Upstate Takes On South Carolina Saturday On SportSouth
11/21/2008 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Nov. 21, 2008
Game Notes | Live Video - ESPN360 | Gametracker
Spartanburg, S.C. - USC Upstate will make the short 90-minute trip down Interstate 26 to take on South Carolina Saturday afternoon at 1:00 in the first regular season meeting between the two schools that operate within the same University system. The game can be seen live on regional television on SportSouth and on the internet at ESPN360, and heard live on the South Carolina Radio Network in Spartanburg and throughout South Carolina. Fans can also get live statistical updates via Gametracker on the official Upstate Athletics Web site, www.upstatespartans.com.
Upstate enters the game with an 0-2 record after losses at Georgia, 72-48, and No. 9 Notre Dame, 94-58, last week. South Carolina enters the game with a 2-0 record after wins over Jacksonville State, 89-76, and Winthrop, 86-63, last week. While Saturday's game marks the first between Upstate and South Carolina during the regular season, The Spartans and Gamecocks did meet in an exhibition game on Nov. 8, 2004, a game won by South Carolina, 81-63.
Looking Back At Notre Dame
Upstate gave the ninth-ranked Fighting Irish all it could handle in the first half as the Spartans held two leads and were within three with less than four minutes to play in the half. However, Notre Dame had a late surge and opened an 11-point advantage at halftime before pulling away from the Spartans in the second half for a 94-58 victory Sunday in South Bend, Ind. Bobby Davis led the way for Upstate, finishing with 14 points, five rebounds, three assists and two steals. Nick Schneiders finished with 12 points and seven boards. Luke Harangody led the Notre Dame cause with 30 points and 14 rebounds, one of four Irish to finish in double figures on the night.
Scouting South Carolina
South Carolina is in its first season playing under head coach Darrin Horn. The Gamecocks are off to a good start with a 2-0 record, having dispatched of Jacksonville State (89-76) and Winthrop (86-63) last week.
South Carolina enters the game with a high-scoring offense averaging 87.5 points per game. The Gamecocks are holding opponents to 69.5 points per outing, a margin of victory of 18 points. South Carolina shoots the ball at 47.1 percent from the floor and is solid from the three-point arc at 38.3 percent. The only chink in the armor offensively is that the Gamecocks shoot just 61.7 percent from the free throw line.
South Carolina is solid defensively. The Gamecocks have forced 47 turnovers in two games while committing just 27 on the year. South Carolina has also come up with 24 steals, 12 per game, this season. The Gamecocks have also shown strength on the boards averaging 42.5 per game, five better than their opponents.
South Carolina has five players who average in double figures on the year. Devan Downey leads the way averaging 16.5 points per game. Mike Holmes ranks second with 15.5 ppg and is followed by Zam Fredrick (14.5 ppg), Dominique Archie (12.5 ppg) and Evaldas Baniulis (10.0 ppg). Holmes averages a double-double with 10 rebounds per game to go along with his 15.5 ppg scoring average. Downey leads all Gamecocks in dishing out 11 assists and picking six steals, while Holmes and Archie lead the squad with four blocks.
Earlier This Year
South Carolina opened the year with wins over Jacksonville State and Winthrop. Six Gamecocks, led by Mike Holmes' 17 points, scored in double figures as South Carolina claimed an 89-76 victory over Jacksonville State to open the season on Nov. 14 in Columbia. Devan Downey added a solid 12 points and six rebounds. The Gamecocks shot 50.7 percent from the field. Holmes and Dominique Archie each finished with double-doubles in leading South Carolina to an 86-63 win over Winthrop on Nov. 16. Holmes had 14 points and 13 rebounds, while Archie added 12 points and 10 boards.
