GREENSBORO, N.C. – The UNCG men's basketball team carries a three-game wining streak into Tuesday night as the Spartans host perennial Atlantic Coast Conference power North Carolina for the first time in program history. Game time Tuesday is set for 7 p.m. at the Greensboro Coliseum and will be televised nationally on ESPN2 and the Watch ESPN App with Tom Hart and Mark Adams providing the call. Additionally, the game will be radio broadcast on 1320 WCOG AM and online on the TuneIn App with Scott Pryzwansky and Darryl Kosciak providing the call.
The Spartans are coming off their best performance of the season Saturday as they travelled to Johnson City, Tenn., and posted an 80-79 victory over Southern Conference newcomer East Tennessee State. The victory ran the Spartans' winning streak to three straight games and won on the road at ETSU for the first time since 2000.
Sophomore guard Tevon Saddler (Aberdeen, Md./St. Frances Academy) posted his second straight 24-point contest while also dishing out six assists, grabbing five rebounds and posting a steal and a block. He finished the night shooting 9-of-12 from the field and 6-of-9 from the free throw line, including a clutch free throw with 4.7 seconds remaining to seal the victory. Saddler leads the team and ranks seventh in the SoCon in scoring at 16.4 points per game while leading the team with 43 assists and 20 steals.
Redshirt sophomore center R.J. White (Frisco, Texas/Frisco) is second on the team in scoring at 12.8 points per game while leading the team and the league on the glass at 7.7 rebounds per game. White has posted four double-doubles this season, including a 12-point, 10-rebound effort at ETSU. He is shooting 56.8 percent (54-of-95) from the field, which ranks fourth in the SoCon.
Senior guard Nicholas Paulos (Salt Lake City, Utah/New Hampton School) is third on the team in scoring at 12.3 points per game, including 12 points at ETSU. Paulos is shooting 47.1 percent (33-of-70) from 3-point land on the year and ranks fourth all-time in school history with 204 3-pointers made. Junior forward Kayel Locke (Baltimore, Md./McDonogh) rounds out the Spartans in double figures as 12.2 points per game while also grabbing 5.3 rebounds per game.
North Carolina enters Tuesday's game with a 6-3 record on the year but has dropped two out of its last three games. The Tar Heels have picked up victories against North Carolina Central, Robert Morris, Davidson, UCLA, Florida and East Carolina while falling to Butler, Iowa and most recently top-ranked Kentucky. North Carolina is averaging 80.1 points per game while allowing 65.9 points per game against.
Marcus Paige leads the Tar Heels in scoring t 14.0 points per game and is shooting 37.3 percent (22-of-59) from 3-point land. Paige is strong from the free throw line hitting 80 percent (28-of-35) while ranking second on the team with 33 assists. Forward Kennedy Meeks is second on the team in scoring at 13.3 points per game and leads the team on the glass grabbing 9.4 rebounds per game. Brice Johnson rounds out the Tar Heels in double figures scoring at 11.7 points per game.
Tuesday marks the second straight season that UNCG and North Carolina have met on the hard court as the teams faced off last year in Chapel Hill. The Spartans fell 81-50 to the Tar Heels as they connected on just 28.6 percent (6-of-21) from the field in the first half while committing 15 turnovers in the first 20 minutes as they fell behind 44-24 at the half. The Spartans showed their mettle in the second half as it battled the Tar Heels scoring 36 second half points, connecting on 50 percent (14-of-28) from the field.
Former Spartan Kyle Cain paced the attack with 13 points and eight rebounds as he was 6-of-11 from the field and scored nine points in the second half. Locke added 13 points as he was 5-of-8 shooting from the field. Five different Tar Heels scored in double figures with Brice Johnson leading the way with 14 points and six rebounds while James Michael McAdoo added 13 points and seven rebounds.
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