University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
Photo by: Adrian Etheridge
UNC Asheville Hits the Road to Face Clemson on Sunday
12.01.2017 | Men's Basketball
Game Notes
2017-18 UNC Asheville Men's Basketball Media Guide
THE MATCHUP
Teams: UNC Asheville (5-2)
Clemson (6-1)
Location: Clemson, S.C./Littlejohn Coliseum
Date/Time: Sunday, Dec. 3, 2017/3 p.m.
Video: ACC Network Extra
Talent - Pete Yanity (PBP), Jim Davis (Analyst)
Radio: 880 AM/92.9 FM
Talent - Brian Hall (PBP), Mike Gore (Analyst)
Live Stats: uncabulldogs.com
Twitter: @ashevilledogs #ThePursuit
CLEMSON, S.C. - Winners of four straight, UNC Asheville will next hit the road to take on Clemson of the ACC at 3 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 3. The game will be streamed live on ACC Network Extra. The contest will also be available on radio locally on 880AM/92.9 FM.
BULLDOG BITES
FOUR STRAIGHT AGAINST TEAMS FROM THE UPSTATE: UNC Asheville's matchup against Clemson is the third game of four straight for the Bulldogs against teams from the Upstate of South Carolina. The Bulldogs already have wins over Wofford and USC Upstate and after Clemson the Bulldogs will travel to Greenville, S.C. to take on Furman at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 5.
IN THE NCAA STATISTICS: UNC Asheville is currently second in the country in three-point field goal percentage (47.3) as a team. The Bulldogs are 19th in the country in steals per game (9.4).
SERIES: In a series that dates back to the 1979-80 season, Clemson holds a 7-0 all-time series lead over UNC Asheville. The two last played Tuesday, Nov. 23, 2004. Bryan McCullough had a team-high 12 points and six rebounds and K.J. Garland added 10 points for the Bulldogs in the contest.
ABOUT CLEMSON: The Tigers welcome UNC Asheville owning an overall record of 6-1 on the 2017-18 season so far with their only loss coming to Temple in the championship game of the Gildan Charleston Classic. Five Tigers are currently averaging double figures with senior forward Donte Grantham leading the way with 15.3 points and 6.0 rebounds per game.
FOLLOW IT LIVE: You can catch all of the action live on the ACC Network HERE. You can listen on the radio on 880AM/92.9 FM HERE. You can follow via live stats HERE.
20 AND OVER TIMES TWO: With Ahmad Thomas (24) and MaCio Teague (22) both finishing with over 20 points in the win over USC Upstate it marked the first time that two Bulldogs have scored over 20 in a single game since the duo last accomplished the same feat in back-to-back wins over Winthrop (Feb. 9, 2017) and Longwood (Feb. 11, 2017) last season.
TOP-20: Ahmad Thomas' 24 points in the win over USC Upstate allowed him to move into the top-20 all-time at UNC Asheville in total scoring. Thomas with 1,200 career points now is right behind Tom Haus (1981-85, 1,233 career points), who is in 19th.
SPARTANBURG SUPREMACY: UNC Asheville took out both of the NCAA Division I programs from Spartanburg over the course of the last week with the Bulldogs first besting Wofford, 85-65, on Sunday, Nov. 26, before collecting a 82-70 win over USC Upstate on Wednesday, Nov. 29.
RUNNING: The Bulldogs for the second straight game in the win over USC Upstate had a huge run that changed the complexion of the contest. A 26-2 run by UNC Asheville men's basketball over a roughly six-minute stretch in the second half allowed the Bulldogs to pick up an impressive 85-65 non-conference home win over Wofford on Sunday, Nov. 26, at Kimmel Arena. UNC Asheville's 20-2 run in the first half of the win over USC Upstate allowed the Bulldogs to never look back.
LAST TIME OUT: UNC Asheville's matchup against USC Upstate was 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. 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. UNC Asheville now owns a 10-6 all-time series advantage over the Spartans. The Bulldogs have now won three straight in the series. UNC Asheville senior guard Ahmad Thomas finished the Bulldog win over the Spartans with a double-double with 24 points and 11 rebounds. As always, he packed the stat sheet overall in the game, as he also had three assists and two steals. He was 10-of-18 from the field overall in the game, including a perfect 2-of-2 from beyond the arc. In total, two Bulldogs ended their efforts with over 20 points with MaCio Teague ending his night with 22 points, four assists, four rebounds, two steals and one block. He tied his career best with six made three-pointers in the game. He was an impressive 6-of-9 from beyond the arc en route to a 7-of-11 performance overall from the field. Baehre finished his efforts in the Bulldog win just missing on a double-double with 13 points and eight rebounds. He also had a career-best four blocks and one steal.
HOME SWEET HOME: UNC Asheville's win over USC Upstate was its 13th straight home win. UNC Asheville is now 4-0 on the 2017-18 season and 72-16 all-time at Kimmel Arena, including 48-10 in Big South Conference contests.
