Chowan (0-1) @ UNCG (1-1)

When: Sunday, November 17 2:00 pm
Where: Greensboro Coliseum (7,617)^
TV: None/Spartan All-Access

^ - Greensboro Coliseum is undergoing renovations and will not be using the upper deck for any seating at UNCG games this season. I do not have the official seat totals with these changes.

Chowan Athletics

Preseason Preview

UNCG Stats
Last Game: East Carolina (L 84-85) Recap
PPG: 83.0
RPG: 42.5
APG: 13.0
Leader Points: Tevon Saddler (22.0)
Leader Rebounds: Kyle Cain, Kayel Locke (Tied - 8.0)
Leader Assists: Tevon Saddler (4.5)
FG %: 48.1
3 Pt %: 37.9
FT %: 68.0

Chowan Stats
Last Game: Apprentive School (L 91-97 OT) Recap
PPG: 91.0
RPG: 55.0
APG: 20.0
Leader Points: Ashante Ross (20.0)
Leader Rebounds: Phoenix Bulter-Poole (15.0)
Leader Assists: Tiron Brown (7.0)
FG %: 35.5
3 Pt %: 35.6
FT %: 70.0

Thoughts
The Spartans are playing a team that East Carolina beat by 50 on Thursday. The same ECU team that I thought UNCG should have defeated on Tuesday. Does that mean UNCG should win by 50 too? Not really. I just am saying that I expect UNCG to win easily.

I'm looking for UNCG to get off to another good start and get some separation from the Hawks early and to have this one wrapped up by halftime. I'm also interested to see how this team responds to a tough loss on Tuesday. The Greensboro Coliseum has had bigger crowds and energy for the first two game. Sunday afternoon will have a different feel. An early afternoon start against a non-D1 opponent will keep most fans away. The Spartans will have to make their own energy in this one. It should be fun to see how well they handle it.

Go Spartans !!!

East Carolina (1-0) @ UNCG (1-0)

When: Tuesday, November 12 7:00 pm
Where: Greensboro Coliseum (7,617)^
TV: None/Spartan All-Access

^ - Greensboro Coliseum is undergoing renovations and will not be using the upper deck for any seating at UNCG games this season. I do not have the official seat totals with these changes.

East Carolina Atheltics

Preseason Preview

UNCG Stats
Last Game: High Point (W 82-74) Recap
PPG: 82.0
RPG: 42.0
APG: 12.0
Leader Points: Locke, Cain (Tied - 21.0)
Leader Rebounds: Locke, Outlaw (Tied - 9.0)
Leader Assists: Saddler (4.0)
FG %: 46.4
3 Pt %: 29.4
FT %: 62.5

East Carolina Stats
Last Game: NC Wesleyan (W 97-51) Recap
PPG: 97.0
RPG: 50.0
APG: 26.0
Leader Points: Paris Roberts-Campbell (21.0)
Leader Rebounds: Marshall Guilmette (11.0)
Leader Assists: Antonio Robinson (6.0)
FG %: 56.7
3 Pt %: 41.7
FT %: 50.0

Thoughts
As this season gets underway, UNCG and East Carolina find themselves in very similar situations. The pirates and Spartans both lost almost all returning contributors from 2012-2013. ECU's leadership and experience last season led them to win the CollegeInsider.com Tournament (CIT) Championship. From that team, only one starter remains. So as much as UNCG was a mystery going into this season, so are the Pirates.

The Pirates do return 2 good guards in Paris Roberts-Campbell and Akeem Richmond and got good play from 2 freshmen (Caleb White and Brandan Stith) in their opener against NC Wesleyan. However, it hard to take a lot away from a game against a lower level team at home. Due to the large point difference, 11 ECU players played at least 8 minutes in the game.

East Carolina did manage to bring in several transfers, but all are ineligible to play this season (their last in C-USA). Next season, the Pirates move into the AAC full time. I think they are trying to be more prepared for that jump next season. So, this is just a very long way of saying that I honestly have no idea what to expect out of the Pirates. In their first game, they took 1/3 of their shots behind the arc and shared and rebounded the ball well. They didn't shoot free throws well and didn't get to the line as often as I would have expected.

For their parts, UNCG needs to bring that same attitude and excitement back to the court that they showed on Friday. The Spartans started fast and really never looked back. I would love to see that same thing again on Tuesday. Both of these teams are young and inexperienced. Both will be somewhat fragile emotionally. High Point was an older team that didn't go down when UNCG hit them hard. ECU might, though. Or it could be the other way around? UNCG hasn't faced any adversity so far. How will they handle it if it comes from the Pirates? I guess we will all find out soon enough.

Go Spartans !!!

