University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
UNC Asheville
Campbell
Men’s basketball hosts Campbell Thursday-Friday
02.03.2021 | Men's Basketball
Thursday to be broadcast on ESPNU
ASHEVILLE, N.C. – One week after battling Winthrop on ESPNU and just six days after taking down the previously unbeaten Eagles, the UNC Asheville men's basketball team hosts Campbell for a back-to-back beginning on ESPNU on Thursday night. The two teams will tip off at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, followed by a 5:00 p.m. tip on Friday.
Bulldogs Bouncing Back
Asheville enters the series 10-9 overall and is 9-5 in the Big South after its defeat of Winthrop on Friday night. With its ninth conference win, the Bulldogs have surpassed their 2019-20 total of eight wins in conference. Last season marked a huge turnaround for Asheville, winning 11 more games than the season before, making that improvement the third most in all of Division I.
ESPNU
Thursday will mark the first ESPNU telecast from Kimmel Arena in nearly three years. The last time Asheville hosted a game on ESPNU was February 22, 2018, when it defeated Winthrop 89-75 to clinch a share of the Big South Regular-Season Title. This will be the Bulldogs' 12th appearance on the network as part of the Big South Wildcard Series. There have been 33 games on ESPNU as part of the series, with home teams going 22-11 overall.
Stopping the Streak
Despite it being its sixth game in just 11 days, the Asheville men's basketball team knocked off the previously unbeaten Winthrop Eagles 57-55 on Friday night. The win, which snapped the Eagles' NCAA Division I best 21-game win streak dating back to last season, was the first in the series for the Bulldogs since 2018 and the first at Winthrop since December 31, 2011 when they edged out the Eagles 73-68.
It Takes All of Us
One strength of Asheville is its depth, routinely going 10 deep in most contests with eight players getting over 21 minutes per game. The Bulldogs have used seven different starting lineups this season. After getting Coty Jude back earlier in the season, the team was bolstered by DeVon Baker's return to the court against Charleston Southern.
Dependable Duo
Despite all the shuffling of lineups, Evan Clayborne and Tajion Jones have been two Bulldogs to start all 19 contests. Clayborne, who ranks third in the Big South with 33 blocks on the season, nearly garnered a double-double in Friday's win at Winthrop, scoring nine points grabbing 10 rebounds and tying his career-high of five blocks. Jones, meanwhile, continues to light it up from 3-point range, ranking third in Division I in made 3-pointers (66) and fourth in 3-pointers per game (3.47).
Scouting Campbell
Campbell enters Thursday with the same overall record as Asheville (10-9), but is 6-6 against Big South foes. After dropping two competitive contests against Radford, the Camels bounced back to edge out Charleston Southern by a point on January 29 (59-58), topping the Bucs 75-67 the following day. Junior forward Cedric Henderson, Jr. leads the team with 15.6 points per game and 4.4 rebounds per game, while senior guard Jordan Whitfield is just a tick behind Henderson, averaging 14.9 points per game. Henderson was named Big South Player of the Week after averaging 20.5 points and 7.0 rebounds in the series against Charleston Southern.
Series History
Asheville has the overall edge in the series, going 26-23 all-time. The Bulldogs are 7-2 when welcoming the Camels to Kimmel Arena. Despite Campbell winning both regular-season matchups last year, the Bulldogs edged out the Camels 72-68 in the 2020 Big South Tournament.
How to Follow
Matt Schick and Paul Biancardi will have the ESPNU call on Thursday night, with Matt Stradley and Phil Marcello on the airwaves for Friday's game on ESPN+. Brian Hall and Mike Gore will have the radio call on 570 WNNC both Thursday and Friday. Live stats for both games can be found here.
