Post by The Cats on Dec 13, 2023 18:52:00 GMT -5
Who: USC Upstate Spartans
When: Saturday, December 16, 2023
Time: 4:30 pm
Where: GB Hodge Center
Radio: Catamount Sports Network
TV/Video: ESPN+ / Nexstar Stations
Live Stats: Live Stats
Conference: Big South Conference (BS)
Location: Spartanburg, SC
Enrollment: 4,913
Nickname: Spartans
Colors: Green and Grau
Message Board: none
Head Coach: Dave Dickerson enters his sixth season as the head men’s basketball coach at USC Upstate during the 2023-24 season after being introduced as the program's 10th head coach on April 5, 2018.
Dickerson's record vs. WCU: 1-1
Gray's record vs. USC Upstate: 1-1
Current Record (USC Upstate): 4-6 overall, 2-1 home, 2-5 away, 0-0 neutral, 0-0 conference
Last Seasons Record (USC Upstate): 16-16 overall, 11-2 home, 4-12 away, 1-2 neutral, 10-8 conference
The Series: Western owns a 1-2 overall record with Upstate, having played only three times.
Western comes into this game off a big win over mountain rival UNC Asheville, while the Spartans are coming off a loss to Kennesaw State. Upstate was picked sixth in the Big South preseason poll, while Justin Bailey and Trae Broadnax garnered Preseason Second Team All-Conference honors.
The Spartans average 9.3 steals and 15.56 turnovers forced per game and have forced 10 or more turnovers in each game this season, the team’s longest streak to open a season since forcing 10 or more turnovers in each of the team’s first 19 games during the 2021-22 season. The Spartans are averaging 73 points per game, which places them 7th in the Big South.
"The Spartans have two players averaging double-figure scoring on the season with two just off the 10-point plateau. Second-team preseason All-Big South Conference selections Justin Bailey and Trae Broadnax average 12.8 and 12.2 points respectively to rank 13th and 17th in the Big South rankings. Upstate has a familiar face to Catamount fans in forward Ahmir Langlais – who began his career at WCU in 2020-21 after redshirting in 2019-20. The Atlanta, Ga., product is averaging 9.9 points and a team-best 6.6 rebounds per game with Spanish-born guard Miguel Ayesa adding 9.2 points per game.
As a team, USC Upstate ranks eighth out of nine teams in the high-scoring Big South Conference, averaging 73.1 points per game while surrendering right at 71 per contest. The Spartans have allowed opponents to shoot nearly 45 percent collectively from the floor – a stat that could be critical as WCU enters the weekend as the top-shooting team in the SoCon at over 48 percent including 35 percent from range."
