RADFORD, Va. – No. 3 seed Gardner-Webb will begin its quest for a second-straight tournament crown Thursday afternoon, battling No. 6 seed UNC Asheville in the 2020 Hercules Tires Big South Men's Basketball Championship in the Dedmon Center.

The game is set for a 2:30 pm tip, and will stream live on ESPN3 (WatchESPN.com / ESPN App) – with veteran broadcasters Mike Gleason and Nate Ross on the call.

UNC Asheville (15-15, 8-10 Big South) advanced into the quarterfinal round with a 72-68 win over No. 11 seed Campbell on Tuesday night at home – avenging two earlier losses to the Fighting Camels. The game featured several long runs and momentum swings, with Asheville getting a season-high 19 points from forward Coty Jude and double figures scoring from three other players, to pick up the win.

Gardner-Webb shot 68.0 percent in the second half of its lone meeting with UNC Asheville this season, capturing a 70-56 win in Kimmel Arena on January 30.

All-Conference selections Jaheam Cornwall and Eric Jamison, Jr., each scored 14 points in that win, and Big South All-Freshman team selection Kareem Reid had 11 points in just 16 minutes (5-of-5 shooting).

Gardner-Webb will be tested by Asheville's defensive pressure, which turns teams over often. The Bulldogs force an average of 16.9 turnovers per game, and did so 16 times against GWU in January. The turnover margin (+5.3) ranks among the best in the nation and sits atop the league stat sheet.

The Runnin' Bulldogs have taken better care of the basketball of late, turning offensive success – and defensive grit of their own – into a stretch of seven wins in eight games. GWU is the only squad in the Big South with two assist men with more than 100 dimes each, as Christian Turner (113) and Cornwall (102) are in the midst of career-best years in that category.

Turner paces the Big South in assist/turnover ratio (3:1), with Cornwall ranking sixth (2:1).

During its current eight-game stretch, All-Big South guard Nate Johnson has scorched the nets to the tune of 18.9 points per game on 53.1 percent shooting. His 10 points in the final four minutes Saturday at Radford proved to be the difference in a 70-62 win.

Jamison is hitting for a 16.1 points per game clip since February 8 and Cornwall is averaging eight 15.3 points per game since then – while shooting nearly 57 percent from long range. Cornwall's accuracy has been on target all season, as he ranks No. 4 nationally (45.5%) in three-point shooting percentage through 30 games (80 made threes).

The improved play of Reid (7.8 ppg, 4.6 rpg) and Turner (57 assists) is a key reason that Gardner-Webb is averaging 79.0 points per game – and a +12.4 scoring margin – since its February 8 trip to USC Upstate.

Asheville features an athletic, talented group – led by All-Big South selections DeVon Baker (16.5 ppg) and L.J. Thorpe (14.0 ppg). Tajion Jones (13.9 ppg), NC State transfer Lavar Batts (12.7 ppg) and Jude (9.8 ppg) form one of the best starting units in the league – which has powered the Bulldogs to 75.5 points per game this season overall.

Gardner-Webb is 2-0 on neutral courts this season, beating UT-Martin and Northern Colorado to win the 2019 Mayan Division at the Cancun Challenge in Mexico. GWU had one neutral court win in last season's Big South Championship, beating No. 5 seed High Point in the quarterfinals before picking up road wins over No. 1 seed Campbell and No. 2 seed Radford to cut down the nets for the first time in its Division I history.

Quarterfinals – Thursday, March 5 – ESPN3 (at Radford, Va.)
Game 4: #2 Winthrop vs. #7 USC Upstate, 12:00pm
Game 5: #3 Gardner-Webb vs. #6 UNC Asheville, 2:30pm
Game 6: #1 Radford vs. #8 Charleston Southern, 6:00pm
Game 7: #4 Longwood vs. #5 Hampton, 8:30pm
 
Semifinals - Friday, March 6 – ESPN+ (at Radford, Va.)
Game 8:  Semifinals – Game 4 winner vs. Game 5 winner, 6:00pm
Game 9:  Semifinals – Game 6 winner vs. Game 7 winner, 8:30pm
 
Championship - Sunday, March 8 – ESPN (at highest remaining seed)
Game 10:  Championship – Game 7 winner vs. Game 8 winner, 1:00pm