University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
Photo by: Adrian Etheridge
UNC Asheville Men's Basketball to Face Charleston Southern Thursday in Big South Championship Quarterfinals
02.28.2018 | Men's Basketball
Game Notes
2018 Big South Men's Basketball Championship Quarterfinals
Teams: UNC Asheville (20-11, 13-5 Big South Conference)
Charleston Southern (15-15, 9-9 Big South Conference)
Location: Asheville, N.C./Kimmel Arena
Date/Time: Thursday, March 1/7 p.m.
TV/Video: ESPN3
Talent - Brock Bowling (PBP), Ralph Patterson (Analyst)
Radio: 570 WWNC-Asheville/1440 WMXF-Waynesville
Talent - Brian Hall (PBP), Mike Gore (Analyst)
Live Stats: uncabulldogs.com
Twitter: @ashevilledogs #ThePursuit
ASHEVILLE, N.C. - Top-seeded UNC Asheville men's basketball will face off against eighth-seeded Charleston Southern in the quarterfinals of the 2018 Big South Men's Basketball Championship at 7 p.m. on Thursday, March 1, at Kimmel Arena.
Charleston Southern picked up a 68-51 win over ninth-seeded Presbyterian College in the first round of the Big South Tournament on Tuesday, Feb. 27, at the Buc Dome in Charleston, S.C. to advance to face the Bulldogs.
Tickets for the 2018 Big South Conference Men's Basketball Championship at Kimmel Arena inside the Sherrill Center are officially on sale.
To purchase your tickets for the quarterfinal and semifinal rounds of the championship, please visit HERE.
You can also purchase tickets by visiting the UNC Asheville box office at Kimmel Arena. You can call the UNC Asheville ticket office at 828-258-7900.
UNC Asheville men's basketball earned the right to host the 2018 Big South Championship by claiming the league title outright.
The Bulldogs picked up their seventh Big South Conference regular-season title (1996-97, 1997-98, 2001-02, 2007-08, 2011-12, 2016-17 and 2017-18) this season. Asheville head coach Nick McDevitt has been a part of six of the seven Big South Conference regular-season crowns either as a player, assistant coach or head coach (1997-98, 2001-02, 2007-08, 2011-12, 2016-17 and 2017-18).
UNC Asheville is hosting the Big South Men's Basketball Championship for the first time since 2012.
The Bulldogs as the No. 1 seed will host the quarterfinal and semifinal rounds on March 1 and 2. The highest remaining seed will host the championship game at 1 p.m. on Sunday, March 4, on ESPN.
The Kimmel Arena box office will also be open 90 minutes prior to the start of quarterfinal one of the championship on Thursday, March 1. Tickets will be sold for two daily sessions on Thursday (includes two games per session). The building will be cleared between sessions.
Tickets for the quarterfinal and semifinal round of the Big South Men's Basketball Championship for adults are $20 per session and $15 for seniors who are 65 and older with valid ID. Groups of 10-plus will also be able to purchase tickets for $15 per session. Children and college students will be able to purchase tickets for just $5.
UNC Asheville fans and season ticket holders, please note that this is a Big South Championship event, meaning that new tickets will have to be purchased for the championship.
There is no designated fan parking. Fans are asked to park in designated spots and any lot that is available. Shuttles for fans from parking areas will be running all day.
To learn more about the 2018 Big South Men's Basketball Championship, please visit the official championship website HERE.
BULLDOG BITES
Bulldog Breakdown
BULLDOGS HEAVILY FEATURED IN BIG SOUTH ALL-CONFERENCE AWARDS: Big South Conference regular-season champion UNC Asheville was heavily featured when the league office unveiled the 2017-18 Big South Conference Men's Basketball Awards on Monday, Feb. 26, 2018. For the third time in the last four years, it was a UNC Asheville student-athlete that took home the prestigious Big South Men's Basketball Scholar-Athlete of the Year award in Kevin Vannatta. Former teammate Giacomo Zilli also won the award in 2014-15 and 2016-17. UNC Asheville's Ahmad Thomas was chosen as the Big South Defensive Player of the Year for the second consecutive season. He is the second Bulldog to win the award with Kenny George earning the honor in 2007-08. Thomas is just the fourth in Big South history to win the award twice. In addition, for the second consecutive season UNC Asheville had two first-team selections with Thomas and MaCio Teague earning the honor.
