Storylines – vs. Urbana University
The Blue Knights of Urbana University visit UVa-Wise on Thursday night following an 89-68 defeat of Glenville State this past Saturday. This season, Urbana (4-20, 3-15 MEC) has been outscored by opponents by a -10.5 margin with the Blue Knights posting 70.8 points on average compared to 81.3 points per game by opponents. Head Coach Nick Dials' team is shooting 44.5 percent from the field, hitting 36.9 percent of 3-point field goal attempts. The Blue Knights are recording 31.6 rebounds and 12.8 assists while committing 14.7 turnovers per contest. Junior forward Malik Jacobs leads the Blue Knights in scoring, putting up 16.7 points per game and shooting 51.5 percent from the floor. Jacobs also leads the team in rebounding, averaging five boards per contest. Urbana will continue its road trip following Thursday night's game as the team visits Concord University on Saturday.
About UVa-Wise
The Cavalier men will attempt to extend their win-streak on Thursday night after outlasting the Rams of Shepherd University, 70-63, this past weekend. UVa-Wise defeated the fourth-ranked team in the league behind redshirt senior Taiwo Badmus' 31 points in the forward's second consecutive 30-point game. Badmus' stellar performances against Fairmont State and Shepherd University this past week earned him the accolade of Mountain East Conference Player of the Week for the third time this season. The London, England native shared the honor with Concord's Tommy Bolte. Head Coach Blake Mellinger's squad has routed three of the top four teams in the conference over the past two weeks allowing UVa-Wise to climb the ranks as they currently sit at 9-9 in league play, 11-13 overall. The Cavaliers will return to the Prior Center on Saturday to host Notre Dame with tip-off slated for 4 p.m.
