Spartans Head West To Battle No. 23 UNLV
12/18/2009 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Dec. 18, 2009
Game Notes | Live Audio | Gametracker
Spartanburg, S.C. - USC Upstate will hit the road for its last two non-conference games of the season, taking on 23rd-ranked UNLV Saturday night in Las Vegas to start a two-game road swing out West. The Spartans will play at Arizona State on Dec. 23. The game against UNLV will be the first meeting between the two schools. Upstate enters the game with a 1-8 record following its 62-53 loss to Winthrop in the Hodge Center Wednesday night. UNLV enters the game with a 9-1 record after claiming a 72-63 victory over Weber State Thursday night. The Runnin' Rebels are on a two-game winning streak. The game marks the second trip to Las Vegas in as many years for Upstate. The Spartans played in the Findlay Toyota Las Vegas Classic last year, defeating Southern on Dec. 21 and losing to Liberty on Dec. 22 at the Orleans Arena.
Fans not in attendance at the game can listen the action live online for free and get live statistical updates via Gametracker at www.upstatespartans.com, the official Upstate Athletics Web site.
Looking Back At Winthrop
Just as in the first meeting between Upstate and Winthrop, the Spartans let a second half lead with under six minutes to play to slip away as the Eagles took a 62-53 victory Wednesday night in the Hodge Center. Upstate had battled back from being seven down midway through the second half to open a five-point lead with just under six minutes to play. However, Winthrop used a 13-0 run and limited the Spartans to just one field goal the rest of the game to take the nine-point victory. On Nov. 21 in Rock Hill, Upstate led by 13 points with less than six minutes to play, but Winthrop stormed back to take a 49-46 win. Neither team shot the ball well from the floor. Upstate was just 29 percent from the field for the game and was just 3-for-17 from the 3-point arc. Winthrop was 36 percent from the field and hit 3-of-10 from downtown. In the end, 18 turnovers and Upstate's inability to score late in the game prevented the Spartans from the win. Nick Schneiders led Upstate with 16 points, eight rebounds and six blocked shots. Josh Chavis added 11 for the Spartans.
Scouting UNLV
UNLV enters Saturday's game against Upstate with a 9-1 record and a No. 23 ranking in the ESPN/USA Today Top 25 Poll. The Runnin' Rebels opened the season with seven-straight wins before losing to Kansas State in the Thomas & Mack Center on Dec. 12. UNLV came back strong, though, with a 77-59 victory over Southern Utah on Dec. 15 and a 72-63 win over Weber State Thursday night.
UNLV is coming off three straight postseason appearances, advancing to the NCAA in 2007 and 2008 and the NIT last year.
UNLV is a strong offensive team, averaging just a shade under 78 points per game. The Runnin' Rebels shoot a solid 45 percent from the field. However, they have struggled from the 3-point arc where they shoot just 29 percent. They are also unselfish, tallying 169 assists in nine games, averaging a lofty 17 per contest.
While UNLV can score points, the Runnin' Rebels make their mark on the defensive end of the court. They hold opponents to 68 points a game and have forced 179 turnovers for an average of nearly 18 a game. Of the 179 forced turnovers, 89 have come by UNLV steals.
Tre'Von Willis is one of two Runnin' Rebels to average in double figures. He leads the team at 16.1 points per game (ppg) and ranks second on the club with 35 assists. Oscar Bellfield is second on the team in scoring at 10.9 ppg and has dished out a team-best 40 assists on the year. Seven other players average at least five points per game as UNLV utilizes and 11-player rotation. Chace Stanback ranks third on the team in scoring 8.7 points a game and leads the squad with 5.1 rebounds per outing.
Head coach Lon Kruger is in his sixth season at the helm of the program. He owns a 121-54 record at the school. In 24 years as a head coach, he has amassed a 438-287 record. UNLV is his fifth head coaching stint on the college level. He received his first head job at Pan American from 1982-86 before moving on to Kansas State from 1986-90. He served as head coach at Florida from 1990-96 before moving on to Illinois from 1996-2000. He left Illinois for the NBA before returning to the college ranks at UNLV in 2004. He has led his teams to 11 NCAA Tournament and two NIT appearances, including a Final Four appearance with Florida in 1994.
