Observations from Saturday's loss to Xavier

-Charlotte coach Bobby Lutz went to his bench far more frequently on Saturday. In all, 12 players saw action and nine played 10 or more minutes. During the 49ers’ recent seven-game winning streak, Lutz had stayed with a fairly eight or nine-man rotation. “It’s not that we don’t have confidence in the other guys, it’s just when you’re winning, you stick with (the same group),” Lutz said. “We’re going to play more guys and we’ll continue to do that game-by-game.”

-Fans certainly got the message Saturday for the planned “whiteout” as almost everyone in attendance wore white. The crowd was anxious – students camped overnight to get the choice seats in their section – and looking for a win. One of the best signs: “This town. This city. This crowd.”

-Sophomore shooting guard Derrio Green led the way for Charlotte with 23 points but they didn’t come easy. He was 6-of-17 from the floor, including a 3-of-12 performance from behind the 3-point line. He did score the 49ers’ final 10 points of the game.

-The 49ers had a handful of potential recruits on hand for Saturday’s game including point guard Tyler Lewis of Forsyth Country Day, the younger brother of Charlotte walk-on Colby Lewis; Waddell High’s 6-foot-8 center Javron Pressley; and Butler High junior guard Anthony Stitt.

-Sophomore forward Javarris Barnett suffered a fracture in his left pinky finger in practice this week. He can still play and wore “buddy tape” – taping his pinky to the adjacent finger.