UNCG Game Information (Thursday, Jan. 24 – 7 p.m. – Greensboro, N.C.)
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VMI Game Information (Saturday, Jan. 26 – 1 p.m. – McAlister Field House)
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CHARLESTON, S.C. – The Citadel men's basketball team will close out the current three-game road swing on Thursday, Jan. 24 with a 7 p.m. game at UNCG. The 'Dogs will then return home on Saturday, Jan. 26 for the annual Pack the Mac and Military Appreciation Game against VMI. Tipoff against the Keydets is slated for 1 p.m.
PACK THE MAC SET FOR JAN. 26
On Saturday, Jan. 26, The Citadel Department of Athletics will host its annual Pack the Mac event as the Bulldogs take on rival VMI at 1 p.m. The annual event, which will feature APECS as the title sponsor, with Pepsi and Balfour as participating sponsors, will feature the entire South Carolina Corps of Cadets in attendance. The Palmetto Battery will present the nation's colors before tipoff. The game will feature $5 tickets for fans who use the promo code "PTM" at CitadelSports.com/tickets. The special promotion will expire at 11:59 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 25.
THE BULLDOGS NATIONALLY
The Citadel enters this week's pair of games in the top 50 in the nation in nine statistical categories, including leading the nation in scoring (92.1 points per game), total 3-point field goals made (238) and 3-pointers made per game (13.2). The 'Dogs are also second in total 3-pointers attempted (688). The Citadel is 19th in the nation in assists per game (17.2), 22nd in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.41), tied for 31st in total assists (310), tied for 48th in turnover margin (+2.9) and tied for 49th in steals per game (7.9).
STALLWORTH NATIONALLY
Lew Stallworth enters the week 19th in the nation with an average of 6.3 assists per game and 114 total assists.
FRIERSON NATIONALLY
Matt Frierson enters the week second in NCAA Division I with 4.11 3-pointers made per game, third with 74 total 3-pointers made this season and sixth with 187 3-point attempts.
NAJDAWI CONTINUING HIS CLIMB
Zane Najdawi converted four field goals on Saturday at Chattanooga, moving him up into a tie for ninth in program history for career field goals made with 497.
FRIERSON CLIMBING THE RANKS
With his nine points against Chattanooga, Frierson now has 1,040 points for his career, a mark that has him currently 30th. He is 19 points out of 29th, held down by former teammate
Brian White (2013-17). Frierson is also just one 3-pointer away from tying the program record for treys made in a career.
800 CAREER POINTS
With his 22 points Saturday afternoon at Chattanooga, Stallworth eclipsed the 800-point mark for his collegiate career, giving him 802 heading into this week.
3 FOR 3
Frierson is currently ninth in Southern Conference history with 294 made 3-pointers in his career. He is third amongst active players, behind Wofford's
Fletcher Magee (1st, 423) and UNCG's
Francis Alonso (5th, 354). His next 3-pointer will tie him for eighth with former Bulldog
Zach Urbanus (2007-11). Frierson is also eighth all-time in SoCon history for 3-point field goal attempts with 800. Of active players, he is third behind Magee's 987 attempts (2nd) and Alonso's 862 (6th).
THE HISTORY WITH UNCG
UNCG holds a 26-9 record all-time over The Citadel, including a 13-3 mark in Greensboro. The Spartans have won the last nine meetings, with the last win in the series for the Bulldogs coming back on Jan. 5, 2015, 85-83 in overtime in Greensboro. Last season, the two teams met three times, including a 72-58 UNCG win in Greensboro (Jan. 18), an 82-66 win by UNCG in Charleston (Feb. 15) and a 72-58 win by the Spartans in the quarterfinal round of the 2018 Southern Conference Championship presented by General Shale (March 3).
