The Charlotte 49ers (10-3) travel to Knoxville to take on the No.16/No.15 Volunteers (10-2) for their final non-conference game of the 2009-10 schedule tonight at 7 p.m. The Vols will be the fourth ranked non-conference team the Niners have faced so far this season. Charlotte has a 1-2 record against those teams with a win on the road against Louisville and losses to ACC powers Duke and Georgia Tech.
With a win tonight, the 49ers will match their win total for the entire 2008-09 season (11). Charlotte hasn't gotten off to a start like this since the 2004-05 season when they started 14-3 on their way to the NCAA Tournament. Nine of the Niners' 10 victories have been by double-digits.
The all-time series between Charlotte and Tennessee is tied a four with the teams meeting only one time over the last 10 years. Charlotte chalked up a 70-63 win over the Vols in the first round of the 2001 NCAA Tournament before falling to Illinois in the second round. The Niners are just 1-4 all-time at Rocky Top but have won the last three meetings and four of the last five. The Volunteers have won six of their last seven games and are undefeated at home this season.
Even with Charlotte's 10-3 record and the Vols' 10-2 record, both teams enter this game on on a little bit of a slide. After starting 9-1, Charlotte has struggled over the last three games. The Niners were dominated in an embarrassing 81-48 road-loss to Old Dominion and are coming off a gut-wrenching 76-67 home loss to #20 Georgia Tech on Saturday. The Niners shot 37.3 percent against Tech--the third time in four games they have been held under 40-percent shooting. They were also outrebounded 41-31. Derrio Green seems to be hitting his stride. The sophomore guard has established career-highs in the last two games with 23 and 31 points, respectively. Green may experience some trouble with Tennessee's stout defense though, as the Vols have held three of their last five opponents to fewer than 60 points.
Ending the calender year on a high note, the Volunteers defeated cross-state rival Memphis 66-59 last Thursday for it's signature win of the season. One day after the big win, the Vols were hit with the news that four players had been arrested.
Second-leading scorer Tyler Smith, sophomore guard Cameron Tatum, junior center Brian Williams and junior guard Melvin Goins were arrested on misdemeanor drug, gun and alcohol charges stemming from a traffic stop. The suspensions will leave a big hole in UT's offense against Charlotte.
The suspensions leave the Vols with just six scholarship players and without one of the team's most potent offensive threats in Smith. Smith averages a team-high 26.8 minutes per game to go along with 11.7 points and 4.7 rebounds. Smith also leads the Vols with 44 assists on the season.
Tatum has started six games and is averaging 8.7 points in 19.6 minutes. Goins averages 6.1 points and 2.2 rebounds, while Williams averages 16.7 minutes with 5.6 points and 5.4 rebounds.
To have a chance tonight against the Volunteers, the 49ers need to limit the turnovers and exploit Tennessee inside. Shamari Spears is coming off his worst performance of the season when he didn't score at all in the first half against Georgia Tech. The 49ers also committed 12 turnovers in the first half after averaging only 12 per game.
Spears is an established inside presence and the with the suspension to the Tennessee players, the Niners will have an advantage in the post. Look for Spears and freshman sensation Chris Braswell to try and get high-percentage shots and get to the line as much as possible. Freshman Renaldo Woolridge is expected to start for the first time this season alongside center Wayne Chism for Tennessee to fill the gap left by the suspended players.
It would have been great to knock off 20th-ranked Georgia Tech at home on Saturday, but Charlotte couldn't close the deal. This game presents a huge opportunity for the Niners and it will be the last chance to knock off a ranked, non-conference opponent.
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