Charlotte 49ers Basketball

Last week, I posted a preview of the Charlotte 49ers non-conference schedule and how things could play out. Today, I’m going into more detail, talking about five games that can make or break this season and why.

The first non-exhibition game of the season takes place Nov. 13 at Halton Arena against UNC-Asheville. The Bulldogs have been improving in previous years, but 7’7’’ center Kenny George, the biggest (no pun intended) reason for the resurgence, is no longer with the team due to having part of his foot amputated.

The first game of the season is always important to getting the season started the right way, but having the first game at home against an in-state rival can give the 49ers some much-needed momentum.

They’re going to need it for the second crucial game this season.

Provided Charlotte knocks off fellow in-state team Elon University on Nov. 16, the first-round game of the Preseason NIT, they’ll get the chance to play national powerhouse Duke the next day.

This game will likely be broadcast on national television, possibly ESPN, and nationwide exposure early in the season could do wonders for the team’s confidence.

Especially if the game stays close.

I’m not here to say the 49ers will beat Duke, but it wasn’t so long ago that No. 2 seeded Duke was nearly upset by Belmont in the first round of the 2008 NCAA Tournament. Any team is vulnerable to a big upset, more so early in the season before the team has time to really bond on and off the court.

Even keeping the game against Duke close would suffice. Morale and teamwork would go through the roof.

On Saturday, Dec. 5, Charlotte travels to Louisville to take on their former C-USA rivals.

It was just last week that a sex scandal involving Cardinals coach Rick Pitino grabbed national headlines (before having them mercifully taken away by Brett Favre’s return), and as the season starts again, talks about the subject may resurface.

If they do, it could potentially throw Pitino off his coaching game and allow the 49ers to pull off a shocking road upset of one of the consistently better teams in the nation. After all, Charlotte had no problem beating them in C-USA only a few years ago. They can do it again.

Dec. 20 sees the 49ers travel down to Rock Hill, SC to challenge Winthrop. The Eagles are a regional opponent and dominate the Big South conference, making the NCAA Tournament eight times since 1999.

This game, being played late in non-conference play, will set the tone for conference play. Winthrop is one of the better mid-major schools in the nation, and a win here would assure fans that the 49ers are ready to step up and make a strong run at winning the Atlantic-10 this year.

A loss, however, isn’t the end.

Georgia Tech comes to Halton Arena on Jan. 2, and a win over an ACC team at home would improve Charlotte’s tournament resume.

A weaker non-conference schedule has damaged the 49ers in the past, but with the 49ers reasonably able to defeat Louisville, Winthrop, and Georgia Tech could make up for having a win total only in the high teens.

Strength of schedule is the name of the game, and if Charlotte can take advantage of the situation, they could be dancing come late March.

Fans of UNC Charlotte athletics, rejoice. The football team is coming soon after a 60-plus year wait, and, better yet, the non-conference schedule has finally been released on Charlotte49ers.com after months of anticipation.

Taking a look at the schedule, I think the time is right for the 49ers to make some noise for the first time since leaving Conference USA.

For the first time in years, the 49ers won’t begin the season by making a mockery of coach Bobby Lutz’s former team, Pfeiffer. Instead, Johnson C. Smith makes the exhaustively long trip down North Tryon St. and on to University City Boulevard for a grand total of about a 20- or 30-minute ride.

Considering the state of the economy, they could cut costs by paying $1.50 and riding the No. 11 bus to UNCC and back.

The following week, UNC Asheville returns to Halton Arena as they’ve done the past few years. A few days later, the Green and Gold will participate in the Preseason NIT, taking on Elon in the first round. Provided the 49ers defeat one opponent from the Tar Heel State, they'll face another in Duke the next day.

Charlotte has lacked national media coverage lately, so the game against Elon on Nov. 16 is a must-win. Even playing against Duke will bring in some much-needed revenue to compensate for budget cuts.

December provides more opportunities to defeat regional opponents, such as East Carolina (in Charlotte), former conference rival Louisville on the road, Gardner-Webb, Winthrop, and Old Dominion.

Before conference play begins, the 49ers look to upset two major conference opponents: Georgia Tech comes to Halton Arena on Jan. 2, and Charlotte travels to Knoxville, Tenn. to play the Volunteers on Jan. 6.

