Campbell at North Carolina A&T
When: Saturday, January 22, 2022, 5 p.m.
Where: Corbett Sports Center (East Greensboro, N.C.)
ESPN+: Spencer Turkin, pxp; Cy Alexander, analyst
A&T Team Leaders (minimum 1.5 shots per game for percentages)
Points: Marcus Watson (12.8)
Rebounds: Marcus Watson (6.0)
Assists: Kameron Langley (5.2)
Blocks: Harry Morrice (1.1)
Steals: Kameron Langley (1.6)
Field Goal Percentage: Webster Filmore (.533)
3-point Field Goal Percentage: Demetric Horton (.381)
Free Throw Percentage: Tyler Maye (.759)
A&T Big South Leaders (Top-10)
Rebounds: Marcus Watson (6.0) – 8th
Assists: Kameron Langley (5.2) – 1st
Blocks: Harry Morrice (1.1) – 6th
Steals: Kameron Langley (1.6) – 6th
Free Throw Percentage: Marcus Watson (.708) – 5th
3-point Field Goals Made: Demetic Horton (1.9) – 9th
Assist/Turnover Ratio: Kameron Langley (2.2) – 2nd
Offensive Rebounds: Webster Filmore (2.4) – 2nd;
Tyler Maye (2.2) – 4th
Defensive Rebounds: Marcus Watson (4.6) –5th
A&T National Leaders (Top-100)
Assists: Kameron Langley (5.2) – 34th
Total Assists: Kameron Langley (93) – 25th
Assists/Turnover Ratio: Kameron Langley (2.2) – 62nd
Total Field Goal Attempts: Marcus Watson (225) – 96th
NORTH CAROLINA A&T AGGIES (9-10, 4-1 BIG SOUTH): The Aggies are coming off another thrilling road win in another close road game. The Aggies have won three out of their last four true road games. All four games came down to the wire. Their only loss came at High Point University, where they overcame a 16-point second-half deficit to cut HPU's lead to two before losing by seven. In their lastest road win, which came at UNC Asheville, the Aggies overcame a 14-point first-half deficit to win 73-71 despite two late 3-pointers by the Bulldogs.
Now the Aggies return home, where they have been unbeatable when playing inside the conference. The Aggies have won 29 straight at home against conference opponents, and they are 19-3 (.864) overall at home under head coach
Will Jones.
A&T can attribute its 4-1 start in conference play to rebounding and forcing turnovers. The Aggies have grabbed more rebounds – 699 – than any other team in the Big South. They have a plus-5 rebounding margin in conference play. A&T ranks third in the league in turnovers forced per game (15.3). They rank 15th nationally and No. 1 in the conference in total steals (164).
Head coach
Will Jones is in his third season with the Aggies after taking over on an interim basis on December 24, 2019. Jones is 23-6 (.793) against conference opponents, and he is 34-26 (.567) overall as the Aggies headman. Last season, Jones led the Aggies to their first regular-season title in 31 years, and in 2020 he was named Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) coach of the year.
CAMPBELL FIGHTING CAMELS (9-7, 2-3 BIG SOUTH): After a 0-2 start in conference play, Camels won two straight Big South games, both home wins.
The Camels secured a 67-52 win over Charleston Southern on Jan. 12 before taking down Radford 70-58 three days later. Jordan Whitfield, a 6-foot-1 guard out of Raleigh, N.C., led the Camels in their win over Radford with 17 points on 3-for-6 shooting from 3-point range. Six-foot, two-inch guard Ricky Clemons, another Raleigh native, led the rebounding effort with seven while adding 14 points on 6-for-7 shooting.
The Camels followed their two home wins with a 72-64 loss at Longwood. Austin McCullough (6-5, F) scored 17 points and had five rebounds. The Camels three conference losses were by a combined 15 points.
Four Camels average in double figures led by 6-6 forward Cedric Henderson, Jr. (Memphis, Tenn.) at 12.2 points per game. Henderson, whose father played in the NBA, has not scored in double figures in his last two games. The lead outside threat for the Camels is Whitfield, who is shooting 40 percent from 3-point range.
Kevin McGeehan is in his ninth season with the Camels. Over the past five seasons under McGeehan, the Camels have averaged 18 wins. Their 89 combined wins in that span are the most since the Camels became a Division I program at the start of the 1977-78 season. The Camels won the Big South regular-season title in 2019, and they finished tournament runner-up in 2017 and 2021. He is 132-140 (.485) overall and 62-82 (.431) in the Big South.
THE SERIES: A&T and Campbell will be meeting for the 14th time. The Aggies lead the series 8-5. The Aggies won the last meeting on a neutral floor at a tournament hosted by UNLV, 85-60, on Nov. 23, 2012. Campbell's previous trip to Corbett resulted in a 68-67 A&T loss on Dec. 11, 2004.
QUOTABLES: "(Campbell) needs to know what Aggie Pride looks like and what Club Corbett looks like. We need a sellout against Campbell in our gym."
Head coach Will Jones delivers a message to Aggie Nation
GAME NOTES:
- A&T will put its 29-game home conference winning streak on the line against Campbell. A&T's last loss to a conference opponent came on Feb. 27, 2017, to Bethune-Cookman when the Aggies were members of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC).
- More than 20 points have decided the last three contests between A&T and Campbell. A&T lost at Campbell by 21 points in 2005 before losing by 28 at Campbell in 2011. The Aggies won the last meeting between two schools by 25 in 2012.
- The Aggies have won five of their last six games, with the only blowout win against Mid-Atlantic Christian on Dec. 21.
- On Wednesday, Demetric Horton secured his first-ever double-double as an Aggie with 17 points and 10 rebounds in the win over UNC Asheville.
- David Beatty has turned the ball over only nine times in five games since becoming the Aggies starting point on Jan. 5 against Presbyterian.
- Graduate guard Kameron Langley's 850 career assists have him ranked 21st all-time in NCAA history. He needs 50 more to become one of only 15 NCAA Division I players with 900 career dimes.
- In five conference games, the Aggies have held their opponents to 29.3 percent shooting from 3-point range. The Camels are only shooting 32.6 percent from the 3-point arc in conference play.