The Charlotte 49ers men's basketball team represents the

University of North Carolina at Charlotte The University of North Carolina at Charlotte (UNC Charlotte, or simply Charlotte) is a public research university in Charlotte, North Carolina, United States. UNC Charlotte offers 24 doctoral, 66 master's, and 79 bachelor's degree programs thr ...

(UNC Charlotte) in

NCAA Division I NCAA Division I (D-I) is the highest division of intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, which accepts players globally. D-I schools include the major collegiate athlet ...

basketball. Charlotte is a member of the

American Athletic Conference The American Athletic Conference (AAC), also known as The American, is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference in the United States, featuring 13 full member universities and 6 affiliate member universities that compete in t ...

(The American), which they joined in 2023 after 10 seasons in

Conference USA Conference USA (CUSA) is a collegiate athletic conference of member institutions in the Southern and Western United States. The conference participates in the NCAA's Division I in all sports. CUSA's offices are located in Dallas, Texas. Mem ...

. Charlotte, which had been a charter C-USA member from 1995, returned to that conference in 2013 after leaving in 2005 to join the

Atlantic 10 Conference The Atlantic 10 Conference (A-10) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference whose schools compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's (NCAA) NCAA Division I, Division I. The A-10's member schools are located most ...

. The 49ers have also played in the

Sun Belt Conference The Sun Belt Conference (SBC) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference that has been affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association, NCAA's NCAA Division I, Division I since 1976. Originally a non-football confe ...

and were a member of the

Metro Conference The Metropolitan Collegiate Athletic Conference, popularly known as the Metro Conference, was an NCAA Division I athletics conference, so named because its six charter members were all in urban metropolitan areas, though its later members di ...

, which merged with the Great Midwest Conference to form Conference USA. The basketball team has spent the better part of its history in the shadow of the state's four

Atlantic Coast Conference The Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference in the United States. Headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, the ACC's eighteen member universities compete in the National Collegiate Athlet ...

teams. However, the 49ers have carved out a niche of their own, making 11 appearances in the NCAA tournament, most recently in 2005. In their first appearance, in

1977 Events January * January 8 – 1977 Moscow bombings, Three bombs explode in Moscow within 37 minutes, killing seven. The bombings are attributed to an Armenian separatist group. * January 10 – Mount Nyiragongo erupts in eastern Zaire (no ...

, they advanced all the way to the

Final Four In sports, the final four is the last four teams remaining in a playoffs, playoff tournament. Usually the final four compete in the two games of a single-elimination tournament's semi-final (penultimate) round. Of these teams, the two who win in ...

—at the time, the deepest run for a first-time tournament participant. They have also earned regular and post-season championships in three different conferences, as well as a victory in the College Basketball Invitational (CBI) in

2023 Catastrophic natural disasters in 2023 included the Lists of 21st-century earthquakes, 5th-deadliest earthquake of the 21st century 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquakes, striking Turkey and Syria, leaving up to 62,000 people dead; Cyclone Freddy ...

. The 49ers play their home games in Dale F. Halton Arena, an on-campus facility that seats 9,105.

History

Early years (1965–1975)

UNC Charlotte first fielded an intercollegiate basketball program in 1965. Chancellor Bonnie Cone appointed Harvey Murphy, previously a physical education instructor and head of the physical education program at the university, as the first head coach in school history. Murphy coached the 49ers in the NAIA as a member of the Dixie Conference from 1965 through 1970, winning the conference in 1969 and 1970. Bill Foster was hired to succeed Harvey Murphy after the 1969–1970 season as the 49ers moved from the NAIA to Division I as an independent. Foster notched two 20-win seasons in 1973–1974 and 1974–1975 before moving on to coach at Clemson. Foster's lasting legacy on the program was bringing in two of the most notable players on the team which would advance to the 1977 Final Four: Cedric Maxwell and Melvin Watkins.