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 1,008 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 203 career steals, 1,200 points and 565 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).
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.
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.
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
THE MATCHUP
Teams: UNC Asheville (5-2)
Clemson (6-1)
Location: Clemson, S.C./Littlejohn Coliseum
Date/Time: Sunday, Dec. 3, 2017/3 p.m.
Video: ACC Network Extra
Talent - Pete Yanity (PBP), Jim Davis (Analyst)
Radio: 880 AM/92.9 FM
Talent - Brian Hall (PBP), Mike Gore (Analyst)
Live Stats: uncabulldogs.com
Twitter: @ashevilledogs #ThePursuit
CLEMSON, S.C. - Winners of four straight, UNC Asheville will next hit the road to take on Clemson of the ACC at 3 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 3. The game will be streamed live on ACC Network Extra. The contest will also be available on radio locally on 880AM/92.9 FM.
BULLDOG BITES
FOUR STRAIGHT AGAINST TEAMS FROM THE UPSTATE: UNC Asheville's matchup against Clemson is the third game of four straight for the Bulldogs against teams from the Upstate of South Carolina. The Bulldogs already have wins over Wofford and USC Upstate and after Clemson the Bulldogs will travel to Greenville, S.C. to take on Furman at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 5.
IN THE NCAA STATISTICS: UNC Asheville is currently second in the country in three-point field goal percentage (47.3) as a team. The Bulldogs are 19th in the country in steals per game (9.4).
SERIES: In a series that dates back to the 1979-80 season, Clemson holds a 7-0 all-time series lead over UNC Asheville. The two last played Tuesday, Nov. 23, 2004. Bryan McCullough had a team-high 12 points and six rebounds and K.J. Garland added 10 points for the Bulldogs in the contest.
ABOUT CLEMSON: The Tigers welcome UNC Asheville owning an overall record of 6-1 on the 2017-18 season so far with their only loss coming to Temple in the championship game of the Gildan Charleston Classic. Five Tigers are currently averaging double figures with senior forward Donte Grantham leading the way with 15.3 points and 6.0 rebounds per game.
FOLLOW IT LIVE: You can catch all of the action live on the ACC Network HERE. You can listen on the radio on 880AM/92.9 FM HERE. You can follow via live stats HERE.
20 AND OVER TIMES TWO: With Ahmad Thomas (24) and MaCio Teague (22) both finishing with over 20 points in the win over USC Upstate it marked the first time that two Bulldogs have scored over 20 in a single game since the duo last accomplished the same feat in back-to-back wins over Winthrop (Feb. 9, 2017) and Longwood (Feb. 11, 2017) last season.
TOP-20: Ahmad Thomas' 24 points in the win over USC Upstate allowed him to move into the top-20 all-time at UNC Asheville in total scoring. Thomas with 1,200 career points now is right behind Tom Haus (1981-85, 1,233 career points), who is in 19th.
SPARTANBURG SUPREMACY: UNC Asheville took out both of the NCAA Division I programs from Spartanburg over the course of the last week with the Bulldogs first besting Wofford, 85-65, on Sunday, Nov. 26, before collecting a 82-70 win over USC Upstate on Wednesday, Nov. 29.
RUNNING: The Bulldogs for the second straight game in the win over USC Upstate had a huge run that changed the complexion of the contest. A 26-2 run by UNC Asheville men's basketball over a roughly six-minute stretch in the second half allowed the Bulldogs to pick up an impressive 85-65 non-conference home win over Wofford on Sunday, Nov. 26, at Kimmel Arena. UNC Asheville's 20-2 run in the first half of the win over USC Upstate allowed the Bulldogs to never look back.
LAST TIME OUT: UNC Asheville's matchup against USC Upstate was 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. 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. UNC Asheville now owns a 10-6 all-time series advantage over the Spartans. The Bulldogs have now won three straight in the series. UNC Asheville senior guard Ahmad Thomas finished the Bulldog win over the Spartans with a double-double with 24 points and 11 rebounds. As always, he packed the stat sheet overall in the game, as he also had three assists and two steals. He was 10-of-18 from the field overall in the game, including a perfect 2-of-2 from beyond the arc. In total, two Bulldogs ended their efforts with over 20 points with MaCio Teague ending his night with 22 points, four assists, four rebounds, two steals and one block. He tied his career best with six made three-pointers in the game. He was an impressive 6-of-9 from beyond the arc en route to a 7-of-11 performance overall from the field. Baehre finished his efforts in the Bulldog win just missing on a double-double with 13 points and eight rebounds. He also had a career-best four blocks and one steal.
HOME SWEET HOME: UNC Asheville's win over USC Upstate was its 13th straight home win. UNC Asheville is now 4-0 on the 2017-18 season and 72-16 all-time at Kimmel Arena, including 48-10 in Big South Conference contests.
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 1,008 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 203 career steals, 1,200 points and 565 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).
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.
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.
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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