Louisville Basketball: Previewing 2020 Wade Houston Tipoff Classic

LOUISVILLE, KY - FEBRUARY 05: A general view of the opening tip off during a game between the Louisville Cardinals and Wake Forest Demon Deacons at KFC YUM! Center on February 5, 2020 in Louisville, Kentucky. Louisville defeated Wake Forest 86-76. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /

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Isaiah Miller Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports /

UNC Greensboro

2019-20 record: 23-9 overall, 13-5 SoCon
2019-20 KenPom rating: 92
2020-21 KenPom rating: 93
- Schedule:
  - Nov. 25 vs. Little Rock
  - Nov. 27 vs. Winthrop
  - Nov. 29 vs. Duquesne
  - Dec. 2 vs. Prairie View A&M
  - Dec. 4 vs. Louisville

The Spartans, under the leadership of tenth-year head coach Wes Miller, have become one of the most consistent mid-major powers in all of Div. I basketball in the past few years. After five losing seasons to start his tenure at UNC Greensboro, Miller has led the Spartans to four straight seasons of winning 23 or more games.

Unlike Duquesne, UNC Greensboro has been in the national spotlight before – they nearly pulled off a stunning first-round upset over Gonzaga in the 2018 NCAA Tournament. Sandwiched in between that are two NIT berths, where the most recent appearance – in 2019 – saw the Spartans land a number-one seed and finish the year at 29-7.

This past season, Miller’s team rallied off an impressive resume, including a win at Georgetown in late November and a victory at Vermont, one of the top mid-major programs in basketball. Additionally, the Spartans narrowly lost to NC State by three and to Kansas by 12.

Now, the Spartans may, arguably, have the best mid-major player in this entire field in Isaiah Miller. The reigning SoCon Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year, Miller opted against professional waters after averaging 17.8 points and 2.78 steals last season. He was second in the country in total steals (89) last season, and is the Spartans all-time leader at 241.

Miller – who was named the preseason Mid-Major Player of the Year by ESPN’s Myron Medcalf – is not alone. Kaleb Hunter, the team’s second-leading scorer last season (10.3 ppg) is also back. Joining them is sophomore guard Keyshaun Langley, who was the SoCon Freshman of the Year last season after averaging 6.6 points in 17.2 minutes per game.

UNC Greensboro is slated to play five games in the tipoff classic – and could, honestly, win all of them. Dec. 4’s game against Louisville is, obviously, the biggest challenge, but between Wes Miller’s leadership on the sidelines and Isaiah Miller’s skills on the court, the Spartans have enough talent to hang around.

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