Lee Rose years (1975–1977)

After Bill Foster left for Clemson, Lee Rose was hired as the head coach in 1975. Rose inherited a team coming off of two 20-win seasons and led them to the NIT championship game in his first year. The following season the 49ers became a charter member of the

Final Four

In their first year in the Sun Belt, the 49ers tallied what is still the best season in school history. They swept the regular season and tournament titles, earning the program's first NCAA Tournament berth. The ensuing NCAA tournament run is still one of the most successful ever for a first-time participant. After beating Central Michigan in the first round 91–86, the 49ers dispatched Syracuse 81–59 to advance to the

Elite Eight In the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, NCAA men's Division I basketball championship or the NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament, NCAA women's Division I basketball championship, the "Elite Eight" comprises the final eight t ...

. The 49ers then took out heavily favored Michigan by a score of 75–68 to advance to the program's first and only

—the first time that a first-time participant had ever advanced that far. Charlotte would fall to eventual champions Marquette in the national semifinals 51–49. Their final record was 28–5, still a school record for wins in a season. Despite the loss of the two leaders of the Final Four team from the previous season, Lee Rose guided the 49ers to a fifth consecutive 20-win season in 1977–1978. Rose would then leave to coach at Purdue for the 1978–1979 season. Rose's .800 winning percentage at Charlotte remains the highest in school history.

Post-Rose years (1978–1985)

Following Rose's departure, Mike Pratt, an assistant under Rose at Charlotte, was named the head coach for the 1978–1979 season. In his first and only head coaching job, Pratt could not maintain the success of the program under Rose, compiling a 56–52 record over four seasons with no postseason appearances. The best year under Pratt was the 1978–1979 season in which the 49ers earned a 16–11 record and a second place Sun Belt finish. Pratt was dismissed following the 1981–1982 season. Following Pratt's dismissal, the 49ers hired Hal Wissel as head basketball coach. Wissel was previously a successful coach at many levels, but his tenure would be the least successful in the Charlotte's history at the Division 1 level. After three seasons and a 22–62 record, Wissel was dismissed following the 1984–1985 season.

Jeff Mullins years (1985–1996)

Following Wissel's dismissal, Jeff Mullins was hired as both head basketball coach and athletic director. Mullins guided the 49ers through multiple conference changes and kicked off the most successful, sustained run in school history. Mullins inherited a last place

Sun Belt The Sun Belt is a region of the United States generally considered stretching across the Southeast and Southwest. Another rough definition of the region is the area south of the Parallel 36°30′ north. Several climates can be found in the re ...

team and things didn't improve in his first season with an 8–20 record. However, in just his second year he guided the 49ers back above .500 for the first time in five seasons, leading them to an 18–14 record in 1986–1987. Led by Sun Belt Player of the Year Byron Dinkins, Mullins coached the 49ers to the Sun Belt regular season and post-season championships and the program's first NCAA tournament berth since their Final Four run. Seeded 13th, the 49ers lost to 4th seed BYU in the first round of the Southeast Regional by a score of 98–92. The following season the 49ers finished second in the Sun Belt and earned an NIT berth. In their final two seasons in the Sun Belt, Mullins led the 49ers to a 30–28 record with no postseason appearances.

Metro Conference (1992–1995)

Prior to the 1992–1993 season the 49ers moved to the

. In their four seasons in the Metro Conference, the 49ers never finished lower than 4th in the standings, won one regular season conference title, and one post-season conference title. The success was rewarded with two NCAA Tournament berths, in

1992 1992 was designated as International Space Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 – Boutros Boutros-Ghali of Egypt replaces Javier Pérez de Cuéllar of Peru as United Nations Secretary-General. * January 6 ** The Republ ...

and

1995 1995 was designated as: * United Nations Year for Tolerance * World Year of Peoples' Commemoration of the Victims of the Second World War This was the first year that the Internet was entirely privatized, with the United States government ...

, losing in the first round both times.