BIG SOUTH TITLE NO. 7: UNC Asheville men's basketball picked up its seventh Big South Conference regular-season title (1996-97, 1997-98, 2001-02, 2007-08, 2011-12, 2016-17 and 2017-18) this season. Asheville head coach Nick McDevitt has been a part of six of the seven Big South Conference regular-season crowns either as a player, assistant coach or head coach (1997-98, 2001-02, 2007-08, 2011-12, 2016-17 and 2017-18).
A TRULY SPECIAL SENIOR CLASS: With 80 wins in their career after the win over Winthrop, the UNC Asheville senior class of Alec Wnuk, Kevin Vannatta, Raekwon Miller and Ahmad Thomas extended their own record of the most wins in program history over a four-year stretch. The Bulldogs had entered the road win over Charleston Southern a few days earlier tied with the senior class that started in the 1982-83 season with 78 career wins. The Bulldog senior class, who were honored prior to the win over Winthrop, now have 80 career wins. In addition, the Bulldog senior class has three championships currently with the 2016-17 and 2017-18 Big South regular-season titles and the 2016 Big South Tournament title. The Bulldogs also played in the 2016 NCAA Tournament.
RECORD THIRD-STRAIGHT 20-WIN SEASON: UNC Asheville men's basketball for the first time in program history has now won 20 or more games for three straight seasons. UNC Asheville won 22 games in the 2015-16 season, 23 in 2016-17 and entering the Big South Tournament the Bulldogs have won 20 games.
1,000-POINT SCORER: The 2016-17 Big South Conference Freshman of the Year last year, MaCio Teague's 23 points in the home win over Winthrop on Feb. 22 allowed him to surpass 1,000 points in just his sophomore season. Teague ended his first year as a Bulldog with 509 and he now has 507 points this season to have 1,016 points in his career. Teague at the time became just the fourth in Big South history to surpass 1,000 points as a sophomore. Charleston Southern's Christian Keeling joined him and became the fifth on Feb. 24.
VANNATTA NAMED ACADEMIC ALL-DISTRICT: For the second consecutive season, Kevin Vannatta of UNC Asheville men's basketball has been chosen to the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Academic All-District® Men's Basketball All-District 3 Team. "We are very proud of what Kevin has been able to accomplish, both on and off the court, during his time here at UNC Asheville," UNC Asheville men's basketball head coach Nick McDevitt said. "He puts a tremendous amount of effort into everything he does in his school work, athletics, community service and other civic activities. Kevin exemplifies the true meaning of the term student-athlete and he is an outstanding ambassador for our University and our basketball program."
THOMAS NAMED BIG SOUTH PLAYER OF THE WEEK (2/19): Ahmad Thomas of UNC Asheville men's basketball was selected as the Big South Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Week on Monday, Feb. 19, 2018. The weekly award is the first of the 2017-18 season for Thomas. He won league Player of the Week honors three times last season on Dec. 12, 2016, and Feb. 13 and Feb. 26, 2017. Thomas finished UNC Asheville's twogames on the week averaging 26.5 points, 7.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.0 steal per game. Thomas shot 50 percent (17-of-34) from the field. He connected on 66.7 percent (4-of-6) of his shots from beyond the arc. Thomas finished UNC Asheville's overtime loss to Liberty on Feb. 15 with 30 points, seven rebounds, two assists and two steals. In UNC Asheville's road overtime win at Charleston Southern on Feb. 18, Thomas ended his efforts with 23 points, seven rebounds, four assists and one block.
20 FOR 20: For the fifth time this season, UNC Asheville impressively had two players finish a game with over 20 points with MaCio Teague ending his efforts with 23 points and Ahmad Thomas posting 21 in the win over Winthrop. One game earlier, Teague collected 24 points and Thomas finished with 23 in the road win at Charleston Southern. It has now happened four times in league play with Thomas (23) and Teague (21) both having over 20 in the home win over High Point and Kevin Vannatta (23) and Thomas (23) both ending their efforts with over 20 in the road win at Liberty. Thomas (24) and Teague (22) both also had over 20 points in UNC Asheville's home win over USC Upstate earlier this season.
NEARING 100: UNC Asheville head coach Nick McDevitt needs three more wins to reach 100 for his career.
BAEHRE'S BLOCK PARTY: For the fifth time this season, UNC Asheville's Jonathan Baehre finished a Bulldog win with four or more blocks in the Feb. 22 victory over Winthrop. Baehre swatted five Winthrop shots to go along with his second double-double of the season with 16 points and 13 rebounds.
