Men's Basketball Opens Conference Play Against Gardner-Webb

UNC Asheville has struggled out of the gate this season, but both teams will enter the game undefeated in conference play when the Bulldogs travel to Boiling Springs to take on Gardner-Webb on Friday night. Asheville (0-6) is off to its worst start since the 1999-2000 campaign while Gardner-Webb (3-2) boasts a winning record, but the Bulldogs have faced a much more consistently challenging slate.

UNC Asheville’s losing streak is the result of matchups against such elite opposition as 5^th-ranked Kentucky (7-0), 11^th-ranked Tennessee (6-1), Georgia (4-2), and Charlotte (5-1), in addition to Atlantic Sun leader Campbell (4-1) and Southern Conference leader Furman (4-1). Gardner-Webb has faced a much softer early season schedule, collecting three wins over Covenant, Montreat, and Methodist. Gardner-Webb’s first loss came on November 23 at the hands of 10^th-ranked North Carolina. The Runnin’ Bulldogs put together a strong showing in the loss, and were paced by 32 points from Grayson Flittner, including a Dean E. Smith Center record nine three-pointers. Gardner-Webb dropped its second straight on Saturday, when it was pounded at home by a very good Western Carolina team.

Most of Gardner-Webb’s production comes from its strong senior class. Flittner leads the team in scoring, averaging 13.2 points per game. Australian-born center Auryn MacMillan is averaging 10.4 points and 9.0 rebounds. Guard C.J. Hailey contributes 9.0 points per game. UNC Asheville has spread the scoring around thus far. In six games the Bulldogs have had five different high scorers, with J.P. Primm the only player to lead the team twice. UNC Asheville may have an emerging leader in Primm, who averages a team-high 12.2 points per game, but needs more consistent production from its veterans. Sharpshooter Sean Smith found his scoring touch on Monday against Kentucky, knocking down six three-pointers en route to a 19 point performance. John Williams leads the team in rebounding and blocked shots, and will look to increase his output on the offensive end.

The stakes will be high on Friday as both teams look to shake off losing streaks and claim a winning record in Big South conference play. UNC Asheville is 12-1 in conference openers in the Eddie Biedenbach era, and has won its last four. The Bulldogs won both games last year against a Gardner-Webb team that played without Flittner, who missed the season with a knee injury. Matt Dickey performed well in both games for Asheville, averaging 17.5 points.