Junior Curtis Withers has scored 20 or more points in five of the last six games. |
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GAME NOTES: #18 Charlotte Travels To #9 Louisville
March 1, 2005
Louisville, Ky. -
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The News:
The #18/#18 Charlotte 49ers (21-4; 12-2) travel to #9/#9 Louisville (24-4; 12-2) for Thursday's 7:00 p.m. contest. (TV: ESPN2, Dave O'Brien, Rick Majerus; Radio: WFNX, Matt Swierad). With two games remaining, the two teams are tied atop the C-USA standings with 12-2 records. The winner will claim at least a share of the Conference USA regular-season championship as well as the top seed in the upcoming Kelly Tires Conference USA Tournament. Charlotte, which claimed a share of last year's C-USA Regular-Season Title, as well, has won seven in a row, completing an unbeaten February (7-0). The Niners also went unbeaten at home (8-0) in C-USA play. Charlotte is 9-2 on the road, this season (4-2, C-USA), with notable road wins at 2004 NCAA participants Valparaiso and UAB (Sweet 16) as well as at then-#25 Marquette and at Indiana.
Power Players:
Jr. F Curtis Withers, who has scored over 20 points in each of the last three games and leads C-USA with a 19.0 scoring average in league games, has averaged 23.4 points and 8.9 rebounds while shooting .504 (63-of-125) over the last eight games (7-1). He has scored 20 or more points in six of those eight and at least 15 in all eight. He was named ESPN.com's National Player of the Week, Feb. 14 after averaging 30.0 points and 9.0 rebounds in a pair of wins, including a C-USA season-high 39 points at Saint Louis. Sr. F Eddie Basden has averaged 19.6 points and 9.6 rebounds over the last seven games (7-0). Basden has scored 20 or more points in five of the last 10 games. He leads C-USA with a school-record 84 steals (4th in NCAA) and already owns the league and school all-time records for career steals with 255. He is the only player in Conference USA that ranks in the league's Top 10 in scoring (7th); rebounding (5th), assists (10th) and steals (1st). He also is shooting .513 from the floor (8th in C-USA). The two won all four C-USA Player of the Week Awards in February (Feb. 7; Feb. 21; Feb. 28: Basden; Feb. 14: Withers)
National Recognition:
ESPN.com National Player of the Week:
Curtis Withers, Feb. 14
(avg. 30.0 pts; 9.0 rebs in 2 wins)
National Def. Player of the Year*: Eddie Basden
* - According to ESPN's Jay Bilas
Dick Vitale's All-AT&T (Long distance) team:
Brendan Plavich (95 threes), 2nd str. seas.
Notes:
C-USA Player of the Week Eddie Basden has won two straight and three of the last four C-USA Player of the Week honors and Charlotte swept February with four straight awards (Curtis Withers) ... the 49ers are 9-2 record vs. the RPI Top 100 -- only 11 schools (Kansas, Illinois, Oklahoma State, Wake Forest, Boston College, Washington, North Carolina, Duke, Arizona, Kentucky, Connecticut) have won more Top 100 games ... 49ers are 2-2 in games against nationally-ranked foes ... Brendan Plavich leads the nation in 3FG/gm (3.8/gm) and Eddie Basden is 4th in the NCAA in steals per game (3.4) ... Charlotte has posted its 2nd straight 20-win regular season and their second straight season with 12 wins in C-USA play ... the team is enjoying its best regular-season since the Final Four year of 1977, when the Niners went 23-3 in the regular-season.
National Player of Year Candidate:
Junior Curtis Withers, a third-team all-America, last season, by Basketball Times and a starter on USA Basketball's Gold-Medal winning 2004 World Championship for Young Men Qualifying Team, is a preseason candidate for each of the National Player of the Year Awards: Wooden Watch, the Naismith Trophy list and the Rupp Watch. In addition, the preseason third team all-America (Street & Smith's) was one of the Sporting News' Top 30 players.
Withers, who was named ESPN.com's National Player of the Week and C-USA Player of the Week, Feb. 14, scored 39 points with 14 rebounds at Saint Louis - the most points scored by a 49er since 1982. He has scored 20 or more points in the last three games and 15 or more points in each of the last 10 games. He leads C-USA with a 19.0 scoring average in league games with an overall 17.4 scoring average (4th in C-USA). He pulls 8.3 rebounds (6th C-USA) and has posted nine double-doubles. He's scored 20 or more points eight times, including five of the last six games. He's scored in double figures in 20 of the last 21. He was MVP of the Cable Car Classic.
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