UNC ASHEVILLE FEATURED BY ESPN, NCAA: The thrilling UNC Asheville men's basketball come-from-behind win over Radford on Saturday, Feb. 10, was heavily featured by ESPN and the NCAA late Saturday and on the morning of Sunday, Feb. 11. MaCio Teague's heroics were featured on ESPN's "SportsCenter" and "College Basketball Live" as well as on ESPN.com. On "College Basketball Live," the tremendous radio broadcast call by play-by-play voice Brian Hall and analyst in UNC Asheville Hall of Famer Mike Gore coupled with the Big South Network feed directed and produced by Mark Godin was dubbed as the "Call of the Night." In addition, the NCAA March Madness Twitter handle, @marchmadness, also featured the final sequence of UNC Asheville's thrilling win, noting "give a listen to the @UNCAbasketball win heard round the world!"
THOMAS CONTINUES STRONG PLAY AGAINST LIBERTY: Ahmad Thomas continued his strong play in his career against Liberty on Feb. 15 with his 30 points, seven rebounds, two assists and two steals. Thomas has now scored over 20 against Liberty five times in his career. His career-best of 31 points came in UNC Asheville's home win over Liberty on Feb. 25, 2017, meaning that Thomas has posted 30 or more against the Flames in his last two home games against Liberty.
BULLDOGS EXTEND SPECIAL LEAGUE STREAK: UNC Asheville with its road win over Longwood extended its own Big South Conference record by winning its 10th league game of the year. The Bulldogs, who now have 13 league wins, have now won 10 or more league games in a season in a Big South Conference men's basketball record 11 straight seasons.
CONTINUING TO SET THE STANDARD: UNC Asheville men's basketball has now won at least 15 games in a season for a league-record 11 consecutive seasons. UNC Asheville's 11th straight 15 or more win season allowed the Bulldogs to pass the old mark of 10 it shared with Winthrop (1998-08). UNC Asheville has won 15 or more games every year since the 2007-08 season.
STRONG STRETCH: After starting Big South play at 1-2, Big South regular-season champion UNC Asheville closed out the regular season having won nine of its last 11 and 12 of its last 15 games to move to 20-11 overall and 13-5 in league play.
HOME SWEET HOME: UNC Asheville is now 81-17 overall and 56-11 against Big South foes within the friendly confines of Kimmel Arena inside the Sherrill Center. The Bulldogs finished the 2017-18 regular season at Kimmel Arena 13-1. UNC Asheville is 26-2 over the last two seasons during the regular season at Kimmel Arena. The Bulldogs have won 22 of their last 23 at Kimmel Arena overall.
NEARING NO. 1: UNC Asheville senior guard Ahmad Thomas with 242 career steals is just six steals from tying and seven steals away from becoming the all-time steals leader at UNC Asheville. J.P. Primm (2008-12) is the current all-time leader with 248 career steals.
TEAGUE NAMED PLAYER OF THE WEEK (2/12): MaCio Teague of UNC Asheville men's basketball was selected as the Big South Men's Basketball Co-Player of the Week on Tuesday, Feb. 12. Teague shared honors with Chris Clemons of Campbell. Teague has now won league Player of the Week honors twice this season. He was also named the conference Player of the Week on Dec. 27, 2017. In total, Teague has now received honors from the league seven times. In addition to his now three Big South Player of the Week honors (Dec. 27, 2016, Dec. 27, 2017 and Feb. 12, 2018), Teague was also chosen Big South Freshman of the Week four times last season (Nov. 21, Jan. 2, Jan. 9 and Feb. 13). Teague averaged 17.0 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game in two wins for the Bulldogs. Teague finished the two games shooting 50 percent (10-of-20) from the field overall and from beyond the arc (7-of-14).
WHAT A PAIR: UNC Asheville senior duo Ahmad Thomas and Kevin Vannatta are the only pair ever of four-year Big South classmates each with 1,000 points, 500 rebounds and 200 assists during the same four-year span. The duo is the fourth four-year teammates with 1,000 points and 500 rebounds, and on the scoring side, they are the 24th pair of 1,000-point scoring four-year teammates. Thomas with 1,585 career points and Vannatta with 1,222 career points right now have a combined total of 2,807, which places them in the top-11 in the category in league history. Thomas and Vannatta are the fifth set of Bulldog teammates with the achievement in Asheville's Big South era.