Lees-McRae (0-11) @ UNCG (2-10)

When: Wednesday, January 9 7 pm
Where: Greensboro Coliseum (7,617/23,500)
TV: None/Spartan All-Access

Lees-McRae Athletics

UNCG Stats
Last Game: @ Davidson (L 53-85) Recap
PPG: 74.5
RPG: 37.5
APG: 12.8
Leader Points: Trevis Simpson (19.1)
Leader Rebounds: Kelvin McNeil (6.9)
Leader Assists: Drew Parker (3.4)
FG %: 41.8
3 Pt %: 32.6
FT %: 68.8

Lees-Mcrae Stats
Last Game: Mount Olive (L 70-112) Recap
PPG: 71.9
RPG: 37.1
APG: 13.1
Leader Points: Daniel Sepokas (17.6)
Leader Rebounds: Charles Clarke (4.3)
Leader Assists: Daniel Sepokas (4.0)
FG %: 39.2
3 Pt %: 37.4
FT %: 65.5

Thoughts
Okay, this is a winless DII team from Banner Elk, NC. UNCG has been beaten and battered for the last few weeks. It's time to get healthy, get some energy and some confidence. This is a team that UNCG should pound by using whatever style they feel like running. I won't be surprised if they hang around for a while, but this one should not be in doubt by halftime.

What I'm looking for is defensive intensity, good shot selection and a lot of energy. I want to see the Spartans come out mad and ready to take it out on a lesser opponent.

Go Spartans !!!

UNCG (2-9) @ Davidson (7-6)

When: Saturday, January 5 7 pm
Where: Belk Arena (5,223)
TV: ESPN3

Davidson Athletics

UNCG Athletics
Last Game: @ NC State (L 68-89) Recap
PPG: 76.5
RPG: 38.7
APG: 13.2
Leader Points: Trevis Simpson (20.3)
Leader Rebounds: Kelvin McNeil (7.4)
Leader Assists: Drew Parker (3.6)
FG %: 42.4
3 Pt %: 32.4
FT %: 68.8

Davidson Athletics
Last Game: #1 Duke (L 50-67) Recap
PPG: 70.4
RPG: 32.2
APG: 13.4
Leader Points: De'Mon Brooks (14.6)
Leader Rebounds: De'Mon Brooks (6.5)
Leader Assists: JP Kuhlman (3.8)
FG %: 43.4
3 Pt %: 38.1
FT %: 80.2

UNCG (1-1) @ East Carolina (2-0)

When: Friday, November 16 7 pm
Where: Minges Coliseum (8,000)
TV: None

East Carolina Athletics

UNCG Stats
Last Game: WSSU (W 81-65) Recap
PPG: 77.0
RPG: 41.0
APG: 15.0
Leader Points: Trevis Simpson (22.0)
Leader Rebounds: David Williams (7.0)
Leader Assists: Drew Parker (5.5)
FG %: 46.3
3 Pt %: 37.0
FT %: 62.2

East Carolina Stats
Last Game: Methodist (W 87-51) Recap
PPG: 79.5
RPG: 44.0
APG: 18.5
Leader Points: Maurice Kemp (20.0)
Leader Rebounds: Robert Sampson (9.0)
Leader Assists: Shamarr Bowden (6.5)
FG %: 46.6
3 Pt %: 22.2%
FT %: 64.1

Thoughts
Well, it's back to the road for this work in progress Spartan squad. It will be interesting to see if the UNCG can bring a more consistent effort to the offensive and defensive ends of the court. We all know that this team has a lot of athleticism, but the team needs to be stronger with the ball and take better shots. They also need to dig in on defense in every trip down the court. And finally they need to start limiting the offensive rebounds.

Having said that, UNCG has shown that they can wear down other teams with the shear volume of possessions. They also have shown the ability to stick to their plan and to not lose focus or confidence. These qualities will serve the Spartans well in another hostile venue.

As far as the opponent, it's awful hard to judge anything from two games against lower level opponents (ECU plays 4 non-D1 teams). They appear to be able to rebound well and shoot very well from inside the 3 point arc. They always seem to play well in Minges Coliseum.

UNCG has lost  5 straight to the Pirates and really all but one has been pretty lopsided. I hope the Spartans can change that storyline this trip to Greenville. Go Spartans !!!

