It's time to get ready for our first opponent, North Carolina Wesleyan, who we face on Saturday night @ 7 in Trask.
Let's get to know who we're facing.
North Carolina Wesleyan Battling Bishops
Established: 1956
Description: Private 4-year Liberal Arts College
Location: Rocky Mount, NC
Enrollment: 2,119
Religious Affiliation: Methodist
Athletics Level: Division III
Conference: USA South Athletic Conference
Coach: John Thompson (328-253, 23rd season)
2016-17 Record: 13-12
Conference: 6-8 (9th of 11)
Results vs D-I: L @ High Point (79-61) - Exhibition
Returning Starters: 5
* Adrian Moore (Sr. G): 20.8 ppg, 8.8 rpg, 4.6 apg, 3.1 spg
* Chris Braswell (Jr. G): 11.3 ppg, 3.0 apg, 1.5 spg, .356 3-pt %
* Justin Tanekelewicz (Jr. G): 14.3 ppg, 2.5 apg, .367 3-pt %
* Robert Wilson (Jr. F): 7.2 ppg, 5.1 rpg, .527 FG %
* A.J. Frye (So. C): 12.9 ppg, 4.7 rpg, .636 FG %
Team PPG: 80.8
Opp PPG: 80.8
Team Shooting: .453
Opp Shooting: .466
Team 3-Pt Shooting: .341
Opp 3-Pt Shooting: .371
Team A/TO Ratio: 1.2
Opp A/TO Ratio: 1.1
Given NC Wesleyan's shot count last year (66.6 per game compared to 63.7 for us last season), the Battling Bishops' pace of play seems to be quite fast, which will help us tune up our defensive efficiency as well as offensive play in transition, where UNC has always made their mark under C.B. McGrath's former boss, Roy Williams.
The D-III, non-scholarship NC Wesleyan squad has seen some historical success at their level under coach John Thompson, with last year being a bit of an anomaly. In '15-16, the Battling Bishops went 20-7 and 12-2 in their conference, leading to a USA South Athletic Conference Coach of the Year award for Thompson. With all 5 starters returning from last year, including All-Conference First Teamer Adrian Moore, a bounceback season seems likely.
After facing the Seahawks, NC Wesleyan takes on UNCG in another exhibition on November 15th, and also has D-I regular season contests scheduled with CAA mate Delaware and Longwood later in the month.