VANNATTA JOINS EXCLUSIVE CLUB ONCE AGAIN: Kevin Vannatta became the 87th player in Big South Conference men's basketball history with 500 rebounds with his three boards in the Winthrop game on Jan. 18. Vannatta, who had already surpassed 1,000 points earlier this season, also became just the 57th player in league history with 1,000 points and 500 rebounds. Vannatta is the 18th player in UNC Asheville men's basketball history to collect 500 rebounds in their career. Vannatta presently has 1,222 points and 563 rebounds.
FLIRTING WITH HISTORY ONCE AGAIN: Ahmad Thomas has had many special days as a Bulldog, but his performance against Presbyterian College on Feb. 3 with 24 points, 14 rebounds and nine assists was something to behold. Thomas' 14 rebounds were a career high and his nine assists in the win over the Blue Hose matched his career-best nine assists in the thrilling 90-85 overtime win over Gardner-Webb at Kimmel Arena on Saturday, Dec. 31, 2016. Thomas now has a team-best five double-doubles this season and 17 double-doubles in his career. He has now just missed on a triple-double twice in his Bulldog career. Thomas had 16 points, nine rebounds and nine assists in that overtime Gardner-Webb win last season.
THOMAS THE ENGINE: With his 24 points, 14 rebounds and nine assists in the win over Presbyterian College on Feb. 3, 2018, it marked the first time that a Bulldog has led the team in points, rebounds and assists since Thomas also accomplished the feat with 15 points, 10 rebounds and five assists in a UNC Asheville win at Presbyterian College on Jan. 26, 2017.
TEAGUE'S CAREER DAY: In finishing with 36 points in the road win at Campbell on Feb. 1, MaCio Teague became the first Bulldog in almost three years to score over 35 points in a single game. The last Bulldog to score over 35 was Andrew Rowsey in a game against High Point on Feb. 26, 2015. Teague's 36 points bested his previous career-best of 30 set in a road win at Longwood on Feb. 11, 2017. Teague's 14 made field goals and seven made three-pointers were new career-bests as well for the sensational sophomore.
THOMAS CONTINUES MAKING HISTORY: Ahmad Thomas was already just the fifth player in Big South Conference men's basketball history with over 1,000 points, 600 rebounds and 200 steals, but now he is also just the second player in league history with over 1,000 points, 600 rebounds, 200 steals and 200 assists. Thomas became the second in league history in the win over Longwood on Jan. 9. Thomas closed out the Bulldog conference win with 1,329 points, 611 rebounds, 222 steals and 203 assists. Thomas commences the matchup with Gardner-Webb with 1,585 points, 689 rebounds, 248 assists and 242 steals. Thomas also became one of the top-10 scorers in UNC Asheville history with his 23 points in the win over High Point on Jan. 27. He moved into the top-10 in school history in rebounds in the win over Longwood on Jan. 9. He is currently second in school history in total steals.
ELITE GROUP: UNC Asheville men's basketball head coach Nick McDevitt with the Bulldog road win over Campbell on Feb. 1 joined former Winthrop head coach and current Wichita State head coach Gregg Marshall as the only coaches to win at least 15 games in their first five seasons in the Big South Conference. Gardner-Webb head coach Tim Craft can also join the duo with one more win.
To learn much more, and see the full game notes, please visit HERE.
Series/About Charleston Southern
SERIES: UNC Asheville and Charleston Southern will be meeting for the 81st time on Thursday. The Bulldogs own a 44-36 all-time series advantage over the Buccaneers. UNC Asheville swept the season series with the Buccaneers with the Bulldogs picking up an 83-73 victory at Kimmel Arena on Jan. 15 and an 85-80 overtime win over Charleston Southern at the Buc Dome on Feb. 18.
AGAINST CHARLESTON SOUTHERN IN THE BIG SOUTH TOURNAMENT: UNC Asheville is 3-2 all-time against Charleston Southern in the Big South Tournament. The Bulldogs ironically last played the Buccaneers in a league tournament game in 2012 when UNC Asheville also hosted. The Bulldogs picked up a 91-64 semifinal win over Charleston Southern on March 1, 2012, en route to picking up the tournament title with an 80-64 win over VMI on Saturday, March 3, 2012.
ABOUT CHARLESTON SOUTHERN: The Buccaneers enter the quarterfinal matchup with UNC Asheville owning a record of 15-15 overall on the 2017-18 season. Second-team all-conference selection Christian Keeling leads the Buccaneers with 17.4 points and 5.1 rebounds per game.
Follow it Live
You can watch UNC Asheville's quarterfinal matchup with Charleston Southern live on ESPN3 HERE. You can listen to the radio broadcast live HERE. You can also follow along via live stats HERE.
