University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
Photo by: Adrian Etheridge
Wednesday Night White Out: Bulldogs Host USC Upstate on Wednesday at Kimmel Arena
11.28.2017 | Men's Basketball
Game Notes
2017-18 UNC Asheville Men's Basketball Media Guide
Buy Tickets
THE MATCHUP
Teams: UNC Asheville (4-2)
USC Upstate (3-5)
Location: Asheville, N.C./Kimmel Arena
Date/Time: Wednesday, Nov. 29, 2017/7 p.m.
TV/Video: TV - WMYA-TV, My 40
Video - Big South Network
Talent - Jason Patterson (PBP), Mike Gore (Analyst)
Radio: 880AM/92.9 FM
Talent - Brian Hall (PBP), Doug Maurer (Analyst)
Live Stats: uncabulldogs.com
Twitter: @ashevilledogs #ThePursuit
ASHEVILLE, N.C. - UNC Asheville will next welcome USC Upstate to Kimmel Arena at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 29. The game will be broadcast live regionally by WMYA-TV, My 40, and streamed live on the Big South Network. The contest will also be available on radio on 880AM/92.9 FM.
BULLDOG BITES
WEDNESDAY WHITE OUT: The contest against USC Upstate will also be a special "White Out" at Kimmel Arena with all Bulldog fans encouraged to wear white. In addition, there will also be a free rally towel giveaway at the game. You want to get to the game early too because there will be a special pregame entrance from UNC Asheville mascot, Rocky.
HOME SWEET HOME: UNC Asheville's win over Wofford was its 12th straight home win. UNC Asheville is now 71-16 all-time at Kimmel Arena, including 48-10 in Big South Conference contests.
SERIES: UNC Asheville's matchup against USC Upstate will be the 16th all-time between the two programs in a series that dates back to the 1970's when USC Upstate was then known as USC Spartanburg. UNC Asheville owns a 9-6 all-time series advantage. The Bulldogs picked up a 73-57 win over USC Upstate last season in Spartanburg, S.C. on Thursday, Nov. 17, 2016.
FUTURE LEAGUE FOES: Starting next year, UNC Asheville and USC Upstate will compete as Big South Conference foes with the Spartans set to join the league along with Hampton.
FOLLOW IT LIVE: In addition to watching the game live regionally, you can also catch the action HERE. The contest will be available on radio HERE. You can keep up via live stats HERE.
1,000-POINT SCORER: UNC Asheville senior guard Kevin Vannatta scored eight points in the win over Wofford to become the 33rd member of the prestigious 1,000-point club. Vannatta now has 1,001 career points as a Bulldog.
1,000 POINTS, 500 REBOUNDS AND NOW 200 STEALS: Senior guard Ahmad Thomas' two steals in the win over Wofford allowed him to join a very exclusive list in the Big South. Thomas now with 201 career steals, 1,176 points and 554 rebounds is just one of six in Big South Conference history with 1,000 points, 500 rebounds and 200 steals. He is also now one of only three in Bulldog history to collect 200 or more steals, joining Andre Smith (1999-03, 223) and J.P. Primm (2008-12, 248).
IN THE NCAA STATISTICS: UNC Asheville as a team is currently 18th in the country in steals per game (9.7). The Bulldogs are also 24th in three-point field goal percentage (45.3).
LOOKING BACK ON WOFFORD WIN: Last Sunday's win against Wofford came in the 25th all-time meeting between UNC Asheville and Wofford. The two had not met since the 2009-10 season. UNC Asheville now owns a 17-8 all-time series lead. The 20-point win over Wofford was UNC Asheville's first in the series since 1996.
ASSISTING ON THE BIG WIN: MaCio Teague's eight assists in the win over Wofford was a career-best. It eclipsed his previous best mark of seven in last year's thrilling 79-77 overtime win at Coastal Carolina.
ABOUT USC UPSTATE: The Spartans are currently 3-5 on the 2017-18 season with wins over Allen, Paine and Abilene Christian. USC Upstate currently has five players averaging in double figures with junior forward Malik Moore leading the way with 15.5 points per game. Moore is also second on the team in rebounds (6.3) and third in assists (2.6). USC Upstate was picked fourth in the preseason ASUN poll.
FAST TIMES AT KIMMEL ARENA: UNC Asheville finished its win over Monmouth owning an 11-2 advantage in fast-break points.
STEALS INTO BUCKETS: UNC Asheville forced Monmouth into 22 turnovers with the Bulldogs collecting 13 steals overall as a team. The Bulldogs were able to score 18 points off the 22 Monmouth miscues.
FIRST HALF HEROICS: MaCio Teague's 20 points in the first half against Austin Peay marked the second time in his career that he has scored 20 or more in the first half. Teague also had 24 points in the first half in UNC Asheville's 91-69 Big South Conference road win over Longwood on Feb. 11, 2017.
