What to know about Charlotte 49ers basketball as American Conference play opens
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Charlotte enters American play 6-7 under Aaron Fearne while integrating 12 newcomers.
- Bookmakers list Charlotte ninth in conference odds; key top-three matchups are away.
- Ben Bradford and Anton Bonke anchor scoring and rebounding; team ranks fifth in 3s.
It’s been a rough start to the season for the Charlotte 49ers men’s basketball team, but that has become the norm under third-year head coach Aaron Fearne.
With just four returnees, Fearne knew that finding the right pieces with 12 newcomers would be a recipe that took more than just a baker’s dozen games to perfect.
But through 13 games, the team is beginning to find its footing
“There’s been a shift with this group in the last couple of weeks: mentally, emotionally, collectively,” Fearne said in mid-December. “They’ve just given themselves to each other as a teammate, finding ways to help each other succeed. My coaching goal for my career has always been to find how to get a group of young men to connect as one unit. When you achieve that, your teams can do special things.”
With American Conference play up next, the 49ers (6-7, 0-0 American) open with consecutive home games against Temple (ESPN+) and Wichita State (ESPNU).
Here are four things to know as American Conference play tips off.
Conference favorites
Despite being picked to finish last in the American in the preseason media poll, the gambling odds give Charlotte a little more hope through 13 non-conference games. Memphis (+190), Tulsa (+280), and South Florida (+340) are the clear favorites, with the 49ers slotted with the ninth-best odds, at +8000 to win the conference.
The 49ers will have a tough road, matching up against the top three favorites away from home, with only Tulsa among the top teams coming to Halton Arena for a home-and-home series this season.
Does Charlotte have what it takes to return to the top three?
In three seasons at the helm, Fearne has routinely used the non-conference slate as a testing period, and the 49ers have struggled each season, despite not facing ranked competition. But even in 2023, when Charlotte played its best season in nearly 20 years, the 49ers still struggled against non-conference foes, opening the season 6-6.
Currently sitting at 6-7, with losses to Davidson and Appalachian State, Charlotte’s path back to the top of the American will be an extremely tall task.
Fearne has seen six different players lead the team in scoring this season, with sophomore Ben Bradford leading the way with 14.5 points per game (up from 2.5 ppg last season). Despite three single-digit performances in his past five outings, Bradford is Charlotte’s most reliable scorer, attacking from all three levels, getting to the free-throw line, and ranking 15th in the American in points per game.
In short, Bradford must be in Most Improved Player award talks if Charlotte is to compete. And center Anton Bonke (nearly averaging a double-double at 10.5 points and 8.8 rebounds per game) must be in the Newcomer of the Year award conversation to post a positive record in American Conference play.
Keys to continue the 49ers’ two-game win streak
Fearne has been tasked with finding the right balance with 12 new players and myriad injuries. He has deployed seven different starting lineups through 13 games, with newcomers Damoni Harrison, Arden Conyers and Kuluel Mading each leading the team in scoring off the bench.
The 49ers have two major bright spots as conference play begins. Charlotte excels at two of the most important facets of the game — shooting the 3-pointer and cleaning up its misses on the glass.
Charlotte is fifth-best in the American from beyond the arc, shooting 35% as a team (Tulsa leads the conference at 38.3%). And when the 49ers do miss, they are outrebounding their opponents by 4.7 boards per game, also ranking fifth.
As Fearne finds the right rotations, this group should come together as a formidable team in the American, despite not having top-end talent for the second straight season.
When will Charlotte be on national television?
Benefitting from the American Conference’s television deal with ESPN, all of Charlotte’s games will be accessible through ESPN+, ESPNU or ESPN2.
Four of Charlotte’s games will be on national television, starting with three games on ESPNU (Jan. 3 vs. Wichita State, Jan. 31 vs. Rice, and Feb. 15 vs. UTSA). Charlotte’s second and final matchup with in-state foe East Carolina will be on ESPN2 on Saturday, Feb. 21.