2017-18 UNC Asheville Men's Basketball Media Guide
THE MATCHUP2018 Big South Men's Basketball Championship Quarterfinals
Teams: UNC Asheville (20-11, 13-5 Big South Conference)
Charleston Southern (15-15, 9-9 Big South Conference)
Location: Asheville, N.C./Kimmel Arena
Date/Time: Thursday, March 1/7 p.m.
TV/Video: ESPN3
Talent - Brock Bowling (PBP), Ralph Patterson (Analyst)
Radio: 570 WWNC-Asheville/1440 WMXF-Waynesville
Talent - Brian Hall (PBP), Mike Gore (Analyst)
Live Stats: uncabulldogs.com
Twitter: @ashevilledogs #ThePursuit
ASHEVILLE, N.C. - Top-seeded UNC Asheville men's basketball will face off against eighth-seeded Charleston Southern in the quarterfinals of the 2018 Big South Men's Basketball Championship at 7 p.m. on Thursday, March 1, at Kimmel Arena.
Charleston Southern picked up a 68-51 win over ninth-seeded Presbyterian College in the first round of the Big South Tournament on Tuesday, Feb. 27, at the Buc Dome in Charleston, S.C. to advance to face the Bulldogs.
Tickets for the 2018 Big South Conference Men's Basketball Championship at Kimmel Arena inside the Sherrill Center are officially on sale.
To purchase your tickets for the quarterfinal and semifinal rounds of the championship, please visit HERE.
You can also purchase tickets by visiting the UNC Asheville box office at Kimmel Arena. You can call the UNC Asheville ticket office at 828-258-7900.
UNC Asheville men's basketball earned the right to host the 2018 Big South Championship by claiming the league title outright.
The Bulldogs picked up their seventh Big South Conference regular-season title (1996-97, 1997-98, 2001-02, 2007-08, 2011-12, 2016-17 and 2017-18) this season. Asheville head coach Nick McDevitt has been a part of six of the seven Big South Conference regular-season crowns either as a player, assistant coach or head coach (1997-98, 2001-02, 2007-08, 2011-12, 2016-17 and 2017-18).
UNC Asheville is hosting the Big South Men's Basketball Championship for the first time since 2012.
The Bulldogs as the No. 1 seed will host the quarterfinal and semifinal rounds on March 1 and 2. The highest remaining seed will host the championship game at 1 p.m. on Sunday, March 4, on ESPN.
The Kimmel Arena box office will also be open 90 minutes prior to the start of quarterfinal one of the championship on Thursday, March 1. Tickets will be sold for two daily sessions on Thursday (includes two games per session). The building will be cleared between sessions.
Tickets for the quarterfinal and semifinal round of the Big South Men's Basketball Championship for adults are $20 per session and $15 for seniors who are 65 and older with valid ID. Groups of 10-plus will also be able to purchase tickets for $15 per session. Children and college students will be able to purchase tickets for just $5.
UNC Asheville fans and season ticket holders, please note that this is a Big South Championship event, meaning that new tickets will have to be purchased for the championship.
There is no designated fan parking. Fans are asked to park in designated spots and any lot that is available. Shuttles for fans from parking areas will be running all day.
To learn more about the 2018 Big South Men's Basketball Championship, please visit the official championship website HERE.
BULLDOG BITES
Bulldog Breakdown
BULLDOGS HEAVILY FEATURED IN BIG SOUTH ALL-CONFERENCE AWARDS: Big South Conference regular-season champion UNC Asheville was heavily featured when the league office unveiled the 2017-18 Big South Conference Men's Basketball Awards on Monday, Feb. 26, 2018. For the third time in the last four years, it was a UNC Asheville student-athlete that took home the prestigious Big South Men's Basketball Scholar-Athlete of the Year award in Kevin Vannatta. Former teammate Giacomo Zilli also won the award in 2014-15 and 2016-17. UNC Asheville's Ahmad Thomas was chosen as the Big South Defensive Player of the Year for the second consecutive season. He is the second Bulldog to win the award with Kenny George earning the honor in 2007-08. Thomas is just the fourth in Big South history to win the award twice. In addition, for the second consecutive season UNC Asheville had two first-team selections with Thomas and MaCio Teague earning the honor.