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.
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.
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).
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
Buy Tickets
THE MATCHUP
Teams: UNC Asheville (4-2)
USC Upstate (3-5)
Location: Asheville, N.C./Kimmel Arena
Date/Time: Wednesday, Nov. 29, 2017/7 p.m.
TV/Video: TV - WMYA-TV, My 40
Video - Big South Network
Talent - Jason Patterson (PBP), Mike Gore (Analyst)
Radio: 880AM/92.9 FM
Talent - Brian Hall (PBP), Doug Maurer (Analyst)
Live Stats: uncabulldogs.com
Twitter: @ashevilledogs #ThePursuit
ASHEVILLE, N.C. - UNC Asheville will next welcome USC Upstate to Kimmel Arena at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 29. The game will be broadcast live regionally by WMYA-TV, My 40, and streamed live on the Big South Network. The contest will also be available on radio on 880AM/92.9 FM.
BULLDOG BITES
WEDNESDAY WHITE OUT: The contest against USC Upstate will also be a special "White Out" at Kimmel Arena with all Bulldog fans encouraged to wear white. In addition, there will also be a free rally towel giveaway at the game. You want to get to the game early too because there will be a special pregame entrance from UNC Asheville mascot, Rocky.
HOME SWEET HOME: UNC Asheville's win over Wofford was its 12th straight home win. UNC Asheville is now 71-16 all-time at Kimmel Arena, including 48-10 in Big South Conference contests.
SERIES: UNC Asheville's matchup against USC Upstate will be the 16th all-time between the two programs in a series that dates back to the 1970's when USC Upstate was then known as USC Spartanburg. UNC Asheville owns a 9-6 all-time series advantage. The Bulldogs picked up a 73-57 win over USC Upstate last season in Spartanburg, S.C. on Thursday, Nov. 17, 2016.
FUTURE LEAGUE FOES: Starting next year, UNC Asheville and USC Upstate will compete as Big South Conference foes with the Spartans set to join the league along with Hampton.
FOLLOW IT LIVE: In addition to watching the game live regionally, you can also catch the action HERE. The contest will be available on radio HERE. You can keep up via live stats HERE.
1,000-POINT SCORER: UNC Asheville senior guard Kevin Vannatta scored eight points in the win over Wofford to become the 33rd member of the prestigious 1,000-point club. Vannatta now has 1,001 career points as a Bulldog.
1,000 POINTS, 500 REBOUNDS AND NOW 200 STEALS: Senior guard Ahmad Thomas' two steals in the win over Wofford allowed him to join a very exclusive list in the Big South. Thomas now with 201 career steals, 1,176 points and 554 rebounds is just one of six in Big South Conference history with 1,000 points, 500 rebounds and 200 steals. He is also now one of only three in Bulldog history to collect 200 or more steals, joining Andre Smith (1999-03, 223) and J.P. Primm (2008-12, 248).
IN THE NCAA STATISTICS: UNC Asheville as a team is currently 18th in the country in steals per game (9.7). The Bulldogs are also 24th in three-point field goal percentage (45.3).
LOOKING BACK ON WOFFORD WIN: Last Sunday's win against Wofford came in the 25th all-time meeting between UNC Asheville and Wofford. The two had not met since the 2009-10 season. UNC Asheville now owns a 17-8 all-time series lead. The 20-point win over Wofford was UNC Asheville's first in the series since 1996.
ASSISTING ON THE BIG WIN: MaCio Teague's eight assists in the win over Wofford was a career-best. It eclipsed his previous best mark of seven in last year's thrilling 79-77 overtime win at Coastal Carolina.
ABOUT USC UPSTATE: The Spartans are currently 3-5 on the 2017-18 season with wins over Allen, Paine and Abilene Christian. USC Upstate currently has five players averaging in double figures with junior forward Malik Moore leading the way with 15.5 points per game. Moore is also second on the team in rebounds (6.3) and third in assists (2.6). USC Upstate was picked fourth in the preseason ASUN poll.
FAST TIMES AT KIMMEL ARENA: UNC Asheville finished its win over Monmouth owning an 11-2 advantage in fast-break points.
STEALS INTO BUCKETS: UNC Asheville forced Monmouth into 22 turnovers with the Bulldogs collecting 13 steals overall as a team. The Bulldogs were able to score 18 points off the 22 Monmouth miscues.
FIRST HALF HEROICS: MaCio Teague's 20 points in the first half against Austin Peay marked the second time in his career that he has scored 20 or more in the first half. Teague also had 24 points in the first half in UNC Asheville's 91-69 Big South Conference road win over Longwood on Feb. 11, 2017.
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.
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.
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).
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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