High Point MBB Hosts UNC Asheville Saturday Night

High Point vs. UNC Asheville

WHEN: Saturday, January 26 | 7 p.m.
WHERE: High Point, N.C. | Millis Center
SERIES RECORD: 54th meeting, AVL leads, 31-22
LIVE STATS: Click Here
AUDIO: High Point Panther Radio Network
VIDEO: ESPN+
GAME NOTES: Click Here

HIGH POINT, N.C. — The High Point University men’s basketball team (10-9, 3-2 Big South) continues Big South Conference on Saturday (Jan. 26) against UNC Asheville (2-18, 0-6). Tip-off at the Millis Center is set for 7 p.m. and the game will be broadcast live on ESPN+.

PAW PRINTS
• This will be the 54th meeting between the two programs, with the Bulldogs leading the series, 31-22. The home team won each meeting last season.
• This will be the second time HPU head coach Tubby Smith will face UNC Asheville in his head coaching career. Smith is 1-0 against the Bulldogs.
• Last time out, the Panthers fell at Longwood, 55-51, Thursday night (Jan. 24) in Farmville, Va. HPU was down 13 with six minutes to go and cut the lead to two in the final minute, but could not convert a game-tying shot in the last 10 seconds.
• Junior Jamal Wright had his best game of the season, tallying a season-high 13 points and a career-high six rebounds.
• The last time the Panthers were home, they defeated Big South newcomer USC Upstate, 71-54, Jan. 16 at the Millis Center.
• HPU opened up on the game on a 26-6 run and never looked back. Junior Brandonn Kamga had a game-high 19 points, while fellow junior Jahaad Proctor added 17 points.
• With 13 rebounds against the Spartans, senior Ricky Madison has recorded 11 or more boards in three of the last four games and is averaging 11.0 in conference play.
• Madison has six double-digit rebounding games this year after recording two in his first three seasons in the Purple & White. Madison also has four double-doubles this season.
• Senior Jordan Whitehead has enjoyed time so far in 2019. The forward was averaging 6.2 points and 4.8 rebounds before the year end and is averaging 9.2 points and 7.8 rebounds in six games so far in the new year.
• High Point is 7-1 when it is leading or tied at halftime and 3-8 when trailing at the break.
• The Panthers have scored 59.3 of their points from 2-pointers, the second-highest ratio in the country.
• As part of Suits and Sneakers Week for Coaches vs. Cancer, the High Point coaching staff will be wearing sneakers with their suits during the game to raise awareness for Coaches vs. Cancer and the fight against cancer.

HISTORY vs. UNC ASHEVILLE
This will be the 54th meeting between the two programs. Both teams won at home last season, with the Panthers taking the first matchup, 84-74, on Jan. 3, 2018 at the Millis Center. The Bulldogs won the second meeting, 84-77, on Jan. 27, 2018 in Asheville. Overall, UNC Asheville has won four of the last five meetings.

HISTORY vs. IN-STATE OPPONENTS
High Point has complied a 337-279 (.547) record all-time against Division I programs hailing from the Tar Heel State. HPU’s most common opponents are Elon (86-76), Appalachian State (60-36) and Western Carolina (42-23). The majority of those meetings came during the NAIA era. High Point is 84-78 (.519) against Big South programs from North Carolina and 253-201 (.557) against the rest of the state’s Div. I teams. HPU is 2-0 this season against Division I opponents from North Carolina with wins against East Carolina and Western Carolina.

TUBBY SMITH vs. LONGWOOD
HPU head coach Tubby Smith is facing UNC Asheville for the second time in his head coaching career. Coach Smith’s Kentucky Wildcats defeated the Bulldogs, 86-41, on Dec. 7, 1999.

A LOOK AT THE BULLDOGS
UNC Asheville is 2-18 on the season and 0-6 in Big South play after falling at Winthrop, 66-45, on Monday (Jan. 21). DeVon Baker leads the Bulldogs with 16.0 points per game. According to KenPom, UNC Asheville has the least experienced team in the country and through NCAA research are the youngest team in the country.

NEXT UP
The Panthers continue Big South play on Wednesday (Jan. 30) at Gardner-Webb. Tip-off from Boiling Springs, N.C., is set for 7 p.m. and the game will be broadcast on ESPN+.