Bluefield State (0-0) @ UNCG (0-0)

When: Saturday, Nov 3 6 pm
Where: Fleming Gym (2,320)
TV: None/Spartan All-Access

Bluefield State At a Glance ...
Location: Bluefield, West Virginia
Nickname: Big Blues
NCAA Division II - WV Intercollegiate Athletics Conference
2011-2012 record: 1-26
Coach: Jamaal Jackson (2nd season)
Preseason Prediction: 14 out of 15

Last Season Stats
FG %: 41.1
3 PT %: 32.5
FT%: 69.4
TO/game: 16.4
Block/game: 2.4
PPG: 74.7
RPG: 33.5
APG: 12.3

Last Season Leaders
Points: Chase Morgan (19.1)
Rebounds: Trevor Niles (9.5)
Assists: Chase Morgan (3.7)

Thoughts
Honestly I can't find very much about the Big Blues as to who is on their new roster. I really don't know what kind of size or skill they will bring with them to Fleming Gym. It looks like they didn't run a particularly slow pace last year, but averaged giving up almost 100 points a game (99.4).

As far as what I'm hoping for is to see the team get to showcase their abilities, work on specific sub patterns and escape with now injuries. AS long as those things happen, the score is really irrelevant.

Go Spartans !!!

Rivals Preseason SoCon Prediction

Rivals has posted their Southern Conference predictions for the upcoming season. Nothing too ground breaking here. I'll just repost their predicted order of finish.

ORDER OF FINISH
North Division
1. Chattanooga
2. Western Carolina
3. Appalachian State
4. UNC Greensboro
5. Elon
6. Samford

South Division
1. Davidson
2. College of Charleston .
3. Wofford
4. Georgia Southern
5. The Citadel
6. Furman

App State (8-13) @ UNCG (4-16)

When: Wednesday, Febuary 2 7 pm
Where: Greensboro Coliseum (7,617/23,500)
TV: None/Spartan All-Access

App State Athletics
App State Forum
AppFan Blog

Spartan Notes:
-Last time out, UNCG ran out to a big lead and then had to hold on to beat Samford in Birmingham on Saturday, 91-72. Brandon Evan scored 26 and Trevis Simpson scored 22 points.
- After starting the year 0-15, the Spartans have won 4 of their last 5 games. UNCG has won 2 straight home games.
- With a conference record of 4-6, UNCG sits in 3rd place in the SoCon North Division. They are a half game ahead of App State and Elon. Western Carolina is in 2nd place at 5-5.
- Korey VanDussen leads UNCG in scoring (11.0). Aloysius Henry leads in rebounds (5.6) and Kyle Randall leads the team in assists (3.8).
- For the year, the Spartans are shooting 42.2% from the field, 37.8% from behind the arc and 67.5% from the free throw line.

Mountaineer Notes:
- Amu Saaka dropped 31 points and lead Furman to a 81-61 victory over App State in Greenville. Omar Carter led ASU with 25 points.
- ASU has now lost 4 straight games and 6 of their last 7 contests. They have lost 4 straight road games.
- At their first meeting, App State narrowly fell to UNCG in Boone, 75-74. The Mountaineers had several looks at the end to take the lead, including a Donald Sims 3 pointer at the buzzer. App State held a lead of 41-28 at halftime of that game.
- Sims leads ASU in scoring (21.0) and assists (3.7). Andre Williamson leads the Mountaineers in rebounds (6.4).
- For the season, App State is shooting 44.4% from the field, 33.5% from behind the arc and 69.4% from the free throw line.

Georgia Southern (4-15) @ UNCG (2-15)

When: Thrusday, January 20 7 pm
Where: Greensboro Coliseum (7,617/23,500)
TV: None/Spartan All-Access

Ga Southern Athletics
Ga Southern Forum

Spartan Notes:
- Last time out, Trevis Simpson's 33 points helped UNCG overcome a 7 point Davidson halftime lead. The Spartans went on to defeat the Wildcats 77-69. It was the first home win of the season for UNCG.
- 3 different Spartans have scored their career highs in points in the last 3 contest. Brian Cole scored a career best 15 points against Elon. Simpson's 33 points followed Aaron bracket's career high of 28 points against App State.
- After dropping their first 15 contests, UNCG has now won back to back conference game. Their 2-5 SoCon record has them tied for 5th place with Elon and just .5 games back of Samford for 4th place.
- UNCG will have a full week off after tonight's game. The Spartans travel to Chattanooga next Thursday.
- Aloysius Henry leads UNCG in scoring (10.9) and rebounds (6.0). Kyle Randall leads the team in assists (3.6).
- For the year, UNCG is shooting 40.5% from the field, 34.9% from behind the arc and 65.1%from the free throw line.

Eagle Notes:
- In their last game, Georgia Southern couldn't overcome a 19 point halftime deficit, and fell to Furman 74-56. Ben Drayton III lead the Eagles with 16 points and 6 rebounds.
- So far Georgia Southern is looking for their first conference win. At 0-6, they sit in last place of the Southern division.
- GSU comes into the contest sporting just 1 win against D1 competition (Georgia State). Their other victories have came against Carver Bible, Reinhardt and Brewton Parker.
- Just before New Year's, the Eagle took SEC foe Auburn to Overtime before falling to the Tigers, 88-84. It was GSU's second straight overtime game. They had defeated Georgia State a week earlier by 2 in overtime.
- Drayton III leads GSU in scoring (15.2) and assists (3.6). Eric Ferguson is averaging 13.9 points and a team best 6.1 rebounds per contest.
- For the season, GSU is shooting 44.6% from the field, 31.9% from behind the arc and 68% from the free throw line.