SCOUTING THE SPARTANS
UNCG enters the week with a 17-3 overall record, including a 6-1 mark in Southern Conference play and an 8-1 record at home. The lone loss in league action came at the hands of the SoCon's top team, Wofford (72-43, Jan. 10). The Spartans won seven games in a row and six games in a row earlier this season, and are currently in the midst of a three-game winning streak. UNCG is currently averaging 77.3 points per game, while holding opponents to 66.2 points per contest, a +11.2 scoring margin. The Spartans' 66.2 points allowed per contest is the second best in the league. UNCG has connected on 46.7 percent of their shots from the field and their opponents have converted 43.6 percent of their shot attempts. The Spartans are first in the SoCon in turnover margin (+6.05) and second in steals per game (8.6).
THE SPARTANS INDIVIDUALLY
UNCG is currently led in scoring by Alonso's 17.7 points per game,
Isaiah Miller's 14.2 points per contest and
Kyrin Galloway's 10.2 points per outing. Alonso is fourth in the league in scoring. Of those players who have taken at least 90 shots on the year, four are currently shooting at least 50.0 percent from the field led by
Eric Hamilton's 65.6 percent (59-of-90) and Galloway's 55.8 percent (77-of-138). Galloway also leads the team in 3-point field goal percentage, having connected on 46.5 percent of his attempts from beyond the 3-point arc. His 33 made 3-pointers are second to Alonso's 56. Under the basket,
James Dickey leads the way with 7.6 rebounds per game, despite missing six games. Eric Hamilton is second on the squad with 5.0 boards per contest.
Demetrius Troy leads the team with 85 assists and Miller has a team-high 55 steals. Alonso, Galloway and Troy have started every game for UNCG with
Malik Massey making 16 starts and Dickey having made 14.
THE HISTORY WITH VMI
The Citadel holds a 57-53 all-time record over VMI, including a 33-20 home record. The Keydets have won three of the last five meetings, but the Bulldogs won the most recent matchup, 78-70, in the first round of the 2018 Southern Conference Basketball Championships presented by General Shale. The Bulldogs won 10 straight meetings twice, from Jan. 7, 1957 – Feb. 13, 2961 and Dec. 2, 1968 – Feb. 12, 2973.
SCOUNTING THE KEYDETS
VMI is currently 7-12 overall on the year, including 1-6 in SoCon action and 1-8 on the road. The Keydets' lone road win came on Nov. 23 at Stetson, an 87-79 overtime victory. The lone conference win was a 91-83 victory over Western Carolina last weekend, a win that broke a five-game losing skid. VMI will play at Mercer on Thursday, Jan. 24. VMI averages 75.7 points per game, but is allowing 79.1 points per contest. The Keydets' opponents are shooting 45.4 percent from the field compared to 42.9 percent by VMI. They Keydets average 9.8 3-pointers per game while shooting 34.8 percent from long range. In comparison, their foes have averaged 8.3 treys per game and have shot 35.8 percent from 3-point range.
THE KEYDETS INDIVIDUALLY
VMI is led by
Bubba Parham's 21.2 points per game, a stat that has him first in the league. Behind Parham,
Garrett Gilkeson averages 10.4 points per contest,
Sarju Patel averages 9.8 points per game,
Myles Lewis adds 9.5 points per outing and
Greg Parham contributes 8.1 points per contest. Gilkeson leads the team in shooting, having connected on 49.3 percent of his field goal attempts, and
Jake Stephens and Lewis are also shooting over 46.0 percent. Bubba Parham leads the team with 66 3-pointers made and 66 assists.
Tyler Creammer and Gilkeson are both averaging at least 6.0 rebounds per game, Creammer leads the team with 6.5 and Gilkeson adds 6.2. Gilkeson boasts a team-high 34 steals. Bubba Parham, Gilkeson and Lewis have started all 19 games for the Keydets, while Greg Parham and Creammer have each made 16 starts.
NEXT UP
Saturday's game against VMI will open a three-game homestand for The Citadel. Furman will visit McAlister Field House on Thursday, Jan. 31 for a 7 p.m. game to close out the month of January, with Wofford visiting Charleston on Saturday, Feb. 2 for a 1 p.m. contest.
For more information on The Citadel basketball team, please visit CitadelSports.com and follow @CitadelHoops and @CitadelSports on Twitter and Instagram.
