# 2021–22 UNC Greensboro Spartans men's basketball team

The 2021–22 UNC Greensboro Spartans men's basketball team represented the University of North Carolina at Greensboro during the 2021–22 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Spartans, led by first-year head coach Mike Jones, played their home games at the Greensboro Coliseum and Fleming Gymnasium in Greensboro, North Carolina as members of the Southern Conference (SoCon). They finished the season 17–14, 9–9 in SoCon play to finish in a tie for fifth place. As the No. 6 seed in the SoCon tournament, they lost to Samford in the quarterfinals. Guard De'Monte Buckingham was named to the Southern Conference Sports Media Association third team. They accepted an invitation to play in the 2022 College Basketball Invitational tournament where, as a No. 7 seed, they lost to No. 10-seeded Boston University in the first round.

## Previous season

In a season limited due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Spartans finished the 2020–21 season 21–9, 13–5 in SoCon play to win the regular season championship. They went on to win the SoCon tournament, defeating Mercer in the final, and receiving the automatic berth to the 2021 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, where they lost in the Round of 64 to Florida State.
Guard Isaiah Miller was named Southern Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Year for the second consecutive year, the first men's player to do so since Stephen Curry. He was also named conference Defensive Player of the Year and named to the All-Southern Conference first-team for a third consecutive season.

## Offseason

Following the 2020-21 season, head coach Wes Miller left UNCG to take the position of head men's basketball coach at Cincinnati.
On April 19, 2021, Mike Jones, previously of Radford, was hired to be the new head men's basketball coach.
Nine players entered the transfer portal with graduate student Hayden Koval and sophomores Jarrett Hensley and A.J. McGinnis, along with assistant coach Chris LePore, electing to join Miller at Cincinnati. Senior Kaleb Hunter and junior Bas Leyte withdrew from the transfer portal and chose to stay at UNCG.
The Spartans mitigated those transfer losses with transfers of their own, bringing in Graduate Student De'Monte Buckingham from Cal State-Bakersfield, Senior Dante Treacy from Robert Morris, and Junior Jalen White from Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, all of whom were expected to make an impact on Mike Jones's team.

### Departing players

Departing Players :
| Name | Number | Position | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Notes |
| Isaiah Miller | 1 | G | 6'0" | 190 | Senior | Covington, Georgia | Graduated |
| A.J. McGinnis | 2 | G | 6'3" | 180 | Freshman | Huntsville, Alabama | Transferred to Cincinnati |
| Michael Hueitt, Jr. | 11 | G | 6'3" | 185 | Senior | Fayetteville, North Carolina | Graduated, Transferred to McNeese State |
| Angelo Allegri | 13 | F | 6'7" | 205 | Junior | Kansas City, Missouri | Transferred to Eastern Washington |
| Dericko Williams | 15 | F | 6'8" | 220 | Sophomore | Kinston, North Carolina | Transferred to Tallahassee Community College |
| Hayden Koval | 25 | C | 7'1" | 220 | Senior | Prosper, Texas | Graduated, Transferred to Cincinnati |
| Ryan Tankelewicz | 30 | G | 5'11" | 170 | Junior | Raleigh, North Carolina | Walk–on; Entered Transfer Portal |
| Jarrett Hensley | 32 | F | 6'8" | 205 | Freshman | Merriam, Kansas | Transferred to Cincinnati |

### Incoming transfers

Incoming Transfers :
| Name | Position | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Previous School |
| De'Monte Buckingham | G | 6'4" | 220 | Graduate Student | Richmond, Virginia | Cal State-Bakersfield |
| Miles Jones | G/F | 6'6" | 215 | Junior | Radford, Virginia | Radford |
| Jalen White | F | 6'5" | 240 | Junior | St. Petersburg, Florida | Texas A&M-Corpus Christi |
| Dante Treacy | G | 6'0" | 170 | Senior | Orlando, Florida | Robert Morris |

