UNCG vs. Appalachian State Game Notes LISTEN TO THE GAME LIVE
Box Score
The Game: The UNC Greensboro men's team will hit the road for a two-game road swing beginning Saturday, January 17, at Appalachian State. Tip-off is slated for 1 pm at the Holmes Convocation Center. The Spartans will also play Monday night at Western Carolina.
UNCG enters the game on a season-long eight game losing streak that began on December 13 with an 85-72 loss to High Point. The Spartans' four Southern Conference games this season have been decided by an average of 5.0 points, with UNCG going 1-3 in those contests. The Spartans' three losses have come by an average of just 4.0 points.
Who to Watch for UNCG: Jay Joseph, UNCG's Southern Conference Player of the Year candidate, is averaging a team-high 17.4 points per game this season, and has connected on 39 3-pointers. Joseph has now hit at least one 3-pointer in 45 consecutive games. Junior forward Ronnie Burrell is second on the team with 14.0 points per game and is averaging a team-high 6.9 rebounds per game, while shooting 56% from the floor on the season.
UNCG at Appalachian State: This will be the 18th meeting in the series between UNCG and Appalachian State. ASU owns an 11-6 mark in the all-time series, including two wins over the Spartans last season. Prior to last season, UNCG had won four in a row.
UNCG vs. ASU Series Breakdown
1982-83 W 58-54
1988-89 L 91-59
1994-95 W 77-71
1995-96 W 80-64
1996-97 L 82-56
1996-97 L 78-70
1997-98 L 78-61
1997-98 L 73-64
1998-99 L 72-56
1998-99 L 72-56
1999-00 L 81-66
1999-00 L 78-69
2000-01 W 78-62
2000-01 W 63-60
2001-02 W 87-63
2001-02 W 83-68
2002-03 L 91-60
2002-03 L 71-68
Joseph Carries 3-Point Streak: Jay Joseph has hit a 3-pointer in 46 consecutive games. Joseph connected on at least one 3-pointer in every game last season and the last three games of the previous season. The last time Joseph didn't hit a 3-pointer was against Wofford on February 28, 2002.
Emergence of Ronnie Burrell: Ronnie Burrell, a junior power forward from Montclair, NJ, has emerged as a star for the Spartans this season. Burrell had a career-high 22 points at #10 Missouri and 21 at Villanova. He is shooting over 60% from the field and 76% from the line. Burrell is also the team's leading rebounder with 6.5 per game.
Joseph Continues To Climb Ladder: With 21 points against the College of Charleston, Jay Joseph moved past UNCG Hall of Famer Bruce Shaw (1968-73) on UNCG's all-time scoring list. Joseph now has 1,413 points in his first 105 games.
Bristow Breaks Out Of Recent Schneid: Ray Bristow busted out of a recent shooting slump by connecting on 3-of-5 3-point attempts against ETSU for 11 critical points off the bench. Bristow had been one for his last 12 field goal attempts.
When The Spartans Hit The Road, They Hit The Road: On December 17, the Spartans began a five game road swing in 14 days that would lead them on approximately 3,645 miles. The Spartans started the trip with a Dec. 18 game at Coastal Carolina and wrapped up with a Jan. 5 game at Chattanooga. In between the Spartans played then #10 Missouri, #25 Maryland and Villanova.
Spartans Drop Eight Straight: After starting the season 4-2, the Spartans have dropped eight straight contests, with the last five all being played on the road. The Spartans last victory came against Campbell on December 9. The Spartans suffered through a 10-game losing streak during the 2002-2003 campaign.
Lineup-Shakeup: UNCG has now started eighth different lineups in the 14 games this season, though it now appears set with Taylor, Hickman, Joseph, Clifton and Burrell.
Joseph's String Of Starts Snapped: Jay Joseph started the first 102 games of his collegiate career, but the streak came to a halt at Chattanooga on January 5, 2004. Joseph was forced to sit the game's first seven minutes as a result of a team violation.
All-Time Leading Scorers: James Maye (1998-03) finished his career as UNCG's all-time leading scorer with 1,574 career points last season. His point total passed that of Scott Hartzell's (1992-96) 1,539. The record could fall once again this season as senior Jay Joseph has 1,413 points.
Spartans Take #10 Missouri To The Brink: A #10 national ranking didn't do much to impress UNCG as they took Missouri to the brink before falling 106-98 Sunday afternoon in Columbia. Jay Joseph and Ronnie Burrell each scored 22 points to lead the Spartans. Missouri shot an amazing 65% from the floor in the game, compared to UNCG's 57%.
Spartans Picked Third In SoCon: Despite going just 7-22 last season, the presence of seniors Ronnie Taylor and Jay Joseph were enough to convince the SoCon coaches to pick the Spartans third in the North Division. Jay Joseph was also named to the league's preseason all-conference squad.
Tough Nonconference Schedule: Once again, UNCG will take on one of the toughest nonconference schedules of anyone in the nation. This season, the Spartans will take on the likes of Indiana, Maryland, Missouri and Villanova. Missouri leads the pack after getting ranked 6th in the first preseason poll. Maryland was picked 25th and Indiana also received votes for the top-25. Last season the Spartans faced national champion Syracuse, Kansas, Alabama and West Virginia, all on the road.
Ranked Opponents Hot Shooting Sinks Spartans: #10 Missouri and #25 Maryland combined to shoot 59.1% (75-127) from the floor against the Spartans. Prior to these two games, UNCG's opponents were shooting just 40.0% from the floor.
2002-2003 Review: Despite high expectations entering the season, UNCG struggled through injuries and finished just 7-22. The season can be summarized when looking at UNCG's mark in games that were decided by five points or less. The Spartans were just 2-12 in those games, including 1-4 in the final five games of the season.
SoCon Divisional Shake Up: There was some significant shake ups in the Southern Conference in the off season. VMI, a charter member of the league in 1924, left the league to join the Big South and Elon was invited to the Southern Conference to replace VMI. Then, Chattanooga has switched from the South Division to the North, while Davidson went from the North to the South.
2003-2004 SoCon Preseason Polls: East Tennessee State and the College of Charleston were selected by the league's coaches to win their respective divisions.
