University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
Friday, November 18
Atlanta, GA
8:30 pm
UNC Asheville
vs
Texas A&M Commerce
Men’s Basketball heads to Atlanta for the Capitol Classic
11.17.2022 | Men's Basketball
ASHEVILLE, N.C. – The UNC Asheville men's basketball team will head to Atlanta this weekend to compete in the three-day Capitol Classic MTE event. Asheville will play three games in three days against Texas A&M Commerce (Friday @ 8:30 p.m.), Eastern Kentucky (Saturday @ 5:30 p.m.), and Georgia State (Sunday @ 3:30 p.m.). Sunday's game against Georgia State will be the only one of the three that will air on ESPN+.
Last Time Out – The Bulldogs improved to 2-0 on the season thanks to a 94-46 victory over Brevard last Saturday. It marks the first time that Asheville has started a season 2-0 since 2008.
National Player of the Week – Senior Drew Pember was named the Lou Henson National Player of the Week on Monday. Pember, who was also the Big South's Co-Player of the Week, is the first Bulldog to earn this accolade since 2012 (J.P. Primm).
Tajion scores 1,500 – With 14 points on Saturday against Brevard, Tajion Jones became just the ninth Bulldog ever to score 1,500 points in a Bulldog uniform. Jones, who also grabbed his 500th career rebound in the victory, needs to make just 30 more 3-pointers to become the program's all-time leader in that category.
Boost from the Bench – A key factor in Asheville's 2-0 start has been its production from its bench players. The Bulldog reserves are averaging 40.67 points per game, which not only leads the Big South but also ranks 16th nationally.
Points a Plenty – Asheville has had no issue scoring in the first couple games of the season. The Bulldogs, who have topped the 90-point mark in back-to-back games for the first time since 2017, rank 10th nationally in scoring offense (96.0 PPG) and seventh in the country in terms of field goal percentage (.561).
About the Opponents – Texas A&M Commerce, which is in its first season of being a member of Division I, will bring a 1-2 record with it to Atlanta. The Lions won their first Division I game on Monday by knocking off Air Force in overtime, 73-69.
Like Texas A&M Commerce, Eastern Kentucky is 1-2 on the season as well. EKU is a team that is fueled by the 3-pointer as it ranks eighth in the country averaging 12.3 made 3-pointers per game so far in 2022-23.
Georgia State is 2-1 so far in 2022-23 with wins over Coastal Georgia (76-59) and Mercer (85-83) with the lone setback being against Georgia Tech (59-57). Ja'Heim Hudson is a player to watch for the Panthers as he has a pair of double-doubles in the team's three games this season.
Series Rewind vs. Opponents – Asheville does not have a ton of history against any of its three opponents this weekend. The Bulldogs are 3-3 against EKU and 2-0 against Georgia State. Friday will mark the first ever matchup between the Bulldogs and Lions.
Last Time Out – The Bulldogs improved to 2-0 on the season thanks to a 94-46 victory over Brevard last Saturday. It marks the first time that Asheville has started a season 2-0 since 2008.
National Player of the Week – Senior Drew Pember was named the Lou Henson National Player of the Week on Monday. Pember, who was also the Big South's Co-Player of the Week, is the first Bulldog to earn this accolade since 2012 (J.P. Primm).
Tajion scores 1,500 – With 14 points on Saturday against Brevard, Tajion Jones became just the ninth Bulldog ever to score 1,500 points in a Bulldog uniform. Jones, who also grabbed his 500th career rebound in the victory, needs to make just 30 more 3-pointers to become the program's all-time leader in that category.
Boost from the Bench – A key factor in Asheville's 2-0 start has been its production from its bench players. The Bulldog reserves are averaging 40.67 points per game, which not only leads the Big South but also ranks 16th nationally.
Points a Plenty – Asheville has had no issue scoring in the first couple games of the season. The Bulldogs, who have topped the 90-point mark in back-to-back games for the first time since 2017, rank 10th nationally in scoring offense (96.0 PPG) and seventh in the country in terms of field goal percentage (.561).
About the Opponents – Texas A&M Commerce, which is in its first season of being a member of Division I, will bring a 1-2 record with it to Atlanta. The Lions won their first Division I game on Monday by knocking off Air Force in overtime, 73-69.
Like Texas A&M Commerce, Eastern Kentucky is 1-2 on the season as well. EKU is a team that is fueled by the 3-pointer as it ranks eighth in the country averaging 12.3 made 3-pointers per game so far in 2022-23.
Georgia State is 2-1 so far in 2022-23 with wins over Coastal Georgia (76-59) and Mercer (85-83) with the lone setback being against Georgia Tech (59-57). Ja'Heim Hudson is a player to watch for the Panthers as he has a pair of double-doubles in the team's three games this season.
Series Rewind vs. Opponents – Asheville does not have a ton of history against any of its three opponents this weekend. The Bulldogs are 3-3 against EKU and 2-0 against Georgia State. Friday will mark the first ever matchup between the Bulldogs and Lions.
Players Mentioned
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