About The Coach
Darrin Horn is in his first season at the helm of the South Carolina program. Prior to heading to Columbia, Horn was the head coach at his alma mater, Western Kentucky, from 2003-08. He led the Hilltoppers to an appearance in the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 last year before losing to top-seeded UCLA. Prior to last year, he led Western Kentucky to postseason appearances in the NIT in 2005 and 2006. Horn led the Hilltoppers to four-straight 20-win seasons. He assumed the head coaching position at Western Kentucky after serving as assistant coach at Marquette from 1999-03. He was also an assistant at Morehead State from 1997-99 after getting his coaching start at Western Kentucky from 1995-97. As a player for the Hilltoppers, he was a four-year letterman, an All-Sun Belt selection and Academic All-American.
2004: The Exhibition
While Upstate and South Carolina have never met on the basketball court for a game that counted toward the standings, the Spartans did travel to Columbia on Nov. 8, 2004 to battle the Gamecocks in an exhibition game when Upstate was a member of NCAA Division II and the Peach Belt Conference. Upstate trailed by 17 at the half, but played South Carolina close in the second half before falling by 18, 81-63. C.J. Paul, the older brother of current NBA Superstar Chris Paul, led the Spartans with 12 points and three steals. Carlos Powell led South Carolina with a game-high 21 points.
Payne's South Carolina Connection
Upstate head coach Eddie Payne is no stranger to manning the sidelines in Columbia, though he will be making just his second appearance in Columbia as visiting head coach. Payne was an assistant at South Carolina under George Felton from 1986-91. He helped coach the Gamecocks into the 1989 NCAA East Regional and the NIT in 1991 while coaching All-Metro Conference selections Jo Jo English and John Hudson.
Davis The Leader Out Of The Gate
Senior forward Bobby Davis has effectively put the stamp of team leader on his chest, and he wears the distinction proudly. Davis currently leads the Spartans in four statistical categories. He tops the Spartans with 12.5 points per game, 8.5 rebounds per game, seven assists and three steals. He has also connected on 12-of-24 shots from the field. Upstate players rank among the A-Sun leaders in 10 statistical categories. Davis is ranked in seven of the 10 categories and is the only Spartan listed among the assist leaders in the league. He is Upstate's leading returning scorer and rebounder from last season when he averaged 9.8 points and 7.5 rebounds per outing.
Schneiders' Improvement Noticeable
Nick Schneider, Upstate's 7-3 center, is used to getting attention wherever he goes. But this season, his play on the court is what is catching people's attention. Entering the season, he averaged 3.8 points and 3.8 rebounds per game. Two games into the season, he has certainly shown the progress the coaching staff and Spartan fans have been hoping for, increasing his scoring and rebounding averages to 8.5 points and 8.5 rebounds per game. He opened the season with 10 rebounds at Georgia and tallied 12 points and seven boards at No. 9 Notre Dame Sunday night. One reason why Schneiders has been able to produce more is that he is seeing more minutes on the floor. He has worked on his conditioning which has enabled him to be on the court for 25.5 minutes per game, the third-highest total on the team. Last year, he averaged just 18.3 minutes of playing time per game.
Uzochukwu Steady From Outside
Sophomore wing player Mezie Uzochukwu worked hard over the summer at becoming a more consistent shooter from outside. As a freshman last year, he shot 40.5 percent from the floor and just 28.6 percent from the three-point arc with most of his baskets coming inside the paint. This season, Uzochukwu is shooting 42.9 percent from the floor and is an impressive 3-of-4 from behind the three-point arc, second in the A-Sun in 3-Pt. field goal percentage.
Spartans Hang Tough In First Half At #9 Notre Dame
Upstate certainly gave No. 9 Notre Dame, now ranked eighth in the nation in the latest AP poll, all it could handle in the first half of last Sunday's game. Behind the solid play of Bobby Davis and Nick Schneiders, who combined to score the Spartans' first 14 points, Upstate held two leads during the half, the first at 17-16 with 12:17 to play and the second at 19-18 with 11:05 to play. Despite Notre Dame's effort to increase the lead midway through the half, the Spartans trailed by just three, 34-31, with 3:38 to play. However, the Fighting Irish had a late surge and Luke Zeller's three-pointer at the buzzer took an eight-point lead to an 11-point advantage at the intermission.