Conference USA

After the 1994–1995 season, the 49ers joined

. In what would be Mullins' last season, Charlotte went 14–15 in 1995–1996, finishing tied for 6th in the league. Mullins retired following that season as the all-time winningest coach in school history with 182 wins and also had more postseason appearances than all previous coaches combined. Former on-the-court star and longtime assistant coach for the 49ers Melvin Watkins took over as head coach for the 1996–1997 season. Watkins had two successful seasons as the Charlotte head coach, leading the team into the second round of the NCAA tournament in both years. He left to take the head coaching job at Texas A&M in 1998.

Bobby Lutz years (1998–2010)

After Watkins left for Texas A&M, Charlotte named Bobby Lutz its new head coach. Lutz was an assistant under both Watkins and Jeff Mullins at Charlotte. Lutz accepted the head coaching job at Gardner–Webb in 1995 only to resign two weeks later to accept the assistant job at his alma mater on Mullin's staff. Lutz's run of success in Conference USA is arguably the best sustained stretch in Charlotte basketball history. The 49ers reached the NCAA Tournament in 5 of the 7 years they were in Conference USA under Lutz. In his first season, Lutz guided the 49ers to a 10–6 record in CUSA. Seeded fifth in the conference tournament, the 49ers won four games in four days, taking out three of the top four seeds in the process to win the CUSA conference tournament for the first time. This earned Charlotte a 5 seed in the NCAA tournament. They defeated

Rhode Island Rhode Island ( ) is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Connecticut to its west; Massachusetts to its north and east; and the Atlantic Ocean to its south via Rhode Island Sound and Block Is ...

in the first round before falling to 13-seed

Oklahoma Oklahoma ( ; Choctaw language, Choctaw: , ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Texas to the south and west, Kansas to the north, Missouri to the northea ...

in round two. The 1999–2000 season would be defined by the passing of Charles Hayward in September 1999. Hayward lost a two-year battle with Leukemia, he would have his jersey retired. Charlotte would play to a 17–16 record and earn an NIT berth. The 2000–2001 seasons saw the arrival of

Rodney White Rodney Charles White (born June 28, 1980) is an American former professional basketball player. Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, White played college basketball for the Charlotte 49ers, earning national freshman of the year honors from ESP ...

who would become the top scoring freshman in the country and be named ESPN's National Freshmen of the Year. Led by White, Charlotte would win its second CUSA Tournament Title in three years and earn a 9 seed in the NCAA tournament with a 22–11 record. Charlotte would defeat

Tennessee Tennessee (, ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Kentucky to the north, Virginia to the northeast, North Carolina t ...

in the first round of the Midwest Regional before falling to #1 seed

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

in the round of 32. White would leave Charlotte for the NBA draft and be selected 9th overall by the Detroit Pistons. Over the following three seasons the 49ers would earn two additional NCAA tournament bids, in

2002 The effects of the September 11 attacks of the previous year had a significant impact on the affairs of 2002. The war on terror was a major political focus. Without settled international law, several nations engaged in anti-terror operation ...

and

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and Its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...

, earning #9 seeds and being eliminated in the first round both years. The 2004–2005 season would see the 49ers return to the top 25 behind eventual CUSA Player of the Year Eddie Basden, he would also win CUSA Defensive POY for the second straight season. The promising season would take a turn for the worse in the last few weeks. The 49ers lost a game on senior night at Louisville which would determine the regular season conference champion. They followed that with a loss on an emotional senior night at South Florida. They then drew a Memphis team in the CUSA tournament who had under-performed all year but caught fire at the end of the season. Charlotte was bounced from the first round of the CUSA tournament and had their season ended in round 1 of the NCAA tournament by NC State.