Chattanooga (7-8) @ UNCG (0-13)

When: Saturday, January 8 2 pm
Where: Greensboro Coliseum (7,617/23,500)
TV: None/Spartan All-Access

UTC Athletics
UTC Forum

Spartan Notes:
- Last time out, UNCG rallied from a 13 point halftime deficit to tie the game twice. However, they couldn't take the lead and fell to Samford, 68-64. Korey Van Dussen led the second half charge with 15 point (13 in the second half).
- The Spartans last won a game in the opening round on the SoCon Tournament in Charlotte on March 5, 2010. Since then, the Spartans have dropped 14 straight games.
- UNCG mow finds itself 0-3 in the Southern Conference and it tied for last with Elon, which is also 0-3.
- Junior college transfer Aloysius Henry leads the team in scoring (11.2) and rebounding (5.9). Kyle Randall is averaging 10.7 points and a team best 3.6 assists.
- For the season, UNCG is shooting 40.8% from the field, 35.9% from behind the arc and 66.4% from the free throw line.

Moc Notes:
- Chattanooga was blown out by Austin Peay on Monday night, 89-57. The Mocs shot just 23% from the field and turned the ball over 19 times. Troy Cage had 13 points and 9 rebounds.
-Chattanooga lead the Southern Conference's North Division with a record of 3-0. The Mocs have defeated App State and Western Carolina at home and won at Elon.
- 2 of the Mocs 7 wins have came against non-D1 opponents.
- Omar Wattad leads UTC in scoring (13.2). Chris Early and DeAntre Jefferson are both averaging 7.1 rebounds per game. Keegan Bell leads the Mocs in assists (6.5).
- For the year, Chattanooga is shooting 41.2% from the field, 30.7% from behind the arc and 65.8% from the free throw line.

My Thoughts
I just want to see G win a game. This brutal OOC schedule is worthless if we can't win game in conference. Time to man up and win one, boys.

Go Spartans !!!

Samford (9-5) @ UNCG (0-12)

When: Thursday, January 6 7 pm
Where: Greensboro Coliseum (7,617/23,500)
TV: None/Spartan All-Access

Samford Athletics
Samford Forum

Spartan Notes:
- Last time out, UNCG was levelled by the Duke Blue Devils, 108-62. Aaron Bracket lead UNCG with 14 points.
- UNCG is sitting at 0-2 in the Southern Conference at the moment. Elon is the only other SoCon North division team without a win this season.
- Tonight's game starts a string of 3 straight conference home games for UNCG. UNCG will host Chattanooga on Saturday and Elon on Monday.
- Aloysuis Henry leads UNCG in scoring (11.3) and rebounding (5.8). Kyle Randall is averaging 10.9 points and a team best 3.8 assists.
- For the year, UNCG is shooting 40.6% from the field, 36.2% from behind the arc and 67.4% from the free throw line.

Bulldog Notes:
- In their last game, Samford overcame a 10 point second half deficit to defeat Eastern Washington 55-51. Greg Wooten led the Bulldogs with 13 points.
- Samford has a win against the one BCS confernce team they have played so far this year. The Bulldogs defeated Auburn, 79-68, on November 19th.
- The Bulldogs have split a pair of early SoCon home games this year. They defeated Western Carolina (63-58) and fell to App State (78-69).
- Jeffery Merritt leads Samford in scoring (11.0) and rebounding (7.5). Andy King leads the team in assists (2.6).
- So far this season, Samford is shooting 43.9% from the field, 39.0% from behind the arc and 65.5% from the free throw line.

Richmond (8-3) @ UNCG (0-10)

When: Wednesday, December 22 12 pm
Where: Greensboro Coliseum (7,617/23,500)
TV: None/Spartan All-Access

Richmond Athletics
Richmond Forum

Spartan Notes:
- Last time out, UNCG battled back from a 37-16 halftime defecit at Clemson before falling 71-67. Korey Van Dussen led UNCG with 20 points and 6 assists. It was the third straight ACC team that UNCG had faced on the road.
- Today's game marks the first of 5 straight that UNCG will play at home. The Spartans will host #1 Duke a week from today before moving into Southern Conference play.
- Kyle Randall lead UNCG in scoring (11.9) and assists (3.7). Aloysius Henry leads UNCG in rebounding (5.7).
- For the year, UNCG is shooting 40.7% from the field, 36.1% from behind the arc and 67.5% from the free throw line.

