A sampling from a few of the stories going around about the big game tonight between UNC Asheville and Arkansas-Little Rock. The game starts at 6:30 p.m. on truTV.
From Keith Jarrett of the Asheville Citizen-Times:
From the chartered flight that left Asheville Monday morning to the practice at the University of Dayton Arena while video highlights of their season played on giant screens, everything screamed out big time for the UNC Asheville men’s basketball team
On the eve of this team’s first appearance in college basketball’s showcase event, the day before the Bulldogs open the NCAA tournament against Arkansas-Little Rock, the players insist they won’t feel any extra nerves.
Don’t believe them.
More nice context from the brownsvilleherald.com:
A lot has changed since the Bulldogs opened the 2003 tournament in Dayton and became the first Big South team to win an NCAA tournament game.
Over the years, players and coaches groused about getting consigned to what was officially known as the Opening Round but commonly called the play-in for a 65-team field. With the expanded field and eight teams in Dayton this time, it felt more like a first round — its new, official title. And the Bulldogs (19-13) and Trojans (19-16) felt privileged to get it started.
“We talked amongst ourselves, and it’s exciting to be the first one to be in the tournament and to play the first game,” UNC Asheville guard J.P. Primm said. “Our guys are pretty stoked about it.”
This story at bleacherreport.com says Vegas odds have UNCA winning by four, and gives UNCA the nod over Little Rock:
The Arkansas Little Rock Trojans are a one man team powered by senior guard Solomon Bozeman. Bozeman is the one player that the Trojans can lean on to win big games, but he will not be able to get off against a deep guard unit for the Bulldogs.
The main advantage for UNC Asheville is size as the Trojans do not have any size at all.
UNC Asheville will advance to face Pittsburgh.
From atlanta.sbnation.com:
The first confusing play-in game of this year’s all-new first-four “round” thing puts Sun Belt champs UALR up against Big South bosses Asheville for the right to get flattened by Pitt. truTV used to be Court TV, so you probably get it but have it saved in your channel profile that you only break out when judges are at your house.
USA Today’s Campus Rivalry recalls UNCA guard Matt Dickey’s buzzer-beater from a few weeks back that helped the team get to where it is today:
On the night of Feb. 22, the North Carolina-Asheville guard became an online sensation with his steal and buzzer-beating three-pointer that gave the Bulldogs a huge road win at Coastal Carolina. Asheville hasn’t lost since, and Dickey made sure he showed everyone the shot wasn’t a fluke.
“We were back down there for the Big South tournament, and after practice he re-enacted it, and darned if he didn’t make it again,” Bulldogs coach Eddie Biedenbach says.
Says Dickey with a laugh: “I told the guys if they needed me to make it again, just give it to me.”
The site also has more on the chartered flights for the teams playing tonight:
Men’s basketball players from North Carolina-Asheville felt “presidential” taking a chartered flight for their first-round game against Arkansas-Little Rock in the NCAA tournament, junior J.P. Primm said Monday.
That turned out to be a perk for playing in the opening games of an expanded 68-team field for the tournament that begins tonight. The winner gets No. 1 seed Pittsburgh in the second round of the Southeast Regional on Thursday in Washington.
Asheville (19-13) usually rides a bus to games, same as Arkansas-Little Rock (19-16). But the NCAA arranged for chartered flights for the eight teams in this round because winners have a short turnaround for their next games.
3 Comments
Let's dance Asheville.
GO BULLDOGS! 🙂
Good luck UNC Asheville.