Cutting Down The Turnovers
In Upstate's season opener at Georgia last Friday, Upstate committed 29 turnovers, nearly 14 more than the Spartans averaged a year ago. However, Upstate did much better in last Sunday's game at No. 9 Notre Dame. The Spartans committed just seven turnovers in the first half and 19 for the game, nine fewer than they committed at Georgia just two days prior.
Hitting The Century Mark
Upstate head coach Eddie Payne won his 100th game at the helm of the Spartans' program at Campbell on Feb. 21, 2008. Payne is now in his seventh season at Upstate and his 24th overall as a head coach. He owns a 100-77 record at Upstate and led the Spartans to two Peach Belt Conference championships and back-to-back appearances in the NCAA Division II Tournament prior to Upstate's move to Division I and the Atlantic Sun Conference last season.
Upstate's Schedule Ranked 21st Toughest In Nation
In the daily strength of schedule ranking released by Jeff Sagarin on Nov. 20, Upstate's schedule was ranked the 21st-toughest schedule in the nation. The Spartans play two teams ranked in the Top 10 in the latest AP Top 25 poll, five teams ranked in the Top 100 in the Sagarin overall rankings, and seven teams ranked in the Top 150 in the ranking report. Like last season, Upstate owns the toughest strength of schedule among all A-Sun schools. Jacksonville is close behind at No. 24, while Mercer owns the 59th-toughest schedule in the nation. Stetson is the fourth A-Sun school with a schedule ranked in the top-100, coming in at 99.
Spartans' 2007-08 Non-Conference Schedule Ranked 20th
In Upstate's first season as a member of NCAA Division I last year, head coach Eddie Payne did not shy away from playing some of the top traditional basketball powers. According to Payne, "We felt like we shouldn't tiptoe into the water, but jump right in." The Spartans did just that, playing the 20th toughest non-conference schedule in the nation, according to Ken Pomeroy in his final analysis of the 2007-08 non-conference strength of schedule ranking. Upstate's nearest competitor in the A-Sun was Jacksonville, which played the 60th-toughest non-conference schedule, according to Pomeroy.
Another Year, Another Tough Schedule
While the 2007-08 schedule was indeed demanding, Upstate has taken another step up in playing some of the toughest competition in college basketball. Not only will the Spartans play a grueling 20-game A-Sun schedule, the Spartans play four teams - Belmont, Georgia, Gonzaga and Notre Dame - which earned bids to the NCAA Tournament a year ago. In addition, Upstate plays two teams ranked highly in the Top 25 polls with Notre Dame holding down the No. 8 spot in the AP poll and the No. 9 spot in the ESPN/USA Today Top 25 polls and Gonzaga coming in at No. 9 in the AP poll and No. 11 in the ESPN/USA Today poll.
Upstate Road Warriors
By season's end, USC Upstate will have played 30 games with nearly two-thirds of the contests played away from the G.B. Hodge Center. The Spartans open the season playing at Georgia, Notre Dame and South Carolina before its home opener against Duquesne on Nov. 25. However, Upstate will hit the road for seven more games away from the Hodge Center, and for the entire month of December, before returning home for its A-Sun home opener against North Florida on Jan. 3. By season's end, Upstate will have traveled more than 17,000 miles roundtrip from Spartanburg to play its 30-game schedule, playing in 11 states and three time zones.
Upstate vs. The SEC
When Upstate travels to the Colonial Center Saturday to face South Carolina, it will be just the third meeting between the Spartans and a school from the Southeastern Conference. Previously, Upstate, then-USC Spartanburg and an NAIA member, dropped an 85-74 victory at Ole Miss on Nov. 30, 1985. Upstate's second SEC opponent was Georgia as the Bulldogs took a 72-48 victory over the Spartans last week in Athens.