Spider Notes:
- In their last game, Georgia Tech pulled away from Richmond in the second half of the "Battle at Atlantis". The Yellow Jackets won by the score of 67-54. Justin Harper led Richmond with 15 points and 5 rebounds.
-The Spiders are 1-0 against the SoCon so far this year. Richmond defeated the Citadel 79-37 to start the season. Richmond also has defeated UNCG's opening night opponent VCU, 72-60.
- Last year, UNCG played at Richmond on December 22. It was also a noon start time for that game. In that game, David Gonzalves helped Richmond come back from a slow start to defeat UNCG 89-63.
- Richmond came into last year's contest sporting the exact same 8-3 record as this year.
- Kevin Anderson leads Richmond in scoring (16.6) and assists (3.8). Harper is averaging 14.0 points and team best 6.0 rebounds.
- For the year, Richmond is shooting 50.3% from the field, 42.0% from behind the arc and 60.7%from the free throw line.

My Thoughts
UNCG again gets to face another tough opponent and has another opportunity to show its improvement from the start of the season. The Spartans have played solid, tough basketball as of late, and it would be nice to see them finally push through for a breakthrough win.

Richmond is off to a great start again and comes in sporting some of the best offensive numbers in the country. UNCG will have to have it's best defensive effort of the year to have a shot at this one.

Maybe the Spartans can catch the Spiders looking ahead to Christmas break and not ready to play at this early start time. If so, it should make for a great present to all of the Spartan fans.

Go Spartans !!!

UNCG (0-9) @ Clemson (6-4)

When: Sunday, December 19 2 pm
Where: Littlejohn Coliseum (10,000)
TV: FSN

Clemson Athletics
Clemson Forum - Scout
Clemson Forum - Rivals

Spartan Notes:
- UNCG couldn't get off a shot to beat Wake Forest on Wednesday night. The Spartans fell 67-69. Kyle Randall (15 pts & 5 assists) and Korey Van Dussen (14 points) led UNCG.
- Clemson will be the 5th ACC squad that UNCG has faced this year. UNCG will still host Duke and Miami before the season is over.
- The Saprtans are still in search of their first win this year.
- Kyle Randall leads UNCG is scoring (12.6) and assists (3.8). Aloysius Henry is averaging 11.8 points and a team best 5.8 rebounds.
- On the season, UNCG is shooting 41.1% from the field, 35.7 from behind the arc and 66.8% from the free throw line.

Tiger Notes:
- Last time out, Clemson ran out to a 26-5 lead and never looked back as they defeated Savannah State 61-40. The Tigers were lead by Jerai Grant with 15 points. Savannah State managed to shoot just 22.9% from the field.
- This game will mark Clemson's third against SoCon competition. The Tigers have already defeated Western Carolina (87-64) and Wofford (78-70) this year.
- Clemson finds themselves already at (0-1) in the ACC after failing to earlier UNCG opponent Florida State (75-69) last Sunday.
- Demontez Stitt leads Clemson in scoring this season (13.8). Grant is the leading rebounder (6.0) and Tanner Smith leads in assists (2.8).
- So far this year, Clemson is shooting 43.2% from the field, 32.8% from behind the arc and 67.2% from the free throw line.

My Thoughts
Clemson's offensive numbers aren't very great. In fact they are quite average. It's the defense that new coach Brad Brownell seems to have brought to Clemson. The Spartans will have to take care of the ball just as well as they did on Wednesday in Winston-Salem. Hopefully an early afternoon game close to the holidays will catch Clemson not ready to play.

Every game on TV is another shot at UNCG to impress and gain some good publicity. Let's hope the guys can build off of the positives from the other night and find a way to break through with a win.

Go Spartans !!!

UNCG (0-7) @ Maryland (6-3)

When: Wednesday December 8 7:30 pm
Where: Comcast Center (17,950)
TV: Comcast SportsNet

Maryland Athletics
Maryland Forum (Rivals)
Maryland Forum (Scout)

UNCG (0-5) @ Wofford (2-5)

When: Thursday, December 2 7 pm
Where: Benjamin Johnson Arena (3,500)
TV: None

Wofford Athletics
Wofford Forum

Spartan Notes:
- With the game on the line, NC A&T went on a decisive 9-0 run to defeat UNCG 82-70 on Monday. Aloysius Henry had his first double-double (12 points & 15 rebounds) at UNCG and Kyle Randall had a career high 23 points.
- UNCG fell to Wofford 3 times last season. The Terriers defeated the Spartans at the Greensboro Coliseum, 79-62. The return game in Spartanburg was also won by Wofford 77-59. The two teams met in the quarterfinals of the SoCon Tournament in Charlotte. UNCG played well, but fell short 59-47
- This game will be the first SoCon contest for the Spartans. Last season UNCG went 6-12 in conference play. That was good enough to tie Chattanooga for third place in the North Division.
- Randall leads UNCG in scoring (12.3) and assists (3.3). Henry leads the Spartans in rebounding
(5.6).
- For the year, UNCG is shooting 41.8% from the field, 35.3% from behind the arc and 67.3% from the free throw line.