Schneiders All Alone At The Top
On a night when Nick Schneiders needed just one blocked shot to take sole possession on the all-time record at Upstate, he tied his own career-best, as well as the single-game school record, with seven against Florida Gulf Coast (Dec. 14). He now has 143 blocks in his four-year career with the Spartans. With the career record, he now owns all three of the school's blocked shots records. In addition to the 149 career blocks and seven blocks in a game, he also swatted a program-best 79 shots last year while leading the A-Sun.
Chavis' Record-Setting Night
Oh what a night, a great song made popular by The Four Seasons. But on Monday, Dec. 14, it stood for Josh Chavis' performance as the junior point guard did everything he could to try to get a win for the Spartans. He sank a single-game school record 10 three-pointers en route to scoring a career-high and school Division I single-game record 34 points against Florida Gulf Coast. The 10 three-pointers is the fourth-most by a Division I player this year and the most by a player who failed to make a 2-point basket in the same game. He played 37 minutes for Upstate in the game, missing just over a minute in the second half. For his efforts, Chavis was highlighted on ESPN.com's Inside the Boxscores section of their Web site as one of five noteworthy accomplishments in all of Division I college basketball.
Schneiders Throwing A Blocks Party
Not content to own all three of Upstate's blocked shots records (career - 149, season - 79, game - 7), Nick Schneiders has caught fire on the defensive end of the court. He has collected 13 blocks in the last two games, recording a single-game school record seven against Florida Gulf Coast in Dec. 14 and six Wednesday night against Winthrop.
Monumental Night All Around
Several Upstate players achieved individual honors in Upstate's 86-82 loss against Florida Gulf Coast on Dec. 14. As noted above, Josh Chavis broke the school's single-game 3-point record with 10 en route to scoring a career-high and program Division I-best 34 points. But, he was not alone. Nick Schneiders tied his own single-game school record with seven blocked shots and moved into sole possession of the all-time record at Upstate. Carter Cook scored 13 of Upstate's final 17 points to help lead Upstate to within two points of the lead late in the game, finishing with a career-high 16 points. Caleb Palkert grabbed a career-high five rebounds, while Pat Posey finished with a career-high eight rebounds and four assists.
Torching The Nets
For the second time in three games, Upstate scorched the nets in the Hodge Center. Last Monday night against Florida Gulf Coast, the Spartans hit 13-of-25 shots from behind the 3-point arc, led by Josh Chavis' record-setting 10-for-14 performance. Upstate also shot 72 percent from the free throw line. Prior to Wednesday's game against Winthrop, Upstate was strong in the last two games at home, shooting 51.3 percent from the field, 56.8 percent from the 3-point arc and 71.9 percent from the charity stripe.
It's Feast Or Famine
The 2009-10 season has been a roller coaster on the offensive side of the ball for Upstate. While the Spartans have shown the ability to fill the hoop, having reached 70 or more points on three occasions this year, Upstate has also shown futility with the rock, failing to reach 50 points on four occasions. As expected, the Spartans have lost all four games when they have failed to reach 50 points. Upstate is 1-2 in games when it scores 70 or more points.
Spartans Turn It On At Home
Upstate sure feels comfortable in the friendly confines of the Hodge Center. In two games this season, the Spartans average 71 points while shooting nearly 44 percent from the field. Comparatively, Upstate scores a little more than 48 points per game and shoots 36 percent from the field on the road. Upstate has dished out 57 assists at home, an average of 14 per game in two outings, while dishing out just 48 in five games on the road for an average of 9.6 per contest.
Schneiders Tops The A-Sun
No doubt about it, Nick Schneiders is the main shot-blocking threat for Upstate. He leads Upstate, and the A-Sun, with 32 blocks on the year, averaging 3.6 per game. Caleb Palkert is second on the team with five blocks, while Chalmers Rogers has swatted three.
