Men's basketall game day: Charlotte 49ers vs. East Tennessee State

7:30 p.m., Halton Arena

The 49ers play their season opener against the Bucs and are coming off a a 21-12 season and their first postseason appearance (NIT) since 2008 ... Charlotte will be without injured guards Denzel Ingram (foot) and Ivan Benkovic (back) ... Two newcomers who figure to make an impact for Charlotte are guards Ben Cherry and Shawn Lester ... The Bucs have three starters back from last season’s 10-22 squad, including forward Lester Wilson, who averaged 13.4 point and 5.3 rebounds ... Freshman guard A.J. Merriweather scored 27 points in an exhibition victory last week against Milligan (Tenn.) ... The last time these two teams played didn’t go too well for the 49ers, with East Tennessee winning 70-69 on a buzzer beater early in the 2011-12 season ... The 49ers women open at 5 p.m. against Liberty ... Charlotte is coming off a 26-6 season that included a WNIT appearance, the 49ers' 11th consecutive postseason appearance.