Basketball teams aim to build on success

Both University of North Georgia (UNG) basketball teams are entering the 2025-26 season with high aspirations.

Fresh off Peach Belt Conference (PBC) regular-season and tournament championships and a Sweet 16 run, the Nighthawk women are aiming for their eighth NCAA Division II tournament appearance in nine years. They tip off the season in the high-profile Division II Conference Commissioners Association Tip-Off Classic, facing Ferris State, Edinboro and Gannon from Nov. 7-9 in the Pennsylvania towns of Erie and Edinboro.

Their home opener is 6 p.m. Nov. 21 against Lincoln Memorial. The full schedule is available on the UNG women's basketball webpage.

"Our basketball programs are great examples of how we are building the most competitive, value-added Division II athletic program in the nation," UNG Athletic Director Mary Rob Plunkett said. "These student-athletes and coaches continue to build on their already-impressive legacies while competing for championships in our conference, regionally and nationally."

Reigning PBC Player of the Year Caroline Martin is back as a sixth-year senior guard, along with sophomore guard Averie Jones and junior forward Kendall Emener as fellow returning starters. Head coach Buffie Burson, entering her 32nd season, also added five players from the transfer portal: Hannah Cail (Georgia College), Kiley Graham (Charleston, West Virginia) Maddie Millar (North Florida), Zaynah Preston (Anderson), and Riley Simmons (USC Aiken).

Meanwhile, the UNG men will shoot for their third NCAA tournament appearance in four years. The Nighthawks are 67-29 in the past three seasons, the best three-year run in the program's NCAA history, and are 35-18 in PBC play over the same stretch. The team will host an exhibition game at noon Nov. 5 against Toccoa Falls College, which will also serve as Fifth-Graders' Day Out for Lumpkin County Schools. Admission is free for all attendees of the exhibition contest.

The Nighthawks tip off the regular season with matchups Nov. 14 against Lincoln Memorial and Nov. 15 against Young Harris College in Young Harris, Georgia. They begin their home schedule at 7 p.m. Nov. 19 against Francis Marion. The full schedule is available on the UNG men's basketball webpage.

Senior point guard AJ White, senior center Colin Turner and redshirt sophomore forward Zack Hawkinson return as starters for seventh-year head coach Dan Evans, who also added high-scoring wing AJ Baskerville from Montreat. White is a three-time All-PBC performer, twice on the second team and once on the first team.