UNCG (5-24) vs. College of Charleston (23-7), 4:30 pm (approximately)

Video: Spartan All Access (via SoCon.TV)
Audio: Spartan All Access (free) // Yahoo! Sports (free)
Radio: 950-AM WPET // 103.1-FM WUAG
LiveStats: UNCGSpartans.com (via SoConSports.com)

Storylines

• UNCG faces College of Charleston in the opening round of the Southern Conference Tournament on Friday afternoon. The Spartans are the No. 6 seed in the North Division, while the Cougars are the No. 3 seed in the South Division. The Spartans have an overall record of 10-10 in 11 Southern Conference Tournaments all-time. UNCG has won at least one game three out of the last four years.

• UNCG is coming off a 74-66 win over Elon in the regular season finale on Saturday. Ben Stywall had 23 points in the win, shooting 9-for-11 from the floor.

• College of Charleston leads the all-time series 17-7 after sweeping the two regular season meetings. This is the first time the Spartans and Cougars have met in the conference tournament. The only other team UNCG has never faced in the league tourney - The Citadel.

• UNCG announced on Dec. 5 that it will move its home games to the Greensboro Coliseum beginning next season. The arena will be modified to a seating capacity of 7,613 for most home games, with at least two expandable options being available. The full capacity of the venue is 23,500.

• The Spartans have three players averaging double figures in conference play Mikko Koivisto (13.0 ppg), Ben Stywall (13.2 ppg) and Damian Eargle (11.6 ppg). In fact, in non-conference play, Stywall was averaging 7.3 ppg and Eargle just 5.1 ppg. Their field goal percentages have changed drastically, as well. Stywall was 36.0 percent in non-league play, but is shooting 57.6 in SoCon action. Eargle was 37.5 in non-league play, but is at 43.6 percent in league games.

• UNCG has used 20 different starting combinations in 29 games this season. The remaining nine scholarship players on the active roster have started multiple games thus far and none have started every game. All nine are averaging double figure minutes, as well from Ben Stywall's 32.1 per game down to DeAngelo Jackson's 13.9 per game.

• Ben Stywall has seven double-doubles this season, five of them in conference play. Stywall is averaging 8.3 rebounds per game in conference play this season, second in the league. His 8.4 rebounds per game overall is fifth in the league. He has 20 double-digit rebound games in his career, 10 of them this season.

• UNCG freshman Damian Eargle is averaging 12.1 ppg in SoCon play. A SoCon All-Freshman selection, he had 22 points and a season-high five blocks at College of Charleston, his second 20-point game this season and followed that up with 18 points at The Citadel. He leads the conference with 56 blocked shots this season ( he was one shy of a school record with six against Davidson) and now has at least one block in 19 of the last 21 games.

• Mikko Koivisto has made 115 of his last 127 at the foul line going back to the latter half of his freshman season and is now 139-161 from the line for his career 86.3%, which is the best in UNCG history. He leads the SoCon in free throw percentage this season at 89% (65 of 73) and is tenth in the nation. In the last two minutes of games, he is 33-40 for his career (82.5%), including 14-14 this season and has made 15 straight going back to last season.

• Ben Stywall became the ninth player in school history to record 500 career rebounds in the Georgia Southern game. He topped the 600 rebound mark at Chattanooga and is now sixth in school history in career rebounds with 627 entering this game.