Western Carolina opens the SoCon season on Thursday, January 2d against the UNCG Spartans in the friendly confines of the Ramsey Center, where the Cats are 6-0 this season. The Catamounts are 9-1 against the Spartans in the last ten games played and 16-4 in Cullowhee against UNCG. The Cats won the last meeting (Feb. 14, 2013) by a final score of 70-68.
Third year head coach Wes Miller's Spartans are traveling to Cullowhee with a 7-8 overall record, and are coming off a very nice win against the Virginia Tech Hokies in Blacksburg, Va. and a close loss to NC State on Monday night.
UNCG is just 1-3 on the road this season, with road losses to Wake Forest, Rutgers, and North Carolina.
After a disappointing start in their season, the Spartans have won two of their last four games against some pretty stiff competition. The Spartans picked up a 78-65 home win over James Madison on December 18th, followed by a close loss to Wake Forest on the road. They then picked up a huge win over Virginia Tech, also on the road, followed by a four point loss to NC State, last Monday night. While UNCG does have 7 wins thus far, three are against non-Division I teams.
UNCG is averaging 71.6 points per game, hitting 44.9% of their field goals, including 35.5% of 3-pointers, and 67.63% of free throws. The Spartans currently have three players scoring in double figures, lead by redshirt junior forward Kyle Cain (6-7, 210) with 15.8 ppg, followed by freshman guard Tevon Saddler (6-4, 210) with 12.2 ppg, sophomore forward Kayel Locke (6-5, 240) with 12.1 ppg, and junior forward Nicholas Paulos (6-7, 185) is just missing double figures with 9.7 ppg.
The Spartans are averaging 14.6 turnovers and 5.2 steals per game. As a team, UNCG is pulling down 37.0 rebounds per game.
UNCG probable starters-
#1 Drew Parker, 6-1 207 lbs, Sr, guard
#13 Kayle Locke, 6-5 240 lbs, So, forward
#14 Kyle Cain, 6-7 210 lbs, Jr, forward
#31 Nicholas Paulos, 6-7 185 lbs, Jr, forward
#44 Tyrone Outlaw, 6-6 205 lbs, Fr, guard
RealTimeRPI projects a 85-75 win for the Catamounts at home in the Ramsey Center.
Rankings:
RPI-
WCU: 241UNGG: 237
Sagarin-
WCU: 224
UNGG: 274
Kenpom-
WCU: 223
UNGG: 294
Massey-
WCU: 227
UNGG: 258
| THURSDAY, JAN 2 | |||
| Sport | Opponent | Time | Coverage |
| Men's Basketball | UNC Greensboro | 7:00 PM |   Listen LIVE |
Join the conversation by leaving a comment below