Men's Basketball | 1/7/2023 10:00:00 AM

STREAM: The game will air live on FloHoops. Spencer Turkin will handle the play-by-play, and Walter Johnson Giannini will provide the analysis. 

NORTH CAROLINA A&T AGGIES STORYLINES 

• The Aggies are back at home. Yes. But the two home opponents they have received in their return to Corbett Sports Center have not been slouches. 
• After being on the road for seven straight games and after not playing a home game for five weeks, the Aggies played the 23rd-ranked team in the nation in College of Charleston on Wednesday. 
• The Cougars, the first ranked team men's basketball team to ever play in Corbett Sports Center, defeated the Aggies 92-79 despite 30 points, six rebounds and six assists from sophomore guard Kam Woods. 
• After that difficult challenge, the Aggies return to #ClubCorbett to face UNC Wilmington, the defending Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) regular-season co-champion and the defending College Basketball Invitational national champions. 
• With UNC Wilmington coming to Greensboro, A&T's last two opponents are a combined 28-4 overall and 6-0 in the CAA. 
• Woods' 30-point night marked the first time an Aggie scored 30 or more points in a game since Femi Olujobi had 37 points at Jacksonville State on Nov. 18, 2017. 
• The last time an Aggie had a 30-point performance against a Division I opponent in Corbett occurred on Nov. 30, 2015, when current A&T assistant men's basketball coach Sam Hunt went for 32 against Northern Kentucky.  
• Freshman forward Duncan Powell had another spectacular game. For the third straight game, Powell, a Dallas, Texas native, eclipsed his career high in scoring. Powell finished with a career-high 20 on 7-for-14 shooting from the field and 3-for-6 shooting from 3-point range. 
• Powell also secured career highs in field goals made (7), field goals attempted (14), 3-pointers made (3), 3-pointers attempted (6) and minutes played (31). 
• Powell, the reigning CAA rookie of the week, is averaging 18.3 points and 8.3 rebounds on 19-for-30 shooting (.633).
• With Powell's improved play and the expected return of 6-foot-9 forward Austin Johnson for Saturday's game, the Aggies post presence situation is starting to look better. 
• Seven minutes into the Aggies game with Norfolk State on Dec. 18, Johnson left the contest with an ankle injury and has not played since that point. Johnson, the Aggies leading rebounder and shot blocker, has missed A&T's last five games. 
• Graduate forward Webster Filmore played his 100th game in an Aggies uniform on Dec. 31 at Hofstra. Filmore is the Aggies active leader in games played (101) and games started (44). 
• Woods made six 3-pointers on Wednesday. He is ranked 21st in the country in threes made with 46. Along with senior Demetric Horton, the two perimeter shooters have made 87 3-pointers, with both men ranking among the top-3 in the CAA in 3-pointers made. 
• Phillip Shumpert is the Aggies head coach on an interim basis. He took over the program for Will Jones in August. He missed three games with COVID but returned to earn the big win over UNCG.
• Shumpert has been a significant part in helping the Aggies recruit some of their talent. 
• Shumpert took over on an interim basis in August. Shumpert has coached on many levels, including high school, Division II, junior college and Division I, and has head coaching experience on the junior college level for five years. 

 SCOUTING THE UNCW SEAHAWKS   

• After winning a share of the CAA title and the CBI national championship, the Seahawks are off to another fast start in 2022-23. 
• The Seahawks' three losses this season were at No. 1 North Carolina, at Oklahoma and at UConn, now nationally ranked. 
• They have taken care of business against CAA teams struggling this season. They defeated Monmouth and Elon on the road and defeated Hampton at home. The combined overall record of those teams is 6-40. 
• Trazarien White led the Seahawks against Elon on Wednesday with 26 points and seven rebounds on 12-for-21 shooting. Amari Kelly added 15 points and seven rebounds on 4-for-7 shooting. 
• UNCW outrebounded the Phoenix 40-25 and had a 17-4 advantage in second-chance points. 
• White, a 6-6 sophomore forward out of Mansfield, Texas, leads the Seahawks in scoring (14.6 ppg) and rebounding (5.6 rpg), and he is shooting 51.2 percent from the floor. White ranks second in the CAA in field goal percentage. 
• Shykeim Phillips was a preseason second-team All-CAA selection. He is averaging 9.3 points and 2.8 rebounds per game, but he is shooting just 37.7 percent from the floor. 
• CAA coaches voted UNCW to finish fifth this season in the CAA preseason poll. UNCW comes into the contest having won 11 straight games after their Nov. 18 loss to UConn. 
• The Seahawks are led by Takayo Siddle, who is in his third season as the program's leader. 
• After leading the Seahawks to a 7-10 record during the COVID-19-shortened 2020-21 season, Siddle has led UNCW to a 40-12 record since that time.
• That includes a share of the CAA's regular-season championship and a CBI national title.   

 THE SERIES                 

• The Aggies and the Seahawks have an extensive history against each other. 
• Today's game will be the 21st meeting between the two schools, with A&T leading the series, 11-9. 
• The last meeting between the two teams occurred on Nov. 23, 2010, with the Aggies coming away with an 84-79 win at Corbett. 
• The last three meetings in the series, including today, have been played at Corbett.