These two games are the most crucial of the schedule. Wins against either team could spark the momentum needed to tear through an always difficult Atlantic-10 conference.

Overall, I think this Charlotte team can surprise the critics. Three starters from last season return, including senior Ian Anderson (fifth last year in three-pointers made in the A-10) and junior An’Juan Wilderness, the fan-favorite starting point guard.

Also, after transferring from Boston College and becoming eligible, junior Shamari Spears will be a great addition at the forward position.

After having the worst year of the Lutz era last season, the 49ers have a large chip on their shoulder and, no doubt, an intense desire to win. I expect to see this team play as hard as they did in 2004, the year of Brendan Plavich’s miraculous game-winner at the buzzer against Indiana and the last occurrence of a conference championship.

While the 49ers are not expected to make their first Final Four since 1977, it should be another exciting year for Charlotte basketball. 

Charlotte vs. Duquesne January 7th, 2009 7:00PM
Click here for more expert NCAA basketball picks from Ted Sevransky

Charlotte got off to a terrible start this year. Coming off a 20 win season, with four returning starters, perhaps they read too many of their own press clippings, claiming that they were ready to compete for a Atlantic-10 championship with the likes of Xavier and Dayton. Instead, the 49ers lost six straight following their opening day win. After an overtime loss in their finale of their post Thanksgiving tournament in Anaheim, Charlotte stood at 1-6 SU, a team in disarray.

Since that time, Bobby Lutz has started to work his magic. First, Charlotte won outright at Southern Illinois. Then they won outright at Mississippi State. The 49ers followed up those two impressive road wins with a couple of home blowouts over lesser foes and suddenly, this team is playing with confidence and chemistry. They were tied at Maryland this weekend at the midway point of the second half before the Terps went on one big run to notch the victory, but even in that game, the 49ers regained their composure and notched a push for those who bet it late. Tonight, in their A-10 opener, that composure will suit them well against a team they have handled with ease in all three meetings over the past three seasons.

The Palumbo Center is not one of the stronger home courts in the A-10, to put it mildly. After losing their top five scorers from last years 17 win squad, we can expect a rather significant drop-off from the Dukes as conference play begins tonight. This is a game that Duquesne will struggle to win, let alone winning by any sort of a margin at all. (#543) 2* Take Charlotte.

If you are betting college basketball this season, be sure to purchase Ted Sevransky’s expert NCAA basketball predictions at Touthouse.com

The start to the 49ers' season could not have been uglier.

After opening up the season as expected against in-state opponent UNC Greensboro, the 49ers entered a painful six-game losing streak—their worst since the '85-'86 season.

Things would not get any easier for the 49ers, as the demoralized squad travelled to Carbondale to face a strong Southern Illinois team which has maintained an intimidating 95-7 home record since 1999.

Although Charlotte has dominated the series at 6-1, expectations and heads were hung low.

But the 49ers decided to turn it around. Sparked by the performance of Ian Andersen, who racked up 18 points in a flurry of threes, the 49ers went on to seal the deal at 66-64 at SIU Arena.

A few days later, Charlotte continued the upswing by dominating SEC foe Mississippi State at Humphrey Coliseum, after leading by as much as 20 points in the second half.

"When you lose a bunch of games, all of them close, you hope you learn something from that," said 49ers coach Bobby Lutz. "We regained our composure. It shows our team is improving."

Charlotte will have ten days to fully regain its composure. After a very busy and ugly start to the season, including a rough three games in four nights at the 76 Classic in Anaheim, the 49ers will have ten days to think about their season before returning home to host Youngstown State and Long Island.

The 49ers would be wise not to let up. Just around the corner is Maryland, followed by the start of conference play in a resurgent Atlantic-10 Conference that upset ranked Kansas and Tennessee this past week on national television.

Strong performances against Youngstown State and Long Island would give the 49ers the confidence they need to march into the second half of the season. Losses would throw the team off-balance and make it almost impossible to recover.

The 49ers have 10 days to decide what direction they want to go in.

Charlotte will restart play on December 21, when they host Youngstown State in Halton Arena.