BIG SOUTH TITLE NO. 7: UNC Asheville men's basketball picked up its seventh Big South Conference regular-season title (1996-97, 1997-98, 2001-02, 2007-08, 2011-12, 2016-17 and 2017-18) this season. Asheville head coach Nick McDevitt has been a part of six of the seven Big South Conference regular-season crowns either as a player, assistant coach or head coach (1997-98, 2001-02, 2007-08, 2011-12, 2016-17 and 2017-18).
A TRULY SPECIAL SENIOR CLASS: With 80 wins in their career after the win over Winthrop, the UNC Asheville senior class of Alec Wnuk, Kevin Vannatta, Raekwon Miller and Ahmad Thomas extended their own record of the most wins in program history over a four-year stretch. The Bulldogs had entered the road win over Charleston Southern a few days earlier tied with the senior class that started in the 1982-83 season with 78 career wins. The Bulldog senior class, who were honored prior to the win over Winthrop, now have 80 career wins. In addition, the Bulldog senior class has three championships currently with the 2016-17 and 2017-18 Big South regular-season titles and the 2016 Big South Tournament title. The Bulldogs also played in the 2016 NCAA Tournament.
RECORD THIRD-STRAIGHT 20-WIN SEASON: UNC Asheville men's basketball for the first time in program history has now won 20 or more games for three straight seasons. UNC Asheville won 22 games in the 2015-16 season, 23 in 2016-17 and entering the Big South Tournament the Bulldogs have won 20 games.
1,000-POINT SCORER: The 2016-17 Big South Conference Freshman of the Year last year, MaCio Teague's 23 points in the home win over Winthrop on Feb. 22 allowed him to surpass 1,000 points in just his sophomore season. Teague ended his first year as a Bulldog with 509 and he now has 507 points this season to have 1,016 points in his career. Teague at the time became just the fourth in Big South history to surpass 1,000 points as a sophomore. Charleston Southern's Christian Keeling joined him and became the fifth on Feb. 24.
VANNATTA NAMED ACADEMIC ALL-DISTRICT: For the second consecutive season, Kevin Vannatta of UNC Asheville men's basketball has been chosen to the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Academic All-District® Men's Basketball All-District 3 Team. "We are very proud of what Kevin has been able to accomplish, both on and off the court, during his time here at UNC Asheville," UNC Asheville men's basketball head coach Nick McDevitt said. "He puts a tremendous amount of effort into everything he does in his school work, athletics, community service and other civic activities. Kevin exemplifies the true meaning of the term student-athlete and he is an outstanding ambassador for our University and our basketball program."
THOMAS NAMED BIG SOUTH PLAYER OF THE WEEK (2/19): Ahmad Thomas of UNC Asheville men's basketball was selected as the Big South Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Week on Monday, Feb. 19, 2018. The weekly award is the first of the 2017-18 season for Thomas. He won league Player of the Week honors three times last season on Dec. 12, 2016, and Feb. 13 and Feb. 26, 2017. Thomas finished UNC Asheville's twogames on the week averaging 26.5 points, 7.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.0 steal per game. Thomas shot 50 percent (17-of-34) from the field. He connected on 66.7 percent (4-of-6) of his shots from beyond the arc. Thomas finished UNC Asheville's overtime loss to Liberty on Feb. 15 with 30 points, seven rebounds, two assists and two steals. In UNC Asheville's road overtime win at Charleston Southern on Feb. 18, Thomas ended his efforts with 23 points, seven rebounds, four assists and one block.
20 FOR 20: For the fifth time this season, UNC Asheville impressively had two players finish a game with over 20 points with MaCio Teague ending his efforts with 23 points and Ahmad Thomas posting 21 in the win over Winthrop. One game earlier, Teague collected 24 points and Thomas finished with 23 in the road win at Charleston Southern. It has now happened four times in league play with Thomas (23) and Teague (21) both having over 20 in the home win over High Point and Kevin Vannatta (23) and Thomas (23) both ending their efforts with over 20 in the road win at Liberty. Thomas (24) and Teague (22) both also had over 20 points in UNC Asheville's home win over USC Upstate earlier this season.
NEARING 100: UNC Asheville head coach Nick McDevitt needs three more wins to reach 100 for his career.
BAEHRE'S BLOCK PARTY: For the fifth time this season, UNC Asheville's Jonathan Baehre finished a Bulldog win with four or more blocks in the Feb. 22 victory over Winthrop. Baehre swatted five Winthrop shots to go along with his second double-double of the season with 16 points and 13 rebounds.
