BIRMINGHAM, ALA. – UNC Greensboro men's basketball will begin Southern Conference play on Saturday afternoon when the Spartans take on Samford at the Pete Hanna Center.
Tip-off is scheduled for 3 p.m. and the game will be streamed on ESPN+.
Five Facts To Know
--In each of the last two seasons en route to SoCon regular season titles, the Spartans won their conference openers during the 2016-17 and 2017-18 campaigns respectively. Two years ago, UNCG began SoCon play by defeating The Citadel before knocking off Wofford in last year's conference opener.
--UNCG is coming off historic non-conference results, as the Spartans went 11-2 during their first 13 games before SoCon action. Entering this season, UNCG's previous best record in non-conference play was 9-4, which was achieved during both the 2016-17 and 2017-18 seasons.
--Through Wednesday's action, the Spartans were one of just 12 teams with at least 11 wins on the season. Additionally, the SoCon is one of only conferences to have two teams with at least 11 victories.
--A victory against Samford would tie UNCG for the best overall start in program history, as the 1994-95 squad got off to the Spartans' best start ever at 12-2. This year's team set the record for the best start through eight games (7-1).
--Samford enters the contest with a 10-3 record after falling to No. 3 Tennessee by 13 on Wednesday. The Bulldogs began the season with five straight victories, but are just 5-3 over their last eight games. Along with the loss to Tennessee, Samford also fell to then-No. 23 Ohio State.
The Spartans In 2018
UNCG (11-2) exited non-conference play with a five-point victory over the reigning Big South champion Radford Highlanders, as the Spartans scored a 65-58 victory on Tuesday evening.
The Spartans this season have been led in scoring by senior guard Francis Alonso, who is averaging 18.1 points per game. His followed up by sophomore guard Isaiah Miller (13.1) and junior forward Kyrin Galloway (11.2) in scoring.
Defensively, Miller not only leads the team in steals (33), he is 16th in the nation in steals per game.
Junior forward Eric Hamilton, meanwhile, has averaged 9.5 points and five rebounds per game over the span of the last four games, all starts. He also blocked a career-high three shots against Radford.
Series History
This will be the 23rd meeting between the two schools dating back to 1992 when the Spartans and Bulldogs shared a court together for the first time. UNCG holds a lead in the all-time series, 12-10
The Spartans are also riding a three-game winning streak against Samford and swept the Bulldogs for the second time in the last three seasons.
Upcoming For The Spartans
The Spartans will go on a weeklong break before returning to the Greensboro Coliseum as UNCG will host Chattanooga in the team's conference home opener on Saturday, Dec. 29.
-- UNCG –
