University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
UNC Asheville
Radford
GAME PREVIEW: Men’s Basketball Travels to Radford for ESPNU Matchup
02.19.2025 | Men's Basketball
GAME DETAILS
- UNC Asheville (19-7, 10-2) vs. Radford (16-11, 6-6)
- Thursday, February 20, 2025
- 7 p.m.
- Radford, Va. || Dedmon Center
- ESPNU
- Live Stats
- Tickets
- History
ESPNU HISTORY
UNC Asheville is competing in its second ESPNU Big South Conference Wildcard Game of the season, as the Bulldogs hosted Gardner-Webb on Feb. 6 on national TV and defeated the Runnin' Bulldogs 78-70. Thursday is the fifth all-time "Wildcard" meeting between Asheville and Radford and the Bulldogs' 18th Big South Conference ESPNU game since the Wildcard matchups began 12 years ago. Radford is 3-1 all-time vs. Asheville in the Big South's ESPNU "Wildcard" series.
The UNC Asheville Athletics Department will host a watch party for Bulldog fans at Bear's Smokehouse BBQ on Thursday (Feb. 20) for fans to watch Asheville take on the Highlanders at 7 p.m.
LAST TIME OUT
In front of the largest crowd in Kimmel Arena this season, Asheville defeated Charleston Southern 75-72 in a thrilling Homecoming victory on Saturday, February 15.
Josh Banks was Asheville's leading scorer, as he finished the day with a season-high 23 points, going 7-18 from the field, 3-9 from 3-point range, and 6-6 from the charity stripe. Banks' perfect day at the free-throw line marks the third consecutive game he has shot 100% from the charity stripe.
TEAM TAP-IN
For the fourth consecutive season and 24th time, while being in the Big South, the Bulldogs have won 15 games. Following Saturday's victory, Asheville has clinched its third consecutive 10-win conference campaign and 17th overall, second-most in league records. After 56 Big South games played, the home teams are 37-19 ( =66.1 winning percentage) and own a winning margin of 10.08 points. Asheville is 6-0 in Kimmel Arena and 4-2 in league road games.
DOUBLE-DIGIT DOGS
Asheville has had four or more players score double-figures in 19 of the Bulldogs' 26 games this season. Jordan Marsh leads the team, averaging 18.8 points a game. Marsh is averaging a league-best 23.8 points, the highest points-per-game clip since 2018-19. In the nation, Marsh is No. 28 in field goals with 178, No. 26 in field goal attempts with 394, No. 43 in points with 490, and No. 41 in points per game. Marsh leads the league with three games where he has scored 30-or-more points and is second in the league in games with 20-or-more points with 11.
Against USC Upstate on Feb. 12, Marsh scored 27 points in the second half, the most points scored in a half for Asheville this season, and the most points scored in a half since Josh Banks scored 30 in the first half against App State on Dec. 21, 2023.
Toyaz Solomon is Asheville's second-leading scorer with 15.7 points a game and 16.8 in conference play. Solomon has scored double-figures in 25 games this season and is third in the league in double-doubles with five. Solomon is No. 14 in the nation in field goal percentage with a .605 and No. 31 in field goals with 176. Solomon leads the team with 7.5 rebounds per game and 41 blocks.
Josh Banks averages 15.3 points per game in conference play and is tied with Mister Dean at USC Upstate for most games with 20-24 points scored with eight.
Fletcher Abee is the final Bulldog in double-figures with 11.0 points per game. Abee is No. 11 in the nation and leads the league with a 44.8% 3-point shooting percentage. Abee's from-distance shooting percentage is the highest 3-point shooting percentage in the league since 2022-23, when former Bulldog Tajion Jones held the top spot at 44.8%. Abee has made 191 3-pointers in his Bulldog career, which puts him at No. 8 in program records.
IN THE NATIONAL SPOTLIGHT
Asheville is in the top 50 in the nation in seven categories:
- No. 7 Scoring Offense: 84.4 (No. 2 in BSC)
- No. 27 Turnover margin: 3.4 (No. 1 in BSC)
- No. 33 Free throw attempts per game 22.5 (No. 4 in BSC)
- No. 35 Fastbreak points: 13.77 (No. 1 in BSC)
- No. 40 Turnovers per game: 10.3 (No. 1 in BSC)
- No. 44 Winning Percentage: 73.1 (No. 2 in BSC)
- No. 47 Field goal percentage: 47.6 (No. 2 in BSC)
SCOUTING RADFORD
- The Highlanders enter Thursday's game following a 78-74 loss at Winthrop on Saturday.
- In league play, Jarvis Moss leads the Highlanders with 12.0 points per game, 2.3 assists per game, 100 field goals, and 27 3-pointers. Moss leads the league with 180 three-point attempts.
- Brandon Maclin is Radford's second-highest scorer in league play, with 11.3 points per game.
- Truth Harris is the last Highlander averaging double-figures in league play with 10.9. The Highlanders' leading rebounder is Josiah Harris, who averages 7.1 boards per game.
- Radford leads the league and is No. 15 in the nation in bench points, averaging 31.26 a game. The Highlanders are No. 1 in the league in fouls per game, averaging 17.3. Radford leads the conference with a three-point percentage of 37.0%.
STATISTICAL COMPARISON
2024-25 Season Asheville Radford
Scoring Offense 84.4 74.3
Scoring Defense 76.1 71.1
Scoring Margin 8.3 3.1
FG Percentage .476 .449
FG Pct. Defense .444 .337
3PT Percentage .356 .370
FT Percentage .709 .757
Rebounds Per Game 36.4 35.9
Assists Per Game 14.6 11.7
Steals Per Game 7.3 6.0
Blocks Per Game 4.2 3.3
Turnovers Per Game 10.3 11.7
BULLDOGS ON SOCIAL MEDIA
To stay updated with Asheville men's basketball, follow the team on 𝕩.
