CULLOWHEE, N.C. – UNC Greensboro men's basketball returns to action on Thursday evening when the Spartans face Western Carolina at the Ramsey Center.
Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. and the game will be streamed on ESPN+.
Five Facts To Know
--Sophomore guard Isaiah Miller has had the best stretch of his young collegiate career since the Spartans moved into the SoCon portion of their schedule in late December. The Covington, Ga., native has set a new career-high in scoring in three of the last five games, with a 25-point night against Furman last Saturday setting a new personal best. Miller is also sixth in the country in steals per game at 2.72.
--Senior guard Demetrius Troy (134) enters the game needing just six more steals to move into fifth place in program history in the statistical category since the Spartans joined the Division I ranks.
--Junior forward James Dickey needs to block just four more shots to surpass former teammate RJ White for the third-most blocked shots in program history.
--UNCG will try to extend its road record to 7-2 on the season against Western Carolina. The Spartans have won their last three games away from home court.
--Western Carolina (5-14, 2-4) has won two of its last three games including a 12-point victory over The Citadel last Saturday. Three different players for Western Carolina are averaging at least 12 points per game while Carlos Dotson – who averages a team-high 13.1 points per game – is also grabbing 9.6 rebounds per contest. Defensively, the Catamounts have been the best team in the SoCon against the three-point shot, allowing just 31 percent of shots from behind the arc to go in.
The Spartans This Season
UNCG (15-3, 4-1) enters Thursday night's game in the midst of a season in which the Spartans have set a few program records including consecutive home victories (17) and most non-conference victories (11) while compiling winning streaks of six and seven games already.
While the Spartans dropped a decision to Wofford last Thursday in their first SoCon loss of the season, UNCG rebounded last Saturday in a complete performance against Furman in an 89-79 victory.
UNCG has been led in scoring by senior guard Francis Alonso this season, as the Malaga, Spain, native is averaging 17.7 points per game. But Miller has been at his best recently, having at least a share of the scoring lead in each of the last four games.
Junior forward James Dickey, meanwhile, has returned to the lineup over the last three games to provide a defensive presence opponents struggle with at times. In the victory over Furman, Dickey blocked four shots.
Series History
This will be 54th meeting between the two schools dating back to their first matchup that took place on Jan. 3, 1979. While the Spartans trail in the all-time series 20-33, UNCG has won the last five games between the two Hoop State schools, sweeping the season series each of the last two seasons.
UNCG has also won in its last two appearances in the Ramsey Center.
Upcoming For The Spartans
The Spartans will complete a weekend on the road when UNCG faces ETSU on Saturday afternoon in Johnson City, Tenn. Tip-off is scheduled for 4 p.m.
-- UNCG –
