ESPNU has selected the Coastal Carolina at UNC Asheville men’s basketball contest scheduled for Thursday, Jan. 22 as its Big South Wildcard broadcast, it was announced today by the Big South Conference office. Game time will be 7:00pm inside Kimmel Arena in Asheville, N.C.
“Our goal is to have a sell out crowd for this ESPNU game,” said Janet Cone, UNC Asheville Sr. Admin University Enterprises & Director of Athletics. “We are planning several game day promotions.”
“Let’s show that ‘Asheville is our Town and the Bulldogs are our Team’ and that we know how to host basketball in Asheville to the entire ESPN college basketball viewership and our BSC competition.”
“Be a Bold Bulldog…invite others to join us, volunteer to help promote this game, invest in helping create a buzz about this game, and believe in the Bulldogs.”
Both teams currently sit atop the Big South standings at 2-0 following the opening week of League play. Coastal Carolina is 11-3 overall, while Asheville enters this week 6-7. The teams split the season series a year ago, with the home team claiming victory in each game.
Coastal Carolina’s appearance will mark the third consecutive season that the Chanticleers will play a Big South game on ESPNU, while UNC Asheville is making its third League appearance on the 24-hour college sports network in as many years. The Chants are led by Josh Cameron, who is averaging a team-leading 14.2 points coming off the bench and 17.5 points in Big South games. UNC Asheville’s top player is Andrew Rowsey, who leads the Big South with 19.5 points per game.
The Coastal Carolina at UNC Asheville game is the second of four Big South ESPNU Wildcard broadcasts this season. ESPNU also has Wildcard broadcasts scheduled for Friday, Feb. 6 at 9:00pm and Thursday, Feb. 26 at 7:00pm, and those selections will be determined three weeks in advance.