Meet the Opponent: UNC Greensboro Comes to Assembly Hall

In its fourth season under coach Mike Jones, UNC Greensboro ranks 49th nationally in 3-point shooting, led by guards Kenyon Giles and Donovan Atwell. The Spartans were picked sixth in the preseason Southern Conference coaches poll.

Jack Ankony | Nov 21, 2024

UNC Greensboro coach Mike Jones against Arkansas at Bud Walton Arena. / Nelson Chenault-Imagn Images

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BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Indiana begins its season with four home games, the last of which will be played Thursday against UNC Greensboro.

Coach Mike Woodson and the Hoosiers have won their first three games by at least 16 points, most recently defeating South Carolina 87-71 Saturday at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. Add home wins over SIUE and Eastern Illinois, and No. 16 Indiana is 3-0 to begin the season.

Thursday’s game against the Spartans is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. ET at Assembly Hall and will be broadcast on FS1. After that, the Hoosiers head to the Bahamas for three important nonconference games in the Battle 4 Atlantis.

Here’s a full breakdown of UNC Greensboro.

Key returners

G Donovan Atwell: 12.3 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 38.9 3pt FG%
F Jalen Breath: 9.7 ppg, 7.0 rpg, 64.7 FG%
G Akrum Ahemed: 8.0 ppg, 2.0 rpg, 77.8 FG%
G/F Muon Reath: 4.5 ppg, 1.5 apg, 60.0 FG%
G Joryam Saizonou: 3.7 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 28.6 3pt FG%
F Miles Jones: 3.3 ppg, 8.7 rpg, 25.0 3pt FG%
F Domas Kauzonas: 1.0 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 33.3 FG%

Key newcomers

G Kenyon Giles (Radford transfer): 16.3 ppg, 2.3 apg, 50.0 3pt FG%
G Ronald Polite III (George Mason transfer): 10.3 ppg, 2.7 apg, 20.0 3pt FG%
F Malik Henry (George Mason transfer): 6.0 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 60.0 FG%
F Demetrius Davis (Chattanooga transfer): 3.7 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 22.2 3pt FG%

Key departures

(2023-24 stats)

F Mikeal Brown-Jones: 18.9 ppg, 7.5 rpg, 54.0 FG%
G Keyshaun Langley: 15.4 ppg, 3.3 apg, 42.5 3pt FG%
G Kobe Langley: 8.5 ppg, 5.7 apg, 2.3 spg, 36.0 3pt FG%
F Tim Ceaser: 3.6 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 41.0 FG%

2024-25 schedule

W, 73-64 vs. Florida Gulf Coast, Nov. 4, Greensboro, N.C.
L, 81-68 at Southern Methodist, Nov. 11, Dallas, Texas
W, 99-54 vs. North Carolina Wesleyan, Nov. 16, Greensboro, N.C.

Head coach: Mike Jones

Jones is in his fourth season at UNC Greensboro with a 60-39 overall record and a 35-19 record in Southern Conference play. The Spartans finished top five in each of Jones’ first three seasons, including tied for second last year, but they have not reached the NCAA Tournament or NIT. Jones was named Southern Conference co-coach of the year in 2023 by the media. Prior to UNC Greensboro, Jones, 59, got his first head coaching opportunity at Radford from 2011-21. He had a 174-150 overall record and a 99-75 record in Big South play. Jones won 20-plus games in five out of 10 seasons, including one NCAA Tournament appearance and two regular season conference titles. Jones was previously an assistant coach at VCU, Georgia, West Virginia, Richmond, Furman and Howard. He also coached high school basketball at Sidwell Friends School from 1990-94. Jones played at Howard from 1983-87.

Strengths

UNC Greensboro shot the ball well from 3-point range in its two wins, from both a percentage and quantity standpoint. The Spartans made 12-of-31 (38.7%) 3-point attempts in a win over Florida Gulf Coast and went 12-for-22 from beyond the arc on its way to defeating North Carolina Wesleyan. Despite a poor 3-point shooting night in a loss at SMU, going 5-for-20, UNC Greensboro still ranks 49th nationally with a 39.7% 3-point shooting percentage and 79th with 9.7 3-pointers made per game.

Though it’s a small sample size through three games, Indiana will have to keep the Spartans from heating up outside. UNC Greensboro’s top 3-point shooters are Kenyon Giles (10 for 20) and Donovan Atwell (7 for 18). Akrum Ahemed has also made all five of his 3-point attempts off the bench this season.

UNC Greensboro has also been a strong rebounding team through three games. The Spartans rank 37th nationally with 43.3 total rebounds per game and 12th with 32.3 defensive rebounds per game. They haven’t been as successful on the offensive glass, ranking 187th with 11 per game. That was most noticeable against North Carolina Wesleyan, as UNC Greensboro held a plus-15 rebounding advantage, but it also outrebounded Florida Gulf Coast by five and fell two rebounds short of SMU’s total in a loss.

Defensively, UNC Greensboro ranks just outside the top 100 with 66.3 points allowed per game. Teams have really struggled to make shots against the Spartans’ defense, even in its loss at SMU. Each opponent has shot below 30% from 3-point range against UNC Greensboro, which ranks 40th nationally in opponent field goal percentage at 36.3%

Weaknesses

Even though opponents have not shot the ball well against UNC Greensboro, its defense has not been productive in several other notable categories. The Spartans rank outside the top 240 in steals (6.7), blocks (2.7) and turnovers forced (10.3) per game. Its leading shot blocker is 6-foot-3 guard Joryam Saizonou with two blocks.

That could open the door to Indiana getting easy looks inside with Mackenzie Mgbako, Malik Reneau and Oumar Ballo, as UNC Greensboro lacks an intimidating shot blocker. The Spartans will also be at a height disadvantage against the Hoosiers, as their tallest starter is 6-foot-8 Jalen Breath and four starters stand 6-foot-6 or below.

The Spartans’ 3-point shooting prowess hasn’t translated inside the arc, either. With a 49.1% 2-point field goal percentage, they rank 271st nationally. A big reason for that is because 6-foot-6 guard Donovan Atwell, a first-team All-Southern Conference preseason pick, is shooting 28.6% from 2-point range and has the second-most field goal attempts this season.

Season outlook

UNC Greensboro was picked to finish sixth out of 10 teams in the preseason Southern Conference coaches poll. Atwell was the lone Spartan named to the preseason All-Southern Conference team. UNC Greensboro is ranked No. 167 out of 364 teams nationally by KenPom.com, fourth-highest among teams in its conference. The Spartans have finished between second and fifth in the Southern Conference under Jones, and they look to be in that range again this season.