Atlantic 10

Following the exodus of many of the top basketball programs from CUSA to the

Big East The Big East Conference (stylized as BIG EAST) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference that competes in National Collegiate Athletic Association, NCAA NCAA Division I, Division I in 10 men's sports and 12 women's sports. H ...

in 2005, Charlotte was left as a non-football school in an increasingly weak basketball conference despite having the second best record in CUSA history at the time, trailing only Cincinnati. Charlotte eventually joined the Atlantic 10 for all sports along with fellow CUSA member Saint Louis. Lutz was not able to sustain the level of success he achieved in CUSA. Over the course of six seasons in the A10, Lutz's record was 83–75, compared to his record of 135–83 in CUSA. The 49ers earned two NIT bids under Lutz in the A10, going 1–2 in those tournaments. The 49ers fell apart to end the 2009–2010 season. With eight games to go in the regular season, they were 18-5 and in first place in the A10, and appeared well on their way to an NCAA bid. However, they went 1–7 the rest of the way, and didn't even receive an NIT bid. Lutz was dismissed following this collapse. Lutz had more wins (218) and NCAA tournament appearances (5) than any other coach in Charlotte history. His firing was met with mixed emotions among students and fans.

Alan Major years (2010–2015)

On April 12, 2010

Alan Major Alan M. Major (born June 21, 1968) is an American basketball coach who is the head coach of Patriots BBC of the Basketball Africa League (BAL). He was the head coach at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte from 2010 to 2015. Before be ...

was announced as the new head coach of the Charlotte 49ers. The coaching search targeted assistants at successful high-level programs, Major was a member of Thad Matta's staff at

Ohio State The Ohio State University (Ohio State or OSU) is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio, United States. A member of the University System of Ohio, it was founded in 1870. It is one of the largest universities by enrollme ...

which included a national title game appearance. Throughout his career Major has a history of helping highly skilled big men develop into great NBA prospects. He coached two future #1 overall draft picks in Michael Olowokandi and

Greg Oden Gregory Wayne Oden Jr. (born January 22, 1988) is an American former professional basketball player. Oden, a 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) center (basketball), center, played college basketball for the Ohio State Buckeyes men's basketball, Oh ...

while at

Pacific The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean, or, depending on the definition, to Antarctica in the south, and is bounded by the cont ...

and Ohio State, respectively. He also came in with A10 experience having been as assistant under Matta at Xavier. Major's first season was headlined by the dismissal of one senior big man, Shamarri Spears, in the Fall and another, Phil Jones, not qualifying academically for the Spring semester. The early season schedule was highlighted by a 49–48 victory over #7 ranked

and a 2OT win at

Georgia Tech The Georgia Institute of Technology (commonly referred to as Georgia Tech, GT, and simply Tech or the Institute) is a public research university and institute of technology in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. Established in 1885, it has the lar ...

. Following Jones being ruled ineligible, the team was left with just 8 scholarship players for the remainder of the season and would struggle in conference play, finishing with a 2–14 league record and failing to make the A10 conference tournament for the first time. The three-year postseason drought had been the longest for the program since Jeff Mullins took over in 1985. The 2011–2012 season saw less off-the-court drama, although individual players were benched for disciplinary reasons, but there was little improvement in terms of wins and losses. The 49ers would finish with a 13–17 record, 5–11 in conference play. This was an improvement of Major's first year and earned them an A10 tournament spot, a first round loss at St. Joe's. Chris Braswell would average 15.6 points and 7.6 rebounds per game and be named to the A10 All-Conference Third Team. Pierriá Henry was among the nation's leaders in steals and earned a spot on the A10 All-Rookie Team. Alan Major in 2009

The 2012–2013 season resulted in an improved 21–12 record and a berth in the NIT. The season was successful overall, but the 49ers lost four games in a row in February/March which removed them from NCAA tournament consideration. This was followed by a miraculous first round A10 tournament victory over Richmond in which Pierriá Henry took 11 free throws in the final 4.7 seconds of game time to overcome a 3-point deficit. Richmond was called for three technical fouls, one non-shooting foul and one shooting foul in that time. The 49ers followed this with a blowout loss to St. Louis in the 2nd round. In the NIT the 49ers were eliminated in round 1 at Providence. Following the 2012–13 season, Darion Clark announced he was leaving the program. Clark saw a total of seven minutes in the 49ers' two A10 tournament games, a large drop from his regular season average. In late April forward E. Victor Nickerson also announced he was transferring, leaving Charlotte with only 6 scholarship players on roster.

