CULLOWHEE, N.C. – Western Carolina will face in-state conference-rival UNCG twice in the next three days as the Catamounts and Spartans square-off in a home-and-home set on the men's basketball hardwood. WCU and UNCG meet in Cullowhee on Monday (Feb. 22) at 5 p.m. and then head to the Triad on Wednesday for a 7 p.m. tip-off at the Greensboro Coliseum.

Both games will be streamed on ESPN+ (paid subscription required) with audio coverage on the Catamount Sports Network commencing 30 minutes before the scheduled tip-off.

Monday's matchup is a makeup game of a contest that was postponed on Jan. 13 due to COVID-19 protocols.

WCU is 9-14 overall and 2-12 in the Southern Conference following an 80-56 home setback against Wofford on Saturday afternoon. Junior Cory Hightower scored a career-high 26 points in the contest. The Flint, Mich., native eclipsed his previous career-best mark of 23 points set as a student-athlete at Presbyterian College after he went 9-for-17 from the field and 6-for-7 at the free throw line. Freshman Sin'Cere McMahon recorded his second straight double-figure game with 13 points.

UNCG leads the SoCon with an 11-4 league mark and is 16-7 on the season. Last Saturday, the Spartans snapped Chattanooga's six-game winning streak with a 60-55 win in Greensboro. UNCG rallied from a 10-point deficit early in the second half to claim the win. Mohammed Abdulsalam led three players in double figures with 15 points. On the year, senior Isaiah Miller paces the Spartans with 18.1 points per game, fourth in the SoCon, while also ranking eighth with 6.8 rebounds per game.

The teams have met 56 times previously with the Catamounts holding a 31-25 advantage. Recently, the Spartans have held the upper hand as they've won the last nine matchups on the heels of WCU claiming eight-straight – and 16 of 17 between January of 2009 and 2016.

The Catamounts host Mercer on Saturday at 1 p.m. and will honor seniors Mason Faulkner, Matt Halvorsen, and Marcus Thomas as part of Senior Day festivities. The game will be streamed on ESPN+ (paid subscription required) with live audio available on the Catamount Sports Network at 12:30 p.m.

Keep track of everything related to Catamount basketball and WCU Athletics through its social media outlets on Facebook (fb.com/catamountsports), Instagram (@wcu_catamounts), and Twitter (@catamounts, @CatamountMBB).