## Schedule and results

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Non-conference regular season |||||||||
| November 9, 2021* 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | | North Carolina A&T Battle of Market Street | W 57–53 | 1–0 | 28 – Buckingham | 11 – Abdulsalam | 3 – Treacy | Greensboro Coliseum (6,288) Greensboro, NC |
| November 12, 2021* 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | | at Northern Kentucky | W 70–69 $^{OT}$ | 2–0 | 13 – Abdulsalam | 10 – Abdulsalam | 4 – Ko. Langley | BB&T Arena (2,489) Highland Heights, KY |
| November 15, 2021* 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | | Coppin State | W 55–48 | 3–0 | 13 – Thompson | 12 – Buckingham | 4 – Buckingham | Greensboro Coliseum (2,572) Greensboro, NC |
| November 18, 2021* 3:00 pm, CBSSN | | vs. Green Bay Jersey Mike’s Classic | W 60–58 | 4–0 | 16 – Ko. Langley | 10 – Buckingham | 3 – Treacy | McArthur Center (143) St. Petersburg, FL |
| November 19, 2021* 3:00 pm, CBSSN | | vs. Massachusetts Jersey Mike's Classic | L 90–93 $^{OT}$ | 4–1 | 18 – Hunter | 12 – Buckingham | 5 – Treacy | McArthur Center (341) St. Petersburg, FL |
| November 21, 2021* 5:00 pm, CBSSN | | vs. FIU Jersey Mike's Classic | L 71–74 $^{OT}$ | 4–2 | 21 – Buckingham | 10 – Buckingham | 4 – Ko. Langley | McArthur Center (175) St. Petersburg, FL |
| November 24, 2021* 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | | NC Wesleyan | W 80–61 | 5–2 | 18 – Leyte | 9 – White | 4 – Hunter | Greensboro Coliseum (1,632) Greensboro, NC |
| November 27, 2021* 5:00 pm, ESPN+ | | Vermont | W 54–51 | 6–2 | 19 – Ko. Langley | 8 – Buckingham | 3 – Treacy | Greensboro Coliseum (1,739) Greensboro, NC |
| November 30, 2021* 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | | Elon | W 74–61 | 7–2 | 21 – Buckingham | 8 – Leyte | 6 – Treacy | Greensboro Coliseum (1,847) Greensboro, NC |
| December 11, 2021* 4:30 pm, SECN | | at No. 13 Tennessee | L 36–76 | 7–3 | 10 – Buckingham | 5 – Tied | 2 – Ko. Langley | Thompson-Boling Arena (16,074) Knoxville, TN |
| December 14, 2021* 7:00 pm, FloSports | | at Towson | L 64–74 | 7–4 | 20 – Buckingham | 8 – Buckingham | 4 – Ko. Langley | SECU Arena (1,565) Towson, MD |
| December 16, 2021* 7:00 pm, ESPN3 | | at UMBC | W 62–51 | 8–4 | 11 – Buckingham | 6 – Tied | 3 – Ko. Langley | UMBC Event Center (1,162) Catonsville, MD |
| December 21, 2021* 7:00 pm | | Johnson & Wales | Cancelled due to COVID-19 Issues | Cancelled due to COVID-19 Issues | Cancelled due to COVID-19 Issues | Cancelled due to COVID-19 Issues | Cancelled due to COVID-19 Issues | Fleming Gymnasium Greensboro, NC |
| SoCon Regular Season |||||||||
| January 5, 2022 7:00 pm, ESPNews | | Furman | L 54–58 | 8–5 (0–1) | 14 – Buckingham | 9 – Abdulsalam | 4 – Ko. Langley | Greensboro Coliseum (1,537) Greensboro, NC |
| January 8, 2022 1:00 pm, ESPN+ | | at VMI | W 72–56 | 9–5 (1–1) | 18 – Ko. Langley | 9 – Buckingham | 3 – Tied | Cameron Hall (747) Lexington, VA |
| January 10, 2022 6:00 pm, ESPN+ | | Wofford Rescheduled from Jan. 1 | W 58–54 | 10–5 (2–1) | 19 – Ko. Langley | 6 – Buckingham | 3 – Tied (3) | Greensboro Coliseum (1,320) Greensboro, NC |
| January 13, 2022 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | | at The Citadel | L 69–74 | 10–6 (2–2) | 14 – Buckingham | 8 – Leyte | 7 – Ko. Langley | McAlister Field House (1,298) Charleston, SC |