UNC ASHEVILLE FEATURED BY ESPN, NCAA: The thrilling UNC Asheville men's basketball come-from-behind win over Radford on Saturday, Feb. 10, was heavily featured by ESPN and the NCAA late Saturday and on the morning of Sunday, Feb. 11. MaCio Teague's heroics were featured on ESPN's "SportsCenter" and "College Basketball Live" as well as on ESPN.com. On "College Basketball Live," the tremendous radio broadcast call by play-by-play voice Brian Hall and analyst in UNC Asheville Hall of Famer Mike Gore coupled with the Big South Network feed directed and produced by Mark Godin was dubbed as the "Call of the Night." In addition, the NCAA March Madness Twitter handle, @marchmadness, also featured the final sequence of UNC Asheville's thrilling win, noting "give a listen to the @UNCAbasketball win heard round the world!"
THOMAS CONTINUES STRONG PLAY AGAINST LIBERTY: Ahmad Thomas continued his strong play in his career against Liberty on Feb. 15 with his 30 points, seven rebounds, two assists and two steals. Thomas has now scored over 20 against Liberty five times in his career. His career-best of 31 points came in UNC Asheville's home win over Liberty on Feb. 25, 2017, meaning that Thomas has posted 30 or more against the Flames in his last two home games against Liberty.
BULLDOGS EXTEND SPECIAL LEAGUE STREAK: UNC Asheville with its road win over Longwood extended its own Big South Conference record by winning its 10th league game of the year. The Bulldogs, who now have 13 league wins, have now won 10 or more league games in a season in a Big South Conference men's basketball record 11 straight seasons.
CONTINUING TO SET THE STANDARD: UNC Asheville men's basketball has now won at least 15 games in a season for a league-record 11 consecutive seasons. UNC Asheville's 11th straight 15 or more win season allowed the Bulldogs to pass the old mark of 10 it shared with Winthrop (1998-08). UNC Asheville has won 15 or more games every year since the 2007-08 season.
STRONG STRETCH: After starting Big South play at 1-2, Big South regular-season champion UNC Asheville closed out the regular season having won nine of its last 11 and 12 of its last 15 games to move to 20-11 overall and 13-5 in league play.
HOME SWEET HOME: UNC Asheville is now 81-17 overall and 56-11 against Big South foes within the friendly confines of Kimmel Arena inside the Sherrill Center. The Bulldogs finished the 2017-18 regular season at Kimmel Arena 13-1. UNC Asheville is 26-2 over the last two seasons during the regular season at Kimmel Arena. The Bulldogs have won 22 of their last 23 at Kimmel Arena overall.
NEARING NO. 1: UNC Asheville senior guard Ahmad Thomas with 242 career steals is just six steals from tying and seven steals away from becoming the all-time steals leader at UNC Asheville. J.P. Primm (2008-12) is the current all-time leader with 248 career steals.
TEAGUE NAMED PLAYER OF THE WEEK (2/12): MaCio Teague of UNC Asheville men's basketball was selected as the Big South Men's Basketball Co-Player of the Week on Tuesday, Feb. 12. Teague shared honors with Chris Clemons of Campbell. Teague has now won league Player of the Week honors twice this season. He was also named the conference Player of the Week on Dec. 27, 2017. In total, Teague has now received honors from the league seven times. In addition to his now three Big South Player of the Week honors (Dec. 27, 2016, Dec. 27, 2017 and Feb. 12, 2018), Teague was also chosen Big South Freshman of the Week four times last season (Nov. 21, Jan. 2, Jan. 9 and Feb. 13). Teague averaged 17.0 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game in two wins for the Bulldogs. Teague finished the two games shooting 50 percent (10-of-20) from the field overall and from beyond the arc (7-of-14).
WHAT A PAIR: UNC Asheville senior duo Ahmad Thomas and Kevin Vannatta are the only pair ever of four-year Big South classmates each with 1,000 points, 500 rebounds and 200 assists during the same four-year span. The duo is the fourth four-year teammates with 1,000 points and 500 rebounds, and on the scoring side, they are the 24th pair of 1,000-point scoring four-year teammates. Thomas with 1,585 career points and Vannatta with 1,222 career points right now have a combined total of 2,807, which places them in the top-11 in the category in league history. Thomas and Vannatta are the fifth set of Bulldog teammates with the achievement in Asheville's Big South era.
VANNATTA JOINS EXCLUSIVE CLUB ONCE AGAIN: Kevin Vannatta became the 87th player in Big South Conference men's basketball history with 500 rebounds with his three boards in the Winthrop game on Jan. 18. Vannatta, who had already surpassed 1,000 points earlier this season, also became just the 57th player in league history with 1,000 points and 500 rebounds. Vannatta is the 18th player in UNC Asheville men's basketball history to collect 500 rebounds in their career. Vannatta presently has 1,222 points and 563 rebounds.
