Cullowhee, N.C. – Western Carolina men's basketball returns to the friendly confines of Ingles Court at the Ramsey Center for the first time in 2026, battling mountain-rival East Tennessee State on Wednesday evening with "black out" conditions as fans are encouraged to wear their black WCU gear to the game as the Catamounts are slated to wear their black uniforms for the rivalry matchup.
Slated for a 6 p.m. tip-off, Wednesday's will be shown regionally on Nexstar stations WYCW, The Carolina's CW across western North Carolina and the Upstate of South Carolina, as well as TheCW affiliate WFLI in Chattanooga, Tenn., and simulcast on ESPN+ (paid subscription required). Live audio from the Catamount Sports Network is on 105.7 FM/540 AM WRGC in Sylva, with streaming audio and live stats online at CatamountSports.com.
The Catamounts begin their Wednesday matchup with a 1-3 league record after falling 79-77 in overtime at The Citadel last Saturday in Charleston, S.C., to conclude a season-long three-game SoCon road swing. ETSU enters play with a perfect 4-0 conference mark after defeating UNCG (86-60) on Saturday to improve to 10-1 in Johnson City in 2025-26. The Bucs also have wins over The Citadel (74-49), Mercer (77-71), and VMI (81-67).
Men's Basketball Matchup: ETSU (12-5, 4-0) vs Western Carolina (5-10, 1-3)
Date: Wednesday, Jan. 14
Time: 6 p.m.
Site: Ingles Court at the Ramsey Center (Cullowhee, N.C.)
Live Stats: Sidearm Stats
Live Video: ESPN+ (paid subscription required) / Nexstar (check local listings)
Live Audio: Catamount Sports Network
Radio: 105.7 FM / 540 AM WRGC
Twitter: @CatamountMBB
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About Western Carolina:
Western Carolina dropped a tight 79-77 overtime decision at The Citadel last time out to conclude a three-game SoCon road swing. The Bulldogs used a 19-7 run over the final seven minutes of regulation and into overtime to pull out the extra session victory in Charleston.
Catamount redshirt juniors Marcus Kell and Cord Stansberry led the way with game-highs of 24 and 23 points, respectively, as Kell finished 9-of-17 from the floor, buried three from beyond the arc, added a pair of steals, and three rebounds. Stansberry connected on seven field goals, including four from range, to go along with five free throws, three rebounds, two steals, and two assists.
The Catamounts have continued to fill the basket over the last 10 games, averaging 79 points per contest. WCU has raised its seasonal per-game average from 71.7 to 77.2 during that stretch. With seven double-figure scoring outputs in that span, Kell leads the way for WCU with 14.5 points per game, followed by Stansberry at 11.5 points per game, connecting on 17 threes and burying 30-of-38 at the charity stripe over his last 10 contests. Graduate transfer Tidjiane Dioumassi has tallied a team-best 35 assists, while freshman Samuel Dada has 7.0 rebounds per contest in the 10 games.
The Catamounts have continued to crash the boards in 2025-26, averaging 39.8 rebounds per game through 15 contests, second in the SoCon. The Purple & Gold lead the league in offensive rebounds per game (13.7).
Sophomore transfer Abdulai Fanta Kabba paces the Catamounts in rebounding with 6.9 rebounds per game, ranking seventh in the SoCon. Dada ranks ninth in the league in rebounding at 6.7 boards per game, followed by Kell at 4.3 per game. Each player has at least 19 offensive rebounds; Dada's and Kabba's 40 (2.9 per game) put them in a tie for fourth in the league. As a group, they have helped WCU win or tie the rebounding battle in nine games this season, highlighted by a 64-rebound outing against VUL.
In conference play, Stansberry enters Wednesday ninth in the league in scoring at 17.5 points per game, making 2.8 threes per game, and is tied for fifth in the SoCon through four games. Dada leads the league with 20 offensive rebounds at a league-high clip of 5 offensive boards per game in the opening four contests. He's also fourth in overall rebounds at 9.8 per contest. Dioumassi sits with 4.3 assists per contest, ranking sixth in the league.
Scouting the Opposition:
ETSU (12-5, 4-0 SoCon) enters Wednesday's contest on a four-game win streak after defeating UNCG last Saturday to continue its unbeaten start in league action. The Buccaneers have also won at The Citadel and at home against both Mercer and VMI to begin conference action.
SIU Edwardsville transfer, senior Brian Taylor II, along with graduate transfer Cam Morris III, a UMass Lowell transfer, both pace the Bucs at 14.0 points per game as two of four averaging double figures this season. Taylor is shooting 49.4% (87-of-176) from the field, making 24 threes at 35.3%, while Morris is burying 56.9% (82-of-144) field goals. Both players have tallied a double-double during the nonconference portion of the year.
Northwestern transfer, redshirt sophomore Blake Barkley, averages 13.6 points per game, scoring in double figures 12 times and notching four games of 20 or more points. Barkley leads the ETSU offense from the field at 62.9% (78-of-124) field goals and making 85.2% (52-of-61) at the charity stripe. Junior Jaylen Smith, a transfer from North Florida, rounds out the double-figure scoring for the Bucs at 10.0 points over 17 games, connecting on 30 threes at a 32.6% rate.
Morris III leads the Bucs with 4.7 rebounds per game, followed by Barkley at 4.6 per contest. Redshirt senior Allen Strothers has a team-best 59 assists, with Taylor II at 52 helpers and Smith with 50 assists. Smith, with his 30 steals, ranks third in the SoCon with 1.8 thefts per contest. Morris is fourth in the league with 1.4 blocks per game.
The Buccaneers are led by Brooks Savage in his third season at the helm in Johnson City after spending five years as an assistant with ETSU and a pair of seasons at Chattanooga. Savage tallied 19 wins in each of his first two seasons, which included a SoCon tournament run to the finals in the 2023-24 season before falling to top-seeded Samford.
The Bucs posted a 19-13 record last season, while going 12-6 in the league, before falling to eventual champion Wofford in the opening round of the 2025 Southern Conference Tournament. ETSU was picked fourth in the league's 10-team preseason poll, while Jaylen Smith was named to the 10-player preseason All-SoCon Team.
Series History:
Wednesday's matchup marks the 91st all-time meeting between the two schools, with ETSU maintaining a 59-31 lead in the head-to-head battles. The two teams earned wins in their respective home battles last season, with WCU winning 76-67 in Cullowhee and ETSU claiming an 85-58 decision in Johnson City. The Catamounts look to continue their homecourt success against the Bucs, having won four straight, as ETSU holds a 25-16 lead in games from Cullowhee.
Cord Stansberry represents the top returning scorer from last year's two meetings, averaging 13.0 points per game, including 14 on the road and 12 in home action. Marcus Kell averaged 10.5 points and 9.0 rebounds, while Vernon Collins led the Catamounts with 10.5 boards per contest.
Up Next:
Following Wednesday's action, the Catamounts continue the two-game Tennessee home swing with a visit from Chattanooga on Saturday, Jan. 17. The action with the Mocs is slated for a 1 p.m. start and will be shown on ESPN+ (paid subscription required). Streaming audio from the Catamount Sports Network and live stats will be available online on CatamountSports.com.
At halftime of Saturday's matchup against Chattanooga is the annual Diaper Derby, presented by New Generations Family Birthing Center at Harris Regional Hospital. Saturday's action will also include the Bouncing Bulldogs Halftime show.
Keep track of everything related to Catamount men's basketball and WCU Athletics through our social media outlets on Facebook (fb.com/catamountsports), Instagram (@catamountmbb @wcu_catamounts), and Twitter (@CatamountMBB @catamounts).
