BOONE, N.C. - Basketball season returns to the High Country Friday night at 7 p.m. as the Appalachian State University men play host to UNC Wilmington in the season opener for both teams. The Mountaineers will have little time to rest following the showdown in the Holmes Center, as the squad travels to East Tennessee State Saturday at 4 p.m.

The Mountaineers, led by head coach Buzz Peterson, return 12 players from last season's squad and will have a busy first month of play to prepare for the Southern Conference slate. Following the busy weekend, the squad hosts Lees-McRae on Tuesday before taking to the road to square off with Arkansas and Louisville.

Both opening-weekend tilts find the Apps looking for a bit of revenge from 2008-09. In that season opener, ASU saw a late lead evaporate against UNCW in Trask Coliseum, ending with a 108-101 overtime setback. One month later, ETSU broke a halftime tie with a 19-point advantage in the second half to take an 89-70 win.

UNC Wilmington returns top players Chad Tomko, Johnny Wolf and Dominique Lacy from last year's squad. The trio accounted for 39.9 of the team's 71.2 points per game on the year and 13.3 of UNCW's 32.8 rebounds per game.

Reining Atlantic Sun champion ETSU returns nine players and two starters from last year's 23-11 squad. The Bucs are picked to finish fourth in the league this season and guard/forward Mike Smith earned preseason all-conference honors. Smith averaged 15.3 points and 7.7 boards last season.

ETSU has large shoes to fill with the departures of Courtney Pigrim and Kevin Tiggs, who accounted for 39.0 points per game last season.

Noting Friday's Game vs. UNC Wilmington

• UNCW defeated North Greenville on Saturday in its lone preseason exhibition, 80-43.
• Montez Downey led the Seahawks with 16 points while John Fields added 13 off the bench as UNCW shot 50 percent from the field.
• The teams face each other to open their respective seasons for the second year in a row.
• Prior to the 2008 matchup, the team’s had not met since ASU claimed a 72-65 win in Wilmington on Nov. 28, 1993.
• ASU leads the all-time series by a 10-8 margin and has won two of the last three meetings.
• The Apps are a perfect 8-0 at home against UNC Wilmington, but it is the first meeting in the Holmes Center.

Season Tip-Off
• Appalachian State opens the 2009-10 season Friday night against UNC Wilmington.
• It is the second season in a row for the squads to meet in the opener.
• Appalachian is 48-36 all-time in season openers.
• Since 1950, ASU is 31-28 in openers.
• In the same span, the Mountaineers are 44-14 when opening the season with a home game.
• Last year, ASU dropped a 108-101 decision in Trask Coliseum to start the season.
• Prior to last year’s meeting, the Apps had not faced UNCW since 1993-94.
• Head coach Buzz Peterson is 2-2 in season openers at ASU (1996-97 through 1999-2000.)

A Win Would...
• Be ASU’s fourth season-opening win in the last six seasons.
• Boost the Apps to 9-0 at home against UNC Wilmington.
• Snap a streak of two season-opening losses.
• Be Buzz Peterson’s 80th win at Appalachian, and 202nd overall.
• Improve the program to 11-8 against the Seahawks overall.

A Loss Would...
• Be the third-straight in season openers for the first time since ASU lost four-straight from 1998-2001.
• Be the second in a row against UNCW.
• Be the first at home against the Seahawks.
• Be the first season opener loss at home since 2000, when Jason Capel’s North Carolina squad won the first-ever game in the Holmes Center.

Home Openers
• ASU is 49-10 in home openers since 1950.
• The only home-opening losses in Holmes Center history were against Davidson in 2007-08 (71-60) and in the building’s first game, a 99-69 setback to North Carolina.

Vs. The CAA
• ASU is 18-15 against current members of the Colonial Athletic Association.
• Thirteen of those losses have come against UNCW (8) and William & Mary (5) from when the Tribe was a member of the SoCon.
• Buzz Peterson is 1-2 against current CAA members, with a win against Georgia State and losses against UNCW and George Mason.

Vs. UNC Wilmington
• In last season’s game, six Mountaineers scored in double figures, led by Donald Sims’ 24 points off the bench.
• Isaac Butts and Josh Hunter each recorded a double-double with 10 points and 12 rebounds each.
• Ryann Abraham had a team-best five assists.