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March 5, 2002

Cincinnati, Ohio - The 49ers (17-10, 11-5, RPI: 35) have won 2 of the last 3 Conference USA Championships and advanced to the finals in 4 of the last 5 years ... Bobby Lutz owns a 9-1 record in the C-USA Tournament, with two titles ... Charlotte has not met either Saint Louis or Tulane in the C-USA Tournament.

The News: As the #4 seed in the C-USA Tournament, the 49ers have received a bye for the second straight year ... with 11 wins in league play, the 49ers have posted double-digit league wins for the fifth time in C-USA's seven years ... the 49ers have at least one win against every team they have played in C-USA, except Cincinnati -- and remember, that includes each team from the American Division and the top 3 teams from the National Division (Memphis, South Florida, Houston) ... Charlotte has not lost a game outside the Top 100 RPI. In fact, 6 losses have come to teams in the Top 26 RPI ... the 49ers have won 8 games vs. the Top 100 RPI ... Jobey Thomas, a first-team all-Conference USA choice, has made five three-pointers in each of the last five games ... hehas scored 20 or more points 14 times, including 10 vs. C-USA foes ... Thomas, who averaged 20.4 points in C-USA games, joins Henry Williams and DeMarco Johnson as the only 49ers to average over 20 points in league play since 1990 ... Thomas owns C-USA career and single-season three-point records and the 49ers career three-point record ...he needs three three-pointers to tie the 49ers single-season record ... Cam Stephens, a second-team all-Conference USA choice, has notched 13 double-doubles, this year, with nine coming in league play ... Stephens is averaging a double-double (15.3 ppg, 10.4 rpg) in league play ... four 49ers average double-figures in league play, including reserve forward Kevin "Butter" Johnson (10.0 ppg, .527 FG%).

The Schedule, Toughest in C-USA: The February issue of Basketball Times rated each school's non-conference schedule. The 49ers non-con was ranked 18th toughest in the nation and the best in C-USA ... of note, the 49ers will also play the toughest league schedule, facing the more difficult American Division slate and the top three teams from the National Division ... The 49ers (11-4 in C-USA) have beaten each of the top three teams in C-USA's National Division (Memphis, South Florida, Houston) and boast wins over every American Division foe except Cincinnati ... Six of the 49ers losses have come to teams with an RPI in the Top 26 (Cincinnati (2), Indiana, Florida, Miami, Marquette).