Return to Conference USA

The 2013–2014 season, in which the 49ers would rejoin Conference USA and claim the Puerto Rico Tip-Off Championship by beating a ranked

Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...

team; ended with a late season 6 game losing streak in conference play, and the 49ers finishing with a 17–14 record and a second round exit from the C-USA Tournament. Having taken a medical leave of absence following the 2013–14 season, Coach Major would take another such leave during the second half of the 2014–15 season. Assistant Head Coach Ryan Odom would coach the team for the remainder of the season. Following the conclusion of the 2014–2015 season it was announced that Major would step down as head coach. His record as 49ers head coach was 67 wins to 70 losses with the program attaining an overall record during his tenure of 75 to 81. Significant milestones included winning the 2012 Great Alaska Shootout and 2013 Puerto Rico Tip-off tournaments and victories over #7 ranked

, #10 ranked

Butler A butler is a person who works in a house serving and is a domestic worker in a large household. In great houses, the household is sometimes divided into departments, with the butler in charge of the dining room, wine cellar, and pantries, pantr ...

, and previous National Championship runners-up, #14 ranked Michigan.

Mark Price years (2015–2017)

On March 25, 2015, former

NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...

point guard and NBA

Charlotte Hornets The Charlotte Hornets are an American professional basketball team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Hornets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference. The team ...

assistant coach,

Mark Price William Mark Price (born February 15, 1964) is an American former professional basketball player and coach. The last coaching job he held was as head coach of the Charlotte 49ers men's basketball, Charlotte 49ers. As a four-time NBA All-Star and ...

was offered a five-year contract to become the 49ers head coach, which he accepted. Price was fired on December 14, 2017 after a 30-42 record in 2 1/2 seasons at Charlotte and was replaced by assistant coach Houston Fancher.

Ron Sanchez years (2018–2023)

On March 19, 2018, Ron Sanchez was named the 12th head coach in Charlotte 49ers men’s basketball program history. Sanchez was a former volunteer assistant at

Indiana Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...

before going to

Washington State Washington, officially the State of Washington, is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is often referred to as Washington State to distinguish it from the national capital, both named after George Washington ...

. Sanchez was hired by Dick Bennett, and remained on the staff when Bennett’s son Tony took over. Sanchez accompanied

Tony Bennett Anthony Dominick Benedetto (August 3, 1926 – July 21, 2023), known professionally as Tony Bennett, was an American jazz and traditional pop singer. He received many accolades, including 20 Grammy Awards, a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, ...

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

in 2009 as an assistant and was promoted to associate head coach in 2015. On June 6, 2023, Sanchez resigned to rejoin Bennett's staff at Virginia as associate head coach. Coincidentally, Sanchez left less than a month before Charlotte's move from C-USA to The American became official. On June 15, 2023, associate head coach

Aaron Fearne Aaron C. Fearne (born May 30, 1974) is an Australian basketball coach and former professional player who is the head coach for the Charlotte 49ers men's basketball, Charlotte 49ers men's team of the American Athletic Conference. He served as the ...

agreed to lead the team as interim head coach for the 2023–24 inaugural

AAC AAC may refer to: Aviation * Advanced Aircraft, a company from Carlsbad, California * Airborne aircraft carrier, a type of aircraft * Alaskan Air Command, a radar network * American Aeronautical Corporation, a company from Port Washington, New ...

season.

Aaron Fearne (2023–present)

The American

On July 1, 2023 all Charlotte 49ers athletics programs joined the

. Interim coach

picked up his first win when the 49ers when they took down

Maine Maine ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the United States, and the northeasternmost state in the Contiguous United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Provinces and ...

. The 49ers won their first game in American Conference play when they defeated number seventeen ranked Florida Atlantic. It was Charlotte’s first win over a ranked team since 2013 and first ranked win over a team at home since 2010. On February 12, 2024, Fearne was received a contract to become the official head coach of the Charlotte basketball program.