Terrier Notes:
- Wofford fell to Xavier in 3 overtimes on Saturday, 94-90. Noah Dahlman led Wofford with 33 points. The Terriers led by 8 in the closing minutes but couldn't stop the Musketeers from forcing overtime. From there, 2 last second baskets continued the game until Xavier could finally pull away.
- Wofford has now been to overtime in its last 3 games. The Terriers fell at home in overtime to Air Force (72-66) and defeated George Mason in overtime (82-79) in the third place game of the Charleston Classic.
- The Terriers went 2-1 in the Charleston Classic. They had wins against USC-Upstate and George Mason sandwiched around a loss to Georgetown.
- Wofford was the Southern Conference regular season and tournament champions last season. They went on to earn a #13 seed in the NCAA Tournament and give the #4 seed Wisconsin a scare. The Badgers held on to defeat Wofford 53-49.
- Dahlman leads Wofford in scoring (17.9). Tim Johnson leads the team in rebounding (8.4) and assists (3.4).
- For the year, Wofford is shooting 43.2% from the field, 34.9% from behind the arc and 68.6% from the free throw line.

My Thoughts:
This starts a whole new season for the Spartans. Winning the SoCon is the only way UNCG will make it to postseason play. While starting on the road at the defending champion is not exactly the easiest first challenge, it will allow the Spartans to see where they stack up with the best of the league.

UNCG will have to shoot the ball the way they did in the first half on Monday, but will have to do that consistently for the entire game. Also, the Spartans are going to have to get better on the defensive end. Wofford is an experienced team that runs their sets very well. Even though they come into the contest not sporting a great record, they have played very well against solid power programs.

I hope G can at least stay close enough in the contest to make it interesting at the end. Hopefully, the Spartans can find their first win in Spartanburg.

Go Spartans !!!

NC A&T (3-3) @ UNCG (0-4)

When: Monday, November 29 7 pm
Where: Greensboro Coliseum (7,617/23,500)
TV: None/Spartan All-Access

NC A&T Athletics
NC A&T Dawgpound

Spartan Notes:
- UNCG was obliterated by East Carolina on Saturday evening, 81-53. That is all I will write about that game.
- The Spartans are still averaging an astounding 22 turnovers per game. They are giving up over 92 points per game. That ranks 346th in D1.
-This series has been very competitive over the years. A&T leads the overall series 7-6. The teams haven't met since the 2001-2002 season. UNCG won that game 85-67.
- Korey VanDussen leads UNCG in scoring (12.8), rebounding (4.8) and assists (3.3). Cody Henegar and David Williams are also averaging 4.8 rebounds per contest. Kyle Randall and Drew Parker are both averaging 3 assist per game.
- For the season, UNCG is shooting 43.0% from the field, 36.2% from behind the arc and 67% from the free throw line.

Aggies Notes:
- The Aggies enter tonight's game winners of 2 straight. After an overtime win against UNCW, NC A&T beat Greensboro College 79-58 on Friday. Thomas Coleman led the Aggies with 14 points and 10 rebounds.
- A&T has played a schedule that can rival the difficulty of UNCG's. They have played road games at #5 Ohio State and #10 Florida.
- NC A&T are ranked in the top 200 in Divsion 1 in almost major offensive categories. Their problem falls on the defensive side, where the Aggies boast a top 200 ranking in just one (3 point % defense) category.
- The Aggies were picked to finish 8th in the MEAC during preseason by the conference coaches. Coleman was a preseason 2nd team selection.
- A&T has 9 NCAA tournament appearances on their resume. Their last appearance was in 1995, when they lost as a #16 seed to Wake Forest. The previous year, the Aggies only lost by 15 to eventual national champion Arkansas.
- Coleman leads A&T in points (13.4) and rebounds (10.0) per game. Marc Hill leads the team in assists (4.5).
- For the year, NC A&T is shooting 43.6% from the field, 32.8% from behind the arc and 69.6% from the free throw line.

My Thoughts
It's time to shit, or get off the pot. Simple as that.

Go Spartans !!!

