UK Basketball Preview – Know Your Enemy: UNC Asheville Bulldogs
By Staff
7:00 PM EST – FREEDOM HALL, LOUISVILLE
UNC ASHEVILLE BULLDOGS (0-5)
TV – FOX SPORTS SOUTH
UK LEADS SERIES 2-0
LAST MEETING:
12/7/1999: UK 86 UNC ASHEVILE 41
Relax Wildcat fans. I know the last couple of years have seemed like a bad horror movie, but this is NOT going to be “Attack of the Big South Conference III”. After the last couple of years of “Big South Teams Gone Wild”, the UNC Asheville Bulldogs should fool the script they are supposed to: stroll into Rupp, cash a big check, and lose by 40. Gardner Webb and VMI need not apply for this sequel.
This is the last tune up for the Cats before the face the real threat from Tennessee next Saturday in Rupp. The Bulldogs have already been the whipping boys of the SEC thus far, losing to Georgia 79-58 and to those “jagoffs” from Tennessee 124-49.
THE STARTERS
G- SEAN SMITH , SR, 6’6, 200 8.3 ppg, 3.3 reb, 1.8 assists
G- J.P. PRIMM, SO, 6’1, 195 12.2 ppg, 4.2 reb, 2.6 assists
G- MATT DICKEY – SO, 6’1, 180 8.8 ppg, 3.8 reb, 3.0 assists
F- JOHN WILLIAMS, JR, 6’4, 215 7.7 ppg, 5.7 reb, .7 assists
F- QUINARD JACKSON, SO, 6’5, 240 3.2 ppg, 3.4 reb, .8 assists
The Cats will have to pay special attention to Sean Smith as he is in the top 5 all time for 3-pointers made at UNC Asheville. What makes Smith even more dangerous is the fact that he is mired in a horrendous shooting slump this season, shooting just 21.8% from the field and 20% from 3-point range, down from 40.1% and 45.7% last season. Smith’s FT percentage has also plummeted from 82.1% to 45.5% this year. J.P. Primm has taken over the role as top 3-point shooter with a pedestrian 36%. As a whole, the Bulldogs are a pretty horrid 3-pointing team, with a team percentage of 25.2%. This does not stop them from attempting 20 3-pointers a game so expect to hear lots of clanks echoing from Freedom Hall. Smith and Primm make up the bulk of experience from last year’s 15-16 team. Chris Stephenson has been named Big South freshman of the week once this year.
The other thing that strikes you about the Bulldogs is their lack of size. Their biggest starter is a guard and you can just imagine Patterson, Cousins, and Orton licking their chops at the woefully undersized Bulldogs. Eric Stubbs, at 6’8 – 255, is good for 4.6 points and 4.6 boards a night off the bench.
OUTLOOK
You have to feel bad for the Bulldogs as they miss out on playing in Rupp. At least they could have told their kids that. I’m sorry. This is not a good team. They shoot 37.7 from the field and 57.7 from the line. They have a team A/T ratio of 1/1.6. UK even had a better assist turnover ratio last year. And watching the Vols dismantle this team made Tobias Harris decide he wanted to be a jagoff too.
Expect UK to blitz this team early and often and have a big double digit lead by the 10:00 mark and then go on cruise control the rest of the way. I have said that about other games, I know… but this has to be one of the worst Div 1 teams out there. Mostly, I look for Calipari to use this as an open scrimmage type of game as this is the last tuneup before North Carolina. While I think that the score will be somewhat respectable due to Calipari’s Pearl comment, this will be the game it all comes together and the Cats romp 95-67.
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