Team record

Postseason

NCAA tournament results

The 49ers have appeared in the NCAA tournament 11 times. Their combined record is 7–12.

NIT results

The 49ers have appeared in the

National Invitation Tournament The National Invitation Tournament (NIT) is an annual men's college basketball tournament operated by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). Since 2023, all rounds of the tournament are played at various sites across the country whi ...

(NIT) seven times. Their combined record is 4–7.

CBI results

The 49ers have appeared in the College Basketball Invitational (CBI) once in

, winning the tournament. Their combined record is 4–0.

Coaches

Current coaching staff

Head coach history

: An asterisk (*) denotes a season currently in progress. List of Charlotte 49ers men's basketball head coaches

Notable players

Retired numbers

Conference Player of the Year winners

Professional players

The following Charlotte basketball players appeared in at least one game in the

: * Cedric Ball (1990) * Eddie Basden (2005–2006) * Sean Colson (2000–2001) * Byron Dinkins (1990–1991) * DeMarco Johnson (1999–2000) * Chad Kinch (1980–1981) * Cedric Maxwell (1977–1988) *

(2001–2005)

Home venues

*Local high school gymnasiums (1963–1970) * Belk Gymnasium (full-time 1970–1976, part-time 1976–1996) * Bojangles Coliseum (1976–1988, 1993–1996) *

Charlotte Coliseum Charlotte Coliseum was a multi-purpose sports and entertainment arena located in Charlotte, North Carolina. It was operated by the Charlotte Coliseum Authority, which also oversees the operation of Bojangles Coliseum, which was called Charlotte ...

(1988–1993) * Dale F. Halton Arena (1996–present) **

Spectrum Center The Spectrum Center is an indoor arena in Charlotte, North Carolina, United States. Located in Uptown Charlotte, Uptown, it is owned by the city of Charlotte and operated by its main tenant, the Charlotte Hornets of the National Basketball Ass ...

(occasional, 2007–present)

Rivalries

Hornet's Nest Trophy

Charlotte's 29-year rivalry with the Davidson Wildcats sees Mecklenburg County's only two Division I schools go head-to-head for the Hornet's Nest Trophy. The Hornets' Nest series began in the 1979-80 season. The teams have met 46 times. Charlotte leads the all-time series, 29-17. Although, in recent years Davidson has been the better team. On November 12, 2019, Charlotte won back the Hornets Nest, winning 71-58, and snapping a 6 game losing streak.

Past rivalries

Charlotte has had its fair share of intense rivalries. One of the most heated and intense rivalries was with the

Bob Huggins Robert Edward Huggins (born September 21, 1953), nicknamed "Huggy Bear", is an American college basketball coach. He was the head coach at Walsh, Akron, Cincinnati, Kansas State, and West Virginia. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial ...

-coached

Cincinnati Bearcats The Cincinnati Bearcats are the college sports, athletic teams that represent the University of Cincinnati. The teams compete in the NCAA's Division I and the Football Bowl Subdivision as members of the Big 12 Conference. The Bearcats were pr ...

. Throughout a ten-year period from 1995–96 to 2004–05, Charlotte managed to upset Cincinnati teams ranked #3, #8, #18, #20 in the country. Fueled by "Huggins swallows" pregame chants what became known as the Cincinnati Incident, a brawl broke out between Cincinnati and the Charlotte student section, when a Cincinnati player threw the basketball into the stands. This led to the creation of a 'buffer zone' being implemented behind the visiting team's bench.

ESPN ESPN (an initialism of their original name, which was the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by the Walt Disney Company (80% and operational control) and Hearst Commu ...

commentator Andy Katz provided this explanation on why Charlotte-Cincinnati was one of the juiciest rivalries in the country: "The games are hotly contested usually and the fans in Charlotte don't like Cincinnati. They get up for this game more than any other."