Leemire Goldwire and Charlie Coley will lead the 49ers into postseason play. |
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Charlotte Back in Post-Season; Earns NIT Bid
March 16, 2008
Halton Arena - The Charlotte 49ers earned a spot in the 2008 MasterCard NIT and will travel to Nebraska to take on the Cornhuskers, Wednesday night at 9:00 p.m. (WFNA Radio; ESPN Classic). Charlotte is seeded sixth in the tourney while Nebraska grabbed a #3 seed.
This is Charlotte's eighth post-season bid in the 10-year tenure of head coach Bobby Lutz. Charlotte has been to five NCAA Tournaments and will be making its third NIT appearance under Lutz.
"We're excited to be in the post-season," said Lutz, who became the program's all-time winningest coach this season. "It will be a challenge but we're confident in how we are playing and we're looking forward to the opportunity. It's a tough assignment going to Nebraska, which is 16-3 at home. It's a true road game and they will have a great atmosphere. I think it's a great accomplishment for a team picked to finish 10th in the A-10, with really only two guys back with regular experience -- to grow and qualify for the NIT -- it's a well-deserved reward for our players."
This is the 49ers sixth NIT appearance, the last coming in 2006. Charlotte went 1-1 in the 2006 NIT, defeating Georgia Southern, 77-61, at home before falling to Cincinnati, 86-80, on the road. Charlotte owns an overall record of 4-5 in NIT play. In 1976, the 49ers reached the NIT Finals under head coach Lee Rose, losing to Kentucky, 71-67. Lutz is 1-2 in NIT games.
Charlotte is 20-13, this season, marking the 5th 20-win season of Lutz's career. They tied for 4th in the A-10 regular-season and reached the semifinals of the Atlantic 10 Tournament. Charlotte has won five of its last six games.
Charlotte is led by senior guard Leemire Goldwire, who is averaging 19.0 points this season. He leads the Atlantic 10 with 126 three-pointers made and has notched a school-record six games of 30 or more points.
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