University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
UNC Asheville
Longwood
GAME PREVIEW: Asheville Heads to Longwood for ESPNU Matchup
02.11.2026 | Men's Basketball
GAME DETAILS
- Game 25
- UNC Asheville (11-13, 5-5) vs Longwood (13-13, 5-6)
- Thursday, February 12, 2026
- 7 p.m.
- Farmville, Va. || Joan Perry Brock Center
- ESPNU
- Live Stats
ESPNU MATCHUP
Thursday's 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. Tomorrow's broadcast will 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.
ASHEVILLE'S LAST TIME OUT
Prior to the weekend break, UNC Asheville defeated USC Upstate in Kimmel Arena 76–67 last Wednesday (Feb. 4). After trailing at halftime, the Bulldogs shot 60% in the second half and used timely three-point shooting to take control down the stretch. Kameron Taylor led Asheville with 21 points, including 14 after the break, while Toyaz Solomon added a double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds. The victory completed a season sweep of the Spartans and helped Asheville take a 21-6 lead in the 2025-26 Ingles I-26 Rivalry.
SOLOMON ON HIS WAY TO ANOTHER MILESTONE
Toyaz Solomon is on track to become just the 20th player in Big South history with 1,000 career points, 500 career rebounds, and 100 career blocked shots. He became the 39th player in UNC Asheville history to score 1,000 points on Jan. 14 and is No. 10 in the program with 107 blocks. He enters this week with 496 career rebounds. Upon reaching 500 rebounds, he'll become the 110th member of the Big South's 500-rebound club.
WRIGHT ON TARGET
Justin Wright has started and appeared in all 24 games this season, scoring in double figures in 22 contests. He is currently on a 20-game streak of double-digit scoring performances and is averaging 17.7 points per game in conference play.
KT'S CONSISTENCY
Kameron Taylor has a league-best 13 games with at least 20 points (nine in conference). Taylor is the second-leading scorer in Big South action with 22.6 points per game.
DJ FROM THREE
The Bulldogs are 8-2 when DJ Patrick makes at least three 3-pointers in a game. Patrick is second in the league with his 40.1 overall three-point percentage, and third in conference-games at 40.6 percent.
MORRELL ON THE CLIMB
Head Coach Mike Morrell is currently tied for 14th all-time in Big South history with 127 overall wins. His next victory will give him sole possession, while two more wins pushes him into a tie for 13th.
PUTTING IN THE MINUTES
Asheville accounts for four of the conference's top six players in minutes played per game, led by Patrick with 34:42, followed by Taylor in second with 33:45, Wright in fifth with 31:57, and Solomon in sixth with 31:49.
TEAMMATE TWENTY
Asheville leads the league with nine games of two-or-more teammates scoring at least 20 points.
- Nov. 8: Wright (33), Taylor (29)
- Nov. 25: Taylor (23), Solomon (21), Wright (20)
- Dec. 10: Solomon (31), Wright (26)
- Jan. 3: Solomon (34), Wright (22), Taylor (21)
- Jan. 10: Taylor (27), Patrick (24)
- Jan. 14: Wright (26), Taylor (22)
- Jan. 17: Taylor (26), Solomon (20)
- Jan. 21: Taylor (27), Wright (20)
- Jan. 31: Taylor (25), Wright (21)
A LOOK AT LONGWOOD
Longwood fell to Winthrop this past Saturday (Jan. 7) 74–79. Nine Lancers found their way into the scoring column, led by Johan Nziemi with 13 points. Elijah Tucker led the team with eight rebounds.
Tucker leads the Lancers, averaging 12.2 points per game and 6.6 boards a game. Alphonzo Billups III leads the team with 40 steals and is averaging 1.54 steals a game.
Longwood leads the league in free throw percentage, as the Lancers are shooting 74.2% from the charity stripe. Jacoi Hutchinson leads Longwood and is No. 2 in the league in free throw shooting as he is shooting 85.2%. Hutchinson is also the team leader in assists with 85 on the season.
STATISTICAL COMPARISON
|
2025-26 Season |
Asheville |
Longwood |
| Scoring Offense | 74.3 | 76.4 |
| Scoring Defense | 72.3 | 72.7 |
| Scoring Margin | 2.0 | 3.7 |
| FG Percentage | .462 | .466 |
| FG Pct. Defense | .442 | .444 |
| 3PT Percentage | .360 | .303 |
| FT Percentage | .700 | .747 |
| Rebounds Per Game | 35.0 | 36.9 |
| Assists Per Game | 11.4 | 12.8 |
| Turnovers Per Game | 12.5 | 14.2 |
| Steals Per Game | 5.6 | 8.8 |
| Blocks Per Game | 3.2 | 2.5 |
WATCH PARTY
Rally with Bulldog Nation at Bear's Smokehouse BBQ for Thursday's ESPNU contest! Catch all the action, enjoy great BBQ, and cheer on Asheville alongside fellow fans in a fun, game-day atmosphere.
BULLDOGS ON SOCIAL MEDIA
To stay updated with Asheville men's basketball, follow the team on 𝕩.
