USC Upstate Hits the Hardwood Saturday Night at UNC Greensboro
11/21/2007 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Nov. 21, 2007
Men's Basketball Game Notes - UNCG in PDF Format 
SPARTANBURG, S.C. - In a battle between schools with the same nickname, USC Upstate travels to Greensboro, N.C., to take on the Spartans of UNC Greensboro Saturday night at 7:00. Upstate enters the game looking to secure its first win of the season and the Division I era.
UNCG enters the game with a 2-1 record, having claimed an impressive victory over Georgia Tech to open the season and splitting its games at the Missouri State Classic.
The game between the Spartans can be heard live on ESPN 1400 AM and can be accessed either on the air or via the internet at www.upstatespartans.com or www.espn1400am.com.
Recapping Oregon State
It was a tale of two halves Sunday against Oregon State in Upstate's final game in the BP Top of the World Classic in Fairbanks, Alaska. Upstate executed the offense and played with intensity on defense, grabbing the lead three times in the first half before settling for a 30-30 tie at halftime with the Beavers.
However, Oregon State used an 18-2 run to vault out to a 13-point advantage with a little over 11 minutes to play and never looked back, taking the 19-point victory, 65-46.
Luke Payne, who was named to the All-Tournament team, finished with a team-high 17 points with three rebounds and three assists. Bobby Davis added a sold nine points and eight boards, though the junior did not score in the second half, succumbing to an adjusted Oregon State defense and the Spartans settling for outside shots.
Upstate Road Warriors
By season's end, USC Upstate will have played 30 games with 2/3 of the games being played away from the G.B. Hodge Center. In fact, the Spartans open the season playing their first seven games away from the friendly confines of the Hodge Center before playing its home opener against Brevard on Dec. 6. Upstate will play 13 of its first 15 games on the road this season.
In all, Upstate will travel more than 12,000 miles away from Spartanburg, and nearly 24,000 miles round trip, this season to play 20 games away from home.
Byrd Flies to the Top
Jeremy Byrd entered the season opener at Utah on Nov. 9 needing two steals to tie the Upstate all-time record of 276 held by Terrance Gist. He got the two and then some, coming away with four steals in the first half alone and six total to vault to the top of the all-time list.
Byrd now has 286 steals in his career. He also ranks among the all-time leaders in eight other statistical categories.
Payne Nearing Milestone
Luke Payne is nearing 1,000 career points, having entered the season just 67 points shy of the milestone mark. The senior from Spartanburg, and the coach's son, has scored 55 points this season and needs just 12 to reach 1,000 for his career. When he reaches the mark, he will become the 17th player to reach the milestone in the history of the storied program.
The senior has played all three guard positions for the Spartans and enters the season ranked No. 17 on Upstate's all-time scoring list with 988 points.
Payne also ranks among the school's all-time greats in 12 other statistical categories. He ranks fifth all-time with 134 three-pointers and ranks in the Top 10 in three-pointers attempted, free throws made and assists.
A-Sun Makes Some Noise
If the start if the season is any indication of how good the Atlantic Sun Conference is going to be this year, the league will be tough. Gardner-Webb, Mercer and Belmont pulled off impressive victories last week.
Gardner-Webb, behind the 15 points and eight rebounds from Aaron Linn, defeated then-No. 22 Kentucky, 84-68. Mercer claimed a 96-81 victory over then-No. 18 Southern Cal. James Florence led the way with 30 points.
The two wins over nationally-ranked opponents marked the first time in the 30-year history of the league that conference teams defeated more than one nationally-ranked opponent in the same week. It is also the first time in four years that an A-Sun team has defeated a Top 25 ranked opponent.
In addition to the Kentucky and Southern Cal wins, Belmont claimed an 86-75 win over Cincinnati.
Greensboro Newbies Have Solid Pedigrees
When coaches bring in new recruits, they not only look for individual talent, they also look to see how well a player helps their former team and the how well the teams do in competition. Josh Chavis and Mezie Uzochukwu, both from Greensboro, N.C., come to Upstate after strong senior seasons.
Chavis, from Dudley HS, played in the North Carolina East-West All-Star game. He also spent the summer playing for the N.C. Gaters AAU team. He was the starting point guard on the team that won the AAU 19-Under National Championship.