Starting Lineup Consistency
Last year, Upstate head coach Eddie Payne used 12 different starting lineups in 30 games on the season. Though it is early in the 2008-09 season, Upstate's starting lineup has been the same through the first two games. Josh Chavis has assumed the starting spot at point guard, while Gaboro Boros is his backcourt mate at shooting guard. Mezie Uzochukwu starts at the wing, while Bobby Davis mans the power forward position. At 7-3, Nick Schneiders is the man in the middle at the center position.
Spartans Play Conference Variety
Upstate has strategically scheduled its non-conference opponents to play a slate of games in a variety of locations and teams from several different conferences. Outside of their 20-game A-Sun slate, the Spartans will play schools from nine different conferences in its 10-game non-conference schedule this season. Last year, Upstate played schools from 10 different conference in addition to its A-Sun schedule.
Gaining Tournament Experience
While Upstate is not allowed to compete in the A-Sun and NCAA Tournaments until 2011-12 when it completes its provisional status as a new DI member, head coach Eddie Payne has seen fit to give the Spartans a dose of tournament experience in its first two seasons in DI. Upstate competed in the BP Top of the World Classic in Fairbanks, Alaska, and the State Farm Sun Bowl Tournament in El Paso, Texas, last season. This year, the Spartans play in the four-game Findlay Toyota Las Vegas Classic.
Schneiders The Tallest Tree In The Forest
Nick Schneiders, Upstate's only center on the roster, is the tallest player to ever wear a uniform at Upstate. At 7-3, he holds the distinction by five inches over Michael Gibson, who tipped the height chart at 6-10. He is also the tallest player playing in the A-Sun. The Rietberg, Germany, native has played organized basketball for just four and a half years. He is a redshirt junior after sitting out his first season on the Upstate campus in 2005-06. Despite his youth in the game of basketball, he has developed at a rapid rate. In his first year playing with Upstate in 2006-07, he averaged 2.1 points and 2.4 rebounds per game while blocking 13 shots. A year later, he more doubled his averages to 4.9 points and 4.8 rebounds per outing while blocking 25 shots. In his third season on the court for Upstate, his development is expected to steadily continue.
Uzochukwu A Calm Customer
Some freshmen, no matter how talented, shy away from taking the ball in key situations. That was not the case last year when Mezie Uzochukwu, now a sophomore on Upstate's team, put himself in position to deliver Upstate's monumental win at SMU (Dec. 18). He was fouled with 0.6 seconds to play in the game and with the score tied at 56-56. He calmly stepped up to the free throw line and sank both tosses to give Upstate the 58-56 win over the Mustangs, securing the Spartans' first-ever win over a Division I opponent.
Uzochukwu played in all 30 games for Upstate and started 15 contests. He ranked fourth on the team in scoring at 7.5 points per game and grabbed the third-most rebounds per outing at 4.7.
Big Shoes To Fill
When Upstate takes the floor this season, it will do so without the services of guard Luke Payne for the first time in four years. Payne graduated in May and has been on tour with Athletes In Action while waiting for an opportunity to play professionally overseas. Payne was simply the do-all leader for the Spartans last season. He led Upstate in scoring with 14.9 points per game. He also led Upstate in making 63 three-pointers, making 87 free throws and dishing out 84 assists. He also led the Spartans in scoring in 18 of 30 games and finished in double figures on 25 occasions.
Payne finished his career ranked ninth all-time in scoring at Upstate with a 1,381 points. He garnered all-tournament honors at the BP Top of the World Classic and State Farm Sun Bowl tournaments, while also earning A-Sun Player of the Week honors.