UNCG (0-3) @ East Carolina (4-2)

When: Saturday, November 27 5 pm
Where: Minges Coliseum (8,000)
TV: None

East Carolina Athletics
Boneyard Banter

Spartan Notes
- UNCG could not sustain a good opening 10 minutes last Sunday and fell to Virginia Tech 92-70. This was the Spartans second straight home loss to an ACC team. Kyle Randall led the team with 15 points.
- Trevis Simpson made his debut in a Spartan uniform on Sunday and almost immediately went on a 8-0 run all by himself. Simpson, however, failed to score the rest of the afternoon.
- UNCG is averaging a staggering 25 turnovers a game through the first 3 contests.
- Aloysius Henry is leading UNCG in scoring (13 pts) so far the season. David Williams and Aaron Brackett are both averaging 5.7 rebounds per game. Drew Parker leads the team in assists (3.7).
- For the season, UNCG is shooting 45.6% from the field, 41.5% from behind the arc and 68.2% from the free throw line.

Pirate Notes:
- Jontae Sherrod (14 points) and Brock Young (11 points) led East Carolina to a 71-48 victory over D2 Lenior Rhyne College on Wednesday night. The Pirates led 36-18 at halftime and cruised to the win from there.
- 2 of ECU's 4 victories have came against non-D1 opponents. The Pirates opened the season defeating Erskine 74-46. Their other 2 victories have came against Campbell and USC-Upstate.
- ECU had a tough time at this season Charleston Classic. The Pirates lost to NC State (85-65) and Charlotte (74-63) before rebounding to beat USC-Upstate (75-67) in the 7th place game.
- Sherrod lead ECU in scoring (12.2 points). Darius Marrow leads the team in rebounds (5.3) and Corvonn Gaines leads the team in assists (3.7).
- For the season, the Pirates are shooting 43.6% from the field, 33.8% from behind the arc and 69% from the free throw line.

My Thoughts
UNCG has been blasted in their first 3 games against very stiff competition. The point of those games was to prepare the team for games against teams that they have a much better opportunity to beat.

While the first 3 games were a lot less about wins and losses, that is not the case with the next four. UNCG will play ECU, NC A&T, Wofford and Furman in it's next four games. The record after those games will really give a clear indication as to what direction this season is headed.

Go Spartans !!!

UNCG (0-0) @ VCU (0-0)

When: Friday, November 12 7:30 pm
Where: Siegel Center (7,500)
TV: None

VCU Athletics
VCU Ram Nation
Forum
CAA Zone - VCU

Spartan Notes:
- UNCG finished last season with a record of 8-23. The Spartans won 3 of their last 5 contests, though. 2009-2010 was UNCG's first season playing full time in the historic Greensboro Coliseum.
- Pete Brown, Mikko Koivisto, Kendall Toney, Montel Smith and Ben Stywall are all gone from this year's squad after graduation. Walk-on Mike Hardiman also graduated. Redshirt Sophmore DeAngelo Jackson transfered to College of Idaho.
- Stywall was a 1st team All-SoCon selection last season after averaging 14.3 points and 10.4 rebounds. He set the UNCG single season record for double-doubles (15).
- UNCG has a huge group of newcomers to this year's team. Five true freshmen join redshirt freshman Taylor Hoffer and JUCO transfers Aloysius Henry and Aaron Brackett.
- The Spartans did not play an exhibition game this season. Instead the coaches chose to play 2 closed scrimmages against Radford and UNC. Although the coaches aren't allow to discuss those scrimmages, it was revealed that UNC really got the better of UNCG.
- UNCG will be without the services of Freshmen Trevis Simpson on Friday night. Simpson is still recovering for a seperated shoulder.
- All SoCon freshman selection Kyle Randall is the team's leading returning scorer (9.5) and assists leader (2.6). Senior Brandon Evans is the team's leading returning rebounder (4.3).
- Last season, UNCG shot 38.6% from the field, 28.7% from behind the arc and 69.8% from the free throw line.

Ram Notes:
- The Rams finished last season 27-9. VCU went 5-0 in the post season College Basketball Invitational to take home the title.
-First year coach Shaka Smart did a tremendous job of maintaining the same kind of success that the Rams enjoyed under previous coach Anthony Grant. Smart was hired after Grant left to take over at Alabama. Smart's 27 wins were the best among all first-year head coaches last season. He was previously an assistant at Akron, Clemson and Florida before taking over at VCU.
- 2 VCU players have been drafted in the 1st round of the NBA draft in the previous 2 years. After all-everything guard Eric Maynor was selected by Utah after the 2008-2009 season, Larry Sanders was selected 15th overall by the Milwaukee Bucks this past summer. Sanders was an All-CAA selection and the CAA Defensive Player of the Year for the 2009-2010 season.
- VCU defeated Virginia Union in their only exhibition game on November 4 in Richmond, 71-56. Jamie Skeen and Brandon Rozzell led VCU with 10 points. Senior guard Joey Rodriguez did not play in the game. The Rams led 41-19 at the half, before watching Virginia Union go on a 16-4 run. However, the Rams righted their ship to hang on and get the win.
- The Rams were picked to finish 3rd the CAA preseason coach's poll. Rodriguez was selected 1st team All-CAA.
- Rodriguez is the team's leading returning scorer (12.9). He also led the Rams in assists (5.8) last season. Bradford Burgess averaged 10.4 points and 5.1 rebounds.
- Last season, the Rams shot 46.2% from the field, 36.6% from behind the arc and 70.4% from the free throw line.

