University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
UNC Asheville
UAB
Men’s basketball visits UAB Tuesday for season opener
11.08.2021 | Men's Basketball
ASHEVILLE, N.C. – The UNC Asheville men's basketball opens up its 2021-22 basketball season Tuesday, visiting the UAB Blazers with tip scheduled for 7:30 p.m. eastern time.
How to Follow
The game will be broadcast on Conference USA TV, and live stats can be found here.
Bulldog Breakdown
UNC Asheville enters the 2021-22 campaign after going 10-10 and 9-5 in Big South play during the COVID-impacted season. The 9-5 mark in conference play was the program's sixth-best winning percentage in the last 15 years as head coach Mike Morrell guided the Bulldogs to a first-round bye in the 2021 Big South Tournament, hosting a quarterfinal matchup for the first time since 2018.
Preseason Predictions
The Big South has gone to the two-division format in 2021-22, with UNC Asheville being selected to finish second in the South Division. Additionally, Tajion Jones was named First Team All-Big South and LJ Thorpe was named Second Team, making Asheville one of just two teams (Campbell) to have more than one representative on the preseason all-league squads.
Experience, Experience
The 2021-22 team will be Morrell's oldest during his tenure in Asheville (fourth season), returning four of five starters and 10 letterwinners overall. Six returning Bulldogs from last year started at least nine games, including Coty Jude who worked his way back into the lineup after missing the beginning of last season due to injury. Point guard Trent Stephney (9.5 ppg) and forward Jamon Battle (8.0 ppg) both started 12 games last season, and alongside Evan Clayborne (7.7 ppg), should provide valuable minutes this season.
What's New?
Like many programs, UNC Asheville has some fresh faces on campus this semester, with five newcomers joining the team. Drew Pember, Jordan Hairston and Quay Kimble all transferred in, while Dean Gabrelcik and Martin Kawa comprise the freshman class.
Scouting the Blazers
UAB is coming off a 2021-22 season in which they went 22-7 – the most victories in a season for the program since 2015-16. The Blazers are guided by head coach Andy Kennedy, whose 22 victories were the most for a coach at a new program last season. UAB went 13-5 in Conference USA, and are this year's preseason favorite to win the league. The Blazers return four of five starters, including All-Conference USA Second Team guard Tavin Lovan, as well as C-USA All-Defensive Team member Quan Jackson and Trey Jemison. Defense was the calling card for UAB last season, ranking fourth in the nation in scoring defense (60.3 ppg) and scoring margin (5.4).
Series History
The teams have met just once in their history, playing in December of 2014 in Birmingham. Although UNC Asheville hung tough, the Blazers came out on top in that contest, winning 79-71.
