University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
Wednesday, February 2
Asheville, N.C.
6:30 PM
UNC Asheville
vs
Longwood
Men’s basketball set to host league-leading Longwood Wednesday
02.01.2022 | Men's Basketball
ASHEVILLE, N.C. – The UNC Asheville men's basketball team returns home Wednesday, current No. 1 seed Longwood for a Big South matchup scheduled for 6:30 p.m. at Kimmel Arena.
Who: UNC Asheville (12-9, 4-4 Big South) vs. Longwood (15-5, 7-0 Big South)
When: Wednesday (2/2) at 6:30 p.m.
Where: Asheville, North Carolina – Kimmel Arena
How to Follow
Watch: ESPN+
Listen: ESPN Asheville
Stats: Live
Promotions & Tickets
Wednesday's game will be sponsored by The Matt & Molly Team with the featured guests being students and families from the Carolina Day School. Also, all February long, tickets to the game are just $5 as a part of UNC Asheville's "$5 February" promotion. To purchase tickets ahead of time, click here.
A lift from the Bench
LJ Thorpe, who has 70 starts in his career, has come alive of late, scoring a season-high 28 points while grabbing five rebounds and dishing out four assists with two steals in Saturday's 68-67 win at Presbyterian. Thorpe was extremely efficient from the floor, going 8-for-14 from the field, 2-of-2 from 3-point range and 10-of-12 from the free throw line. The win was the first for head coach Mike Morrell at Presbyterian, and the program's first win in Clinton since January 12, 2018.
Protecting Home Court
The Bulldogs will look to get back to their winning ways at home Wednesday, having dropped three straight at Kimmel. On the season, however, Asheville has fared well on its home court, posting an overall record of 7-4, with its lone non-conference loss coming to Chattanooga, which currently has a NET ranking of 41 with an overall record of 18-4. On the contrary, since conference play has begun, the Bulldogs are a strong 3-1 on the road.
Series History
The Bulldogs have gotten the better of the Lancers over the years, going 15-4 all-time. Longwood got the edge last year, taking two of three contests, including the Big South Quarterfinal in which Asheville was without head coach Mike Morrell or Evan Clayborne. During his tenure, Morrell is 3-3 against the Lancers.
Scouting the Lancers
Selected to finish second in the North Division of the Preseason Big South Poll, Longwood has been the class of the league to this point, posting an overall record of 15-5 with a perfect 7-0 record in conference play. Longwood's last loss came on December 22, 2021 when they visited Abilene Christian (78-54). All but one conference game have been decided by eight points or less winning at Radford in overtime much like Asheville. Sophomore Justin Hill, who leads the offense with 13.7 points per game, garnered Big South Co-Player of the Week honors Monday after averaging 21.3 points, 5.0 assists, 5.0 rebounds and 2.0 steals in three wins. The Lancers lead the league in scoring margin (+8.6), steals (7.71) and free-throw percentage (79.7), while allowing their opponents to grab just 29.1 rebounds per game, also first in the Big South. Nationally, Longwood ranks 12th in rebounding margin (+7.8) and is 15th in scoring margin (+13.9).
Who: UNC Asheville (12-9, 4-4 Big South) vs. Longwood (15-5, 7-0 Big South)
When: Wednesday (2/2) at 6:30 p.m.
Where: Asheville, North Carolina – Kimmel Arena
How to Follow
Watch: ESPN+
Listen: ESPN Asheville
Stats: Live
Promotions & Tickets
Wednesday's game will be sponsored by The Matt & Molly Team with the featured guests being students and families from the Carolina Day School. Also, all February long, tickets to the game are just $5 as a part of UNC Asheville's "$5 February" promotion. To purchase tickets ahead of time, click here.
A lift from the Bench
LJ Thorpe, who has 70 starts in his career, has come alive of late, scoring a season-high 28 points while grabbing five rebounds and dishing out four assists with two steals in Saturday's 68-67 win at Presbyterian. Thorpe was extremely efficient from the floor, going 8-for-14 from the field, 2-of-2 from 3-point range and 10-of-12 from the free throw line. The win was the first for head coach Mike Morrell at Presbyterian, and the program's first win in Clinton since January 12, 2018.
Protecting Home Court
The Bulldogs will look to get back to their winning ways at home Wednesday, having dropped three straight at Kimmel. On the season, however, Asheville has fared well on its home court, posting an overall record of 7-4, with its lone non-conference loss coming to Chattanooga, which currently has a NET ranking of 41 with an overall record of 18-4. On the contrary, since conference play has begun, the Bulldogs are a strong 3-1 on the road.
Series History
The Bulldogs have gotten the better of the Lancers over the years, going 15-4 all-time. Longwood got the edge last year, taking two of three contests, including the Big South Quarterfinal in which Asheville was without head coach Mike Morrell or Evan Clayborne. During his tenure, Morrell is 3-3 against the Lancers.
Scouting the Lancers
Selected to finish second in the North Division of the Preseason Big South Poll, Longwood has been the class of the league to this point, posting an overall record of 15-5 with a perfect 7-0 record in conference play. Longwood's last loss came on December 22, 2021 when they visited Abilene Christian (78-54). All but one conference game have been decided by eight points or less winning at Radford in overtime much like Asheville. Sophomore Justin Hill, who leads the offense with 13.7 points per game, garnered Big South Co-Player of the Week honors Monday after averaging 21.3 points, 5.0 assists, 5.0 rebounds and 2.0 steals in three wins. The Lancers lead the league in scoring margin (+8.6), steals (7.71) and free-throw percentage (79.7), while allowing their opponents to grab just 29.1 rebounds per game, also first in the Big South. Nationally, Longwood ranks 12th in rebounding margin (+7.8) and is 15th in scoring margin (+13.9).
Players Mentioned
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