FLIRTING WITH HISTORY ONCE AGAIN: Ahmad Thomas has had many special days as a Bulldog, but his performance against Presbyterian College on Feb. 3 with 24 points, 14 rebounds and nine assists was something to behold. Thomas' 14 rebounds were a career high and his nine assists in the win over the Blue Hose matched his career-best nine assists in the thrilling 90-85 overtime win over Gardner-Webb at Kimmel Arena on Saturday, Dec. 31, 2016. Thomas now has a team-best five double-doubles this season and 17 double-doubles in his career. He has now just missed on a triple-double twice in his Bulldog career. Thomas had 16 points, nine rebounds and nine assists in that overtime Gardner-Webb win last season.
THOMAS THE ENGINE: With his 24 points, 14 rebounds and nine assists in the win over Presbyterian College on Feb. 3, 2018, it marked the first time that a Bulldog has led the team in points, rebounds and assists since Thomas also accomplished the feat with 15 points, 10 rebounds and five assists in a UNC Asheville win at Presbyterian College on Jan. 26, 2017.
TEAGUE'S CAREER DAY: In finishing with 36 points in the road win at Campbell on Feb. 1, MaCio Teague became the first Bulldog in almost three years to score over 35 points in a single game. The last Bulldog to score over 35 was Andrew Rowsey in a game against High Point on Feb. 26, 2015. Teague's 36 points bested his previous career-best of 30 set in a road win at Longwood on Feb. 11, 2017. Teague's 14 made field goals and seven made three-pointers were new career-bests as well for the sensational sophomore.
THOMAS CONTINUES MAKING HISTORY: Ahmad Thomas was already just the fifth player in Big South Conference men's basketball history with over 1,000 points, 600 rebounds and 200 steals, but now he is also just the second player in league history with over 1,000 points, 600 rebounds, 200 steals and 200 assists. Thomas became the second in league history in the win over Longwood on Jan. 9. Thomas closed out the Bulldog conference win with 1,329 points, 611 rebounds, 222 steals and 203 assists. Thomas commences the matchup with Gardner-Webb with 1,585 points, 689 rebounds, 248 assists and 242 steals. Thomas also became one of the top-10 scorers in UNC Asheville history with his 23 points in the win over High Point on Jan. 27. He moved into the top-10 in school history in rebounds in the win over Longwood on Jan. 9. He is currently second in school history in total steals.
ELITE GROUP: UNC Asheville men's basketball head coach Nick McDevitt with the Bulldog road win over Campbell on Feb. 1 joined former Winthrop head coach and current Wichita State head coach Gregg Marshall as the only coaches to win at least 15 games in their first five seasons in the Big South Conference. Gardner-Webb head coach Tim Craft can also join the duo with one more win.
To learn much more, and see the full game notes, please visit HERE.
Series/About Charleston Southern
SERIES: UNC Asheville and Charleston Southern will be meeting for the 81st time on Thursday. The Bulldogs own a 44-36 all-time series advantage over the Buccaneers. UNC Asheville swept the season series with the Buccaneers with the Bulldogs picking up an 83-73 victory at Kimmel Arena on Jan. 15 and an 85-80 overtime win over Charleston Southern at the Buc Dome on Feb. 18.
AGAINST CHARLESTON SOUTHERN IN THE BIG SOUTH TOURNAMENT: UNC Asheville is 3-2 all-time against Charleston Southern in the Big South Tournament. The Bulldogs ironically last played the Buccaneers in a league tournament game in 2012 when UNC Asheville also hosted. The Bulldogs picked up a 91-64 semifinal win over Charleston Southern on March 1, 2012, en route to picking up the tournament title with an 80-64 win over VMI on Saturday, March 3, 2012.
ABOUT CHARLESTON SOUTHERN: The Buccaneers enter the quarterfinal matchup with UNC Asheville owning a record of 15-15 overall on the 2017-18 season. Second-team all-conference selection Christian Keeling leads the Buccaneers with 17.4 points and 5.1 rebounds per game.
Follow it Live
You can watch UNC Asheville's quarterfinal matchup with Charleston Southern live on ESPN3 HERE. You can listen to the radio broadcast live HERE. You can also follow along via live stats HERE.
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/ Men's BasketballMonday, March 18
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