Uzochukwu, from Northeast Guilford HS, also played in the North Carolina East-West All-Star game. He finished the game with a team-high 16 points to go along with eight rebounds, leading the West squad to the 81-75 victory and earning MVP honors. He joined a prestigious club of East-West MVP winners, including recent honorees Kevin Swinton and William Graves, both of whom now play in the ACC.
Payne Receives Honor
Despite playing the final two games, and part of the first, with a deep thigh bruise at the BP Top of the World Classic, starting guard Luke Payne played well enough to garner All-Tournament honors. He scored 43 points in three games, averaging 14.3 points and three rebounds per outing in the tournament. He scored 17 points against Akron and Oregon State and nine against IUPUI.
Sandago Recognized in Alaska
Head Athletic Trainer Sandy Sandago was named the outstanding athletic trainer at the BP Top of the World Classic last weekend in Fairbanks, Alaska. Sandago was honored after his work throughout the tournament, in particular in his efforts to get Luke Payne back onto the court after the senior suffered a deep thigh bruise during Friday's tournament opener for the Spartans.
Monkey Off the Back
When Jeremy Byrd sank a three-pointer just over a minute into Sunday's game against Oregon State in the BP Top of the World Classic, it marked the first time this season that the Spartans have held a lead, getting the proverbial monkey off of their backs. The Spartans liked it out front, holding a lead on four other occasions in the game before succumbing to an 18-2 Beaver run in the second half.
Freshmen Contribute Early
There were times during the BP Top of the World Classic that fans in attendance and listening on the radio got a glimpse of the future as several of the freshmen saw significant action during the three-day event.
Friday's opener against Akron was a jumping off point as the game went down to the wire. In the crucial final minutes of play, freshmen Rashawn Brailsford, Mezie Uzochukwu and Rory Spencer were on the court with redshirt sophomore Nick Schneiders and senior Luke Payne as the Spartans narrowly missed pulling off the upset of the Zips.
Uzochukwu leads all freshmen averaging 27.3 minutes per game. Brailsford averages over 18 minutes a game, while Spencer and Chavis average better than 14 and 12 minutes, respectively.
Davis Asserts Himself
It didn't take long for Bobby Davis to assert himself as a go-to player for the Spartans. He scored 13 points in his Upstate debut at Utah on Nov. 9 and carried over his solid play at the BP Top of the World Classic. He finished the tournament with averaging 7.6 points and 8.7 rebounds per game in the three-game event. He secured his first double-double as a Spartan, finishing with 12 points and 10 rebounds against IUPUI Nov. 17.
For the season, the Aiken, S.C., native averages 9.0 points and 7.3 rebounds per game.
Newcomers Making It Happen
With nine newcomers and only four players returning with extensive experience from last year's team, it is no surprise that the new players have made significant impacts on the team.
Luke Payne, Jeremy Byrd and Nick Schneiders all start for the Spartans and they are the only returnees to see significant action for the Spartans this season. The other two starting positions, as well as the bench support, have come from the new players on the roster, led by Bobby Davis' 9.0 ppg and 7.3 rpg averages.
Freshmen Rashawn Brailsford and Rory Spencer are the first players off the bench for Upstate.
Solid in the Lineup
Through the first four games of the season, the starting lineup seems to be solidified. Jeremy Byrd, Bobby Davis, Nick Schneiders and Mezie Uzochukwu have started all four games for the Spartans. The only thing that has prevented Luke Payne from starting all four games was a bruised thigh that kept him out of the lineup for the IUPUI game on Saturday, though he played 29 minutes in the contest. He returned as a starter the next day against Oregon State.
Burrows Brings Experience to Sidelines
First-year assistant coach Bill Burrows is anything but new to the game. The veteran of the sideline has been a head coach on the high school level in North Carolina for nearly 30 years and was an assistant coach at Georgia Tech and Towson. He can tell stories of coaching greats such as Brad Daugherty and Brad Johnson, but his best quality may be his ability to tell stories that both entertain and educate.
Paul Makes Good
Former Spartan starting point guard C.J. Paul is now living the life around the NBA. No, he is not playing in the world's top league, he is serving as the personal assistant/manager for his younger brother, Chris, the former NBA Rookie of Year now in his third season with the New Orleans Hornets.