Home Sweet Home
Despite playing just 11 games at home this season, the Spartans will be happy to do so. Upstate has a solid home record, going 58-22 (.725) in seven years under head coach Eddie Payne. Overall, the Spartans are 317-133 (.704) in 450 games played at the Hodge Center since it opened in 1973. Prior to 1973, Upstate played its games at a local junior high school. The Spartans won a school-record 50 straight regular season home games from March 4, 1989 to Feb. 17, 1993.
Hard Luck Spartans In `07-'08
Newcomers to the Division I level are supposed to take their lumps, but Upstate proved to be a solid program in its new surroundings. While Upstate's 7-23 record was less than sterling, the record was also misleading. The Spartans lost 10 games by eight points or less and four games by four points or less last season. Had a few plays broken differently, Upstate could easily have looked at a double-digit win total and, possibly, a record approaching .500. One thing head coach Eddie Payne hopes the Spartans have learned from last year's experience is how to win close games on the DI level.
Upstate Picked 10th In A-Sun Preseason Polls
Upstate has been picked to finish 10th in the A-Sun this season in both the preseason coaches' and media polls released by the A-Sun in October. The Spartans finished tied for 10th last season with a 5-11 league record, having picked up wins over Campbell, Gardner-Webb (now playing in the Big South), Kennesaw State, Mercer and North Florida. The Spartans were picked to finish ahead of North Florida in 2008-09 and right behind Florida Gulf Coast. Belmont, which nearly pulled off the upset against Duke in the NCAA Tournament, is picked to win the regular season and tournament championships in the A-Sun this season.
Carolina On Our Mind
Of the 14 players listed on the Upstate roster, nine hail from either South Carolina or North Carolina. Bobby Davis (Aiken), Pat Posey (Greenville), Zac Rich (Lexington), Chalmers Rogers (Fort Mill) and Cameron Rousey (Greenville) all call the Palmetto State home, while Josh Chavis (Greensboro), Carter Cook (Clemmons), Matt Preston (Nags Head) and Mezie Uzochukwu (Greensboro) call the Tar Heel State home.
Even the Upstate coaching staff is rooted in either South Carolina or North Carolina. Head Coach Eddie Payne was born in Winston-Salem, N.C., and grew up in Charlotte. Assistant Coach Steve Smith was born and raised in the Lowcountry of South Carolina in Varnville. Assistant Coach Ryan Walker was born in Charlotte and lived in the Queen City until the start of his junior year in high school before the family moved to Galesburg, Ill. Assistant Coach Bill Burrows was born in Baltimore, Md., but spent most of his late childhood and nearly all of his adult life in North Carolina.
Monumental Win
USC Upstate's 58-56 win at SMU on Dec. 18, 2007, was a milestone victory for the Spartans last year. Upstate claimed its first win in the Division I era against Brevard on Dec. 6, 2007. However, Brevard is a Division II member, making the SMU win the first against a Division I program last year as well as the first win over a Division I opponents in the history of the program.
Upstate has several wins over programs currently competing on the Division I level, but the wins came in the 1970s and 80s when the institutions played in the NAIA before moving to NCAA Division I membership.
Mercer First A-Sun School To Knock Off One Of The Big Boys
Last season, Belmont nearly stunned Duke in the first round of the NCAA Tournament and introduced the nation to A-Sun basketball. However, the college basketball world already knew how strong the conference was last year and how tough league teams are year-in and year-out. A-Sun schools picked up wins over Kentucky, Southern Cal, Alabama, Georgia, Cincinnati and SMU last year.
Mercer has gotten the A-Sun off to a good start this year with two wins against SEC teams as the Bears claimed a 72-69 victory over Alabama last Sunday and a 78-74 win over Auburn Wednesday night. Mercer's win over Alabama marks the second-straight year the Crimson Tide has fallen to an A-Sun school.
Burrows Brings Experience To Sidelines
Second-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 fourth season with the New Orleans Hornets. Paul was on-hand in Beijing, China, to watch his younger brother win a gold medal for the United States in last summer's Olympic Games.