My Thoughts:
So here it is ... "OOC Schedule Gauntlet" version 2.0. I'm afraid this version will be even more of a meat grinder than version 1.0.

After one quick glance at the Rams stats from last season, all I could think of was Richmond. VCU's stats are eerily similar to the same stats the Spiders boasted on their way to getting an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. I think that if VCU puts up these kinds of numbers in 2010-2011, they likely get the same kind of reward.

Coach Dement has said repeatedly in interviews that this Spartan squad had a lot of growing to do and that he didn't expect them to be very good at the season's start. Ben Stywall will be hard to replace. He always seemed to be in the right place to get rebounds and clean up bad possessions. The Spartans certainly replaced the departed seniors with an upgrade in talent. But with the talent comes youth. That's gonna be a problem.

I expect VCU to hit UNCG with a Dayton/Richmond/Akron style blitz right out of the gate. It'll be interesting to see how the new Spartans handle the blitz with the raucous home crowd. While I don't expect miracles right away, I'm looking for poise and improvement. The Spartans won more games in 2009-2010 than they did the previous season. Let's improve on those numbers this season.

It's been a long summer. Thank God it's basketball season.

Go Spartans !!!

Spartans Selected 4th by Coaches; 6th by Media

The SoCon coaches picked UNCG to finish in 4th place of the North Division in their preseason poll. App Sate, Western Carolina and Chattanooga were picked to finish ahead of the Spartans. Elon and Samford were picked to finish behind UNCG. Wofford was the choice to win the South, followed by College of Charleston, Davidson, Citadel, Furman and Georgia Southern. Charleston's Andrew Goudelock was selected preseason player of the year.

The SoCon media picked UNCG to finish 6th in the SoCon North Division in their preseason poll. App State was picked to finish first in the North, followed by Western Carolina, Chattanooga Elon and Samford. In the South division, Wofford was picked to finish on top. College of Charleston was picked to finish second, followed by Davidson, Citadel, Furman and Georgia Southern.

Wofford is the defending Southern Conference Champion. This season's champion will be decided during the first weekend in March in Chattanooga, TN.

The Spartans lost 6 scholarship players from last year's team due to graduation or transfer. That team finished the season 8-23. The 2010-2011 Spartans open the season at VCU on Friday evening.

USA Today Preview

The USA Today has posted a preview of the Southern Conference. Here is a portion of the UNCG section that article. For a good overview of all of the conference, give it a read.

It's a scary thought for UNCG fans. No longer in uniform is All-Conference forward Ben Stywall. Yet even with the conference's leading rebounder and eighth-leading scorer, the Spartans still finished 8-23.

That's exactly the detriment coach Mike Dement is facing in his 10th year in Greensboro. And without a turnaround this season, 2011-2012 may include a new coach.

No coach in the league has a hotter seat than Dement, a coach whose teams have struggled for consecutive seasons despite having some very good pieces to work with.

It led Dement to take a slightly different approach this offseason.

"We have done a lot of defensive fundamental work in the early individual workouts," he said. "But we still may have to be a little simpler in terms of that we put in and how quickly we put it in during this preseason."

The simplistic approach may be a good idea. UNCG has just one senior, fifth-year player Brandon Evans. The junior class is a little beefier, but essentially it consists of Elhanan Bone and a couple of junior-college transfers.

So it appears Dement is building a bridge for the future. Exactly how long he's a part of it, though, remains to be seen.

Not sure I agree with the article's assessment that Dement had plenty of pieces to work with the past few seasons. I think there were certainly some good Spartan players over the past several seasons. However, one the best UNCG teams in recent memory was derailed due to being in a conference with "Elite 8" qualifier Davidson. Also, Dement was forced to deal with some APR issues that were partially not of his fault.

I think it's important to point out to people that it takes several years to get mid-major programs in a position to even make an NCAA Tournament run (with the exceptions of a few places like Winthrop, Gonzaga, etc). After those good teams move on, coaches have to almost completely rebuild. Hopefully this Spartan team has the talent in place for it to be one of those tournament run seasons at UNCG.