THE GAME

North Carolina Central University returns home following the eight-day holiday break to begin a four-game homestand. The Eagles come into the contest with a three-game losing streak after dropping the final three legs of the four-game road swing. NCCU is looking to begin the home slate 4-0 for the first time since the 2004-05 season. A year in which the Eagles did not lose at home until the eighth home game of the year as NCCU lost in overtime to Winston-Salem State 86-81 on Feb. 5, 2005.

THE SERIES

NCCU and Milligan College have never met on the hardwood. This is the fourth and final non-Division I team that the Eagles will face this year going unbeaten against the previous three (Johnson & Wales University, Allen University, and Washington Adventist University).

MILLIGAN COLLEGE "BUFFALOES"

Milligan College is located in northeastern Tennessee, minutes from Elizabethon and Johnson City in the dynamic Tri-Cities region and is a Christian liberal arts college seeking to honor God by educating men and women to be servant-leaders. With an enrollment of just 1,130 students, Milligan has 20 intercollegiate sports and competes as an NAIA (National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics) member in the Appalachian Athletic Conference. The Buffaloes enter Wednesday night’s ballgame on the heels of a 3-8 record with an 0-5 mark away from home. Milligan has been off for nearly two weeks with its last contest taking place on Dec. 16, falling to San Diego Christian 81-71. The Buffaloes average 79.6 points per game and have hit 81 three-pointers in 11 games, an average of 7.4 per contest. As a team Milligan shoots an impressive 46.2 percent from the field, but allows its opponents to shoot an average of 50.6 percent. Four of the five starters for the Buffs average in double-figures. In fact, of the 79.6 points that Milligan averages per game, the five starters combine to average 59.3 per contest. The Buffs are led by University of Florida transfer Hudson Fricke, who is No. 4 in the Appalachian Athletic Conference averaging 17.1 points per game. His teammate, Justin Sylvester, is 10th in the conference at 12.8 points per game. Freshman point guard Kyle Grisby is 13th scoring 12.5 points per game, while Tim Harper is 14th in the AAC as the senior drops in 11.9 points a game. Milligan College is led by Head coach Bill Robinson who is in his second season, where he currently sports a 13-24 record. Robinson came from Montreat College where he coached for 12 seasons. At Montreat, he had four 20-win seasons, won an AAC regular season championship, two AAC tournament championships and made two appearances at the national tournament. Robinson is a three-time Appalachian Athletic Conference Coach of the year, and his Cavalier program at Montreat was voted the AAC Men’s Basketball Champions of Character four years in a row. During his coaching career he has compiled a record of 235-288.

UP NEXT

NCCU continues its four-game homestand with its first contest of 2011, as the first men’s team from an FBS (Football Bowl Subdivision) conference visits McDougald-McLendon Gym since moving to Division I as the Pirates of East Carolina University make the 107-mile stroll to the Bull City to take on the Eagles in a Monday Night showdown at 7:00 p.m. These two programs have met on three previous occasions with the foe from Conference USA holding a 3-0 advantage.