| January 15, 2022 2:00 pm, ESPN+ | | at Mercer | L 49–59 | 10–7 (2–3) | 18 – Buckingham | 8 – Leyte | 6 – Ko. Langley | Hawkins Arena (1,981) Macon, GA |
| January 20, 2022 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | | Chattanooga | L 64–72 | 10–8 (2–4) | 21 – Ke. Langley | 7 – Buckingham | 4 – Treacy | Greensboro Coliseum (1,749) Greensboro, NC |
| January 22, 2022 5:00 pm, ESPN+ | | Samford | W 61–58 | 11–8 (3–4) | 15 – Ke. Langley | 5 – Tied | 4 – Tied | Greensboro Coliseum (1,462) Greensboro, NC |
| January 26, 2022 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | | at East Tennessee State | W 80–76 | 12–8 (4–4) | 25 – Buckingham | 8 – Buckingham | 6 – Treacy | Freedom Hall Civic Center (3,402) Johnson City, TN |
| January 29, 2022 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | | at Wofford | L 66–85 | 12–9 (4–5) | 15 – Buckingham | 6 – Leyte | 4 – Ke. Langley | Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium (1,597) Spartanburg, SC |
| February 2, 2022 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | | VMI | L 65–76 | 12–10 (4–6) | 19 – Ke. Langley | 5 – Tied | 4 – Ko. Langley | Greensboro Coliseum (1,559) Greensboro, NC |
| February 5, 2022 12:00 pm, ESPN+ | | at Furman | W 58–56 | 13–10 (5–6) | 12 – Buckingham | 10 – Leyte | 4 – Ke. Langley | Bon Secours Wellness Arena (3,616) Greenville, SC |
| February 7, 2022 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | | at Western Carolina Rescheduled from Dec. 29 | W 68–49 | 14–10 (6–6) | 15 – Hunter | 10 – Leyte | 5 – Ke. Langley | Ramsey Center (1,007) Cullowhee, NC |
| February 10, 2022 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | | The Citadel | W 86–66 | 15–10 (7–6) | 20 – Leyte | 10 – Abdulsalam | 4 – Tied | Greensboro Coliseum (1,536) Greensboro, NC |
| February 13, 2022 3:00 pm, ESPN+ | | Mercer | L 64–73 | 15–11 (7–7) | 19 – Ke. Langley | 7 – Leyte | 3 – Tied | Greensboro Coliseum (1,509) Greensboro, NC |
| February 17, 2022 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | | at Chattanooga | W 73–70 | 16–11 (8–7) | 23 – Leyte | 10 – Buckingham | 4 – Buckingham | McKenzie Arena (3,101) Chattanooga, TN |
| February 19, 2022 3:00 pm, ESPN+ | | at Samford | L 49–55 | 16–12 (8–8) | 13 – Tied | 8 – Ko. Langley | 2 – Tied (3) | Pete Hanna Center (1,310) Homewood, AL |
| February 23, 2022 7:00 pm, ESPN+ | | Western Carolina | W 73–64 | 17–12 (9–8) | 24 – Treacy | 8 – Abdulsalam | 3 – Ko. Langley | Greensboro Coliseum (1,978) Greensboro, NC |
| February 27, 2022 4:00 pm, CBSSN | | East Tennessee State | L 69–73 | 17–13 (9–9) | 21 – Ko. Langley | 8 – Abdulsalam | 3 – Tied | Greensboro Coliseum (2,325) Greensboro, NC |
| SoCon tournament |||||||||
| March 5, 2022 8:00 pm, ESPN+ | (6) | vs. (3) Samford Quarterfinals | L 64–66 | 17–14 | 16 – Treacy | 8 – Buckingham | 5 – Treacy | Harrah's Cherokee Center (3,032) Asheville, NC |
| CBI tournament |||||||||
| March 20, 2022 5:00 pm, FloSports | (7) | vs. (10) Boston University First Round | L 68–71 | 17–15 | 21 – Buckingham | 6 – Leyte | 6 – Treacy | Ocean Center (762) Daytona Beach, FL |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Eastern Time. |||||||||

## Awards and honors
### Southern Conference honors
#### SoCon Sports Media Association Third Team

* De'Monte Buckingham