterian on Feb. 15, 2017.
FASTEST TO 20: UNC Asheville's win over Longwood on Feb. 11, 2017, allowed last year's Bulldog men's basketball team to reach 20 wins in the fewest number of games (27) in the Bulldogs' time in the Big South Conference.
SPECIAL LEAGUE STREAK CONTINUES: With the UNC Asheville win over High Point on Feb. 9, 2017, UNC Asheville assured itself of at least 10 wins in Big South Conference play for the 10th straight year, which is a new league record.
ELITE GROUP: With the win over Presbyterian on Thursday, Jan. 26, 2017, 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 joined Radford's Ron Bradley and Winthrop's Gregg Marshall in the elite grouping. Gardner-Webb's Tim Craft became the fourth and joined McDevitt in the elite group later in the 2016-17 regular season.
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