University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
UNC Asheville
Alabama
GAME PREVIEW: Bulldogs Open Season Against No. 2 Alabama
11.03.2024 | Men's Basketball
GAME DETAILS
- UNC Asheville (0-0) vs. Alabama (0-0)
- Monday, November 4, 2024
- 9 p.m. EST
- Tuscaloosa, Ala. || Coleman Coliseum
- Watch || Play-By-Play- Dave Neal | Analyst- Richard Hendrix
- Live Stats
- Game Notes
- Alabama's Game Notes
A NEW ERA OF BULLDOG BASKETBALL BEGINS MONDAY
The 2024-25 college basketball season officially begins on Monday, and the UNC Asheville men's basketball team will face the No. 2 team in the nation, Alabama. This season's team returns seven players from last year's squad, but lost several key players from the past few seasons, including two-time Big South Conference Player and Athlete of the Year Drew Pember. Nine individuals will don an Asheville uniform for the first time, as the Bulldogs' new-coming class features six transfers and three freshmen.
Asheville is returning 2,685 minutes of the team's 6,875 minutes from last season. Two of the team's top-three scorers from last season, Josh Banks and Fletcher Abee, returned. Banks and Abee played in all 34 games for Asheville, with Banks having 436 points, averaging 12.8 a game, and Abee recording 361, averaging 10.6.
Banks was named to the Preseason Big South All-Conference Second Team.
Toyaz Solomon returns for the Bulldogs after having one of the best second-half portions of the season for Asheville in 2023-24. Solomon started in six of Asheville's last seven games and went 32-44 from the field for a .727 shooting percentage, averaging 9.6 points per game, 1.4 blocks per game, and 3.9 rebounds in the last seven games.
Greg Gantt Jr. returns to this year's squad after playing limited minutes last season. In 17 games, he shot 50 percent from the field as he was 12-for-24 and recorded 30 points. Gantt grabbed 38 rebounds, 11 assists, seven steals, and seven blocks. He recorded a season-high 10 rebounds against High Point on Jan. 10.
Asheville newcomers Justin Wright and Jordan Marsh are two Bulldogs expected to impact the team immediately. Wright transferred from Loyola Marymount University after spending three seasons at North Carolina Central. At LMU last season, Wright averaged 11.1 points per game. Marsh transferred to Asheville from App State, where he averaged 6.2 points during his freshman campaign.
SCOUTING THE CRIMSON TIDE
Alabama is ranked No. 2 in the Associated Press Top-25 poll, the highest preseason ranking in program history, breaking the No. 7 ranking set in the 1990-91 season. The Crimson Tide are also predicted to finish first in the SEC. Mark Sears was named the SEC Preseason Player of the Year, the second player in Alabama program history to earn the honor.
Alabama is the only team in Division I that has three players on its roster that has started 100 career games or more throughout their collegiate careers in Chris Youngblood (118 starts), Mark Sears (114 starts) and Clifford Omoruyi (104 starts). The Crimson Tide's roster is the only roster in the country that has six players that have scored 1,000 career points throughout their Division I careers: Mark Sears (2,151 points), Chris Youngblood (1,732 points), Grant Nelson (1,483 points), Houston Mallette (1,295 points), Clifford Omoruyi (1,251 points) and Latrell Wrightsell Jr. (1,074 points).
ROAD WARRIORS
Monday's season opener marks the first of seven road games for the Bulldogs. The Bulldogs travel to six different states to face their seven opponents, starting with Alabama, then Ohio, Florida to face North Florida, Arkansas for a multi-team event with Southeast Missouri State and Central Arkansas, Tennessee to face Tennessee State, and Virginia against George Mason.
The Bulldogs' first home contest will be on December 7 against St. Andrews.
SIXTY YEARS OF BULLDOG BASKETBALL
This season marks the 60th year that Asheville men's basketball has competed as a 4-year program. St. Andrews was the only team Asheville faced during the 1964-65 season that the Bulldogs will be facing this season.
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