GREENSBORO, N.C. – The UNCG men's basketball team opens the 2015-16 regular season Saturday evening as the Spartans host crosstown foe Greensboro College. Game time is set for 5 p.m. and will be played on campus at Fleming Gymnasium. The game will be aired for free in full HD on the SoCon Digital Network with links available at www.uncgspartans.com. Additionally, the game will air of 1320 WCOG AM and online via Tune In Radio.
Senior forward Kayel Locke (Baltimore, Md./McDonogh) leads the Spartans into the season after earning preseason All-SoCon honors. He ranked second on the team and 11th in the league last season in scoring at 12.6 points per game. He was also 14th in the league on the glass, grabbing 5.7 rebounds per game. He has scored in double figures 22 times last season, including ending the year with back-to-back double-doubles in the SoCon Tournament.
Locke has played in 96 career games for the Spartans entering his senior season, including 81 starts as a forward. He has scored 1,092 career points and has grabbed 467 career rebounds. He enters his final season ranked 15th in UNCG scoring history.
Junior center R.J. White (Frisco, Texas/Frisco) also returns in the frontcourt for UNCG. White was third on the team in scoring at 11.8 points per game while leading the team and ranking third in the league on the glass at 6.9 rebounds per game. Junior guard Diante Baldwin (Greensboro, N.C./High Point Christian) leads the Spartans in the backcourt heading into the season. Baldwin averaged 10.2 points per game and was second on the team with 88 assists.
Saturday's game marks the 49th season opener in program history and is the third straight season UNCG has opened the year at home. The Spartans are 17-31 all-time in season openers, including wins over High Point and Chowan last year. UNCG is 33-15 all-time in home openers in program history, including wins in the past four home openers over UNC Pembroke, Winston-Salem State, High Point and Chowan.
Saturday's game marks the 60th meeting all-time between UNCG and Greensboro College, but just the fifth meeting since 1990. The Spartans lead the Pride 30-29 in the all-time series with the Spartans winning 12 straight games. UNCG has won all four meetings as a member of NCAA Division I with wins in 2005 (69-41), 2008 (85-47), 2013 (92-62) and last year's 82-78 victory. Additionally, the Spartans won the last eight meetings against the Pride, prior to UNCG's move to Division I. Greensboro College last posted a victory in the series February 16, 1985 with a 75-73 win at home.
Forward Jordy Kuiper (Groningen, The Netherlands/Canaries Basketball Academy) led the Spartans last season with his first career double-double against the Pride. Kuiper came off the bench and scored 11 points while grabbing 10 rebounds as he was 4-of-5 from the field and hit all three free throws. White added 10 point and eight rebounds as he was 5-of-6 from the field as UNCG controlled the paint in the victory.
Greensboro College was picked to finish fourth in the USA South coaches preseason poll and return 10 letterwinners from last year's 15-11 team. Simeon Howard, the USA South Player of the Year last season, averaged 18.8 point and 6.4 points per game last year. The Pride will look to return three of its four top scorers from last year's team.
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