University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
Men’s Basketball to Play at Longwood on ESPNU
01.28.2026 | Men's Basketball
The nationally televised contest is set for Thursday, Feb. 12, with a 7:00 p.m. tipoff inside the Joan Perry Brock Center on the campus of Longwood University in Farmville, Virginia.
The game marks just the second all-time ESPNU "Wildcard" meeting between the Bulldogs and the Lancers. Asheville claimed the first national television matchup on Jan. 12, 2023, earning a 54–46 victory. The Feb. 12 broadcast will also be the second meeting between the teams this season, as the Bulldogs defeated Longwood 72–61 on Jan. 7 at Kimmel Arena. In that contest, Kameron Taylor led Asheville with 24 points, while Daniel Thomas grabbed 10 rebounds.
UNC Asheville will be making its 20th all-time appearance in the Big South ESPNU Wildcard series and owns an 8–11 record in those contests. The Bulldogs enter the week 3–4 in Big South play and 9–12 overall, with three of their four conference losses coming by one possession for a combined margin of six points.
Taylor has scored at least 20 points in all seven league games and ranks second in the Big South in conference scoring at 24.0 points per game. Justin Wright is averaging 18.0 points per game in league action, ranking eighth among conference leaders, followed by Big South Preseason Player of the Year Toyaz Solomon at 15.7 points per game.
Longwood will be making its 13th all-time appearance in the Big South ESPNU Wildcard series and holds a 4–8 record in those contests. Since its Jan. 7 loss to UNC Asheville, the Lancers are 3–1, with their lone setback coming by just two points. Elijah Tucker has led Longwood during Big South play, averaging 14.9 points and 8.4 rebounds per game while shooting 65.7 percent from the field. Redd Thompson Jr. is contributing 12.3 points per game in conference action, followed by Jacoi Hutchinson (10.9) and Emanuel Richards (10.3). Longwood enters the week tied for third in the Big South standings at 4–3 and is 12–10 overall.
The 2025–26 season marks the 13th year of the Big South's ESPNU Wildcard series, which features four Thursday primetime broadcasts selected 14–21 days in advance. This season's schedule includes Jan. 29 (Presbyterian at High Point – 9:00 p.m.), Feb. 12 (UNC Asheville at Longwood – 7:00 p.m.), Feb. 19 (7:00 p.m.) and Feb. 26 (7:00 p.m.).
Since the series began in 2013–14, a total of 59 games have been played, with home teams holding a 38–21 advantage. The contests have been decided by an average of 10.07 points, with 32 games (54.2 percent) decided by single digits.
