Spartans Set to Open Season Friday Night at Arkansas
11/9/2011 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Game Notes
Preseason Q&A with Head Coach Eddie Payne
2011-12 Media Guide
Follow the Spartans on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube
SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The USC Upstate men's basketball team will kick-off its first season of full NCAA Division I eligibility Friday night when the Spartans battle the Arkansas Razorbacks.
For those fans that cannot attend Friday's season opener, there are several ways you can follow the action from the opening tip to the final horn. Free live audio will be available by clicking the link at the top of the page, fans can also follow the action by clicking the live stats and live video links above.
Join the Conversation on Twitter: @UpstateSpartans
Hashtag: #UpstateMBB
Spartans Specs
• The Spartans own a .636 winning percentage in season openers (28-16); however, the last Upstate victory in a season-opener came on Nov. 15, 2005 at Limestone (W, 64-55). Under head coach Eddie Payne, the Spartans are 3-6 (.333) all-time in season-opening contests.
• Friday's tilt with Arkansas is the first of two Southeastern Conference opponents on the docket for Upstate this season. The Spartans will make the short trip from Spartanburg to Columbia, S.C., for a noon tip-off at South Carolina on New Year's Eve.
• Upstate head coach Eddie Payne begins his 10th season at the helm of the Spartan program on Friday night. Overall, Payne has won 380 games in 27 seasons as a head coach.
• Friday's game at Arkansas marks the first time in program history that Upstate will tip-off on Nov. 11.
• The Spartans return nine players from last season's squad and welcome six newcomers. Upstate welcomes four freshmen to the team [Mario Blessing, Ty Greene, Fred Miller and Adrian Rodgers] and a pair of junior college transfers [Jeremy Ford and Aru Kok].
• Last season, Babatunde Olumuyiwa led the A-Sun in blocks (71) and blocks per game (2.37).
• As a freshman, Torrey Craig ranked in the top-10 in the conference in five different statistical categories [Rebounding (3rd, 7.2 rpg), Defensive Rebounding (3rd, 4.93 drpg), 3-Point Field Goals Made Per Game (4th, 2.27 pg), Scoring (7th, 14.4 ppg) and Offensive Rebounding (T-8th, 2.27 orpg)].
• At South Carolina (11/23/10), Babatunde Olumuyiwa set an Upstate single-game record with nine blocked shots. His nine rejections tied an A-Sun single game record and was the third-highest total against the Gamecocks [Derek Holcomb (Illinois, 12/8/78, Champaign, Ill.) and Shaquille O'Neal (LSU, 2/19/92, Columbia, S.C.)]
• Carter Cook sank two free throws with 6.9 seconds remaining in double overtime against UNC Asheville (11/29/10) to lift Upstate to a thrilling 93-91 victory over the Bulldogs in the first game inside the newly renovated Hodge Center.
• Chalmers Rogers scored what proved to be the game-winning basket in a 60-59 victory over ETSU (12/5/10, Hodge Center).
• At Virginia Tech (12/30/10), Shane Porchea scored a career-best seven points in the Spartans' upset-bid against the Hokies.
• Ricardo Glenn scored a career-high 16 points behind a career-best five field goals against Jacksonville (2/13/11).
Today's Opponent – Arkansas
In 2010-11, Arkansas posted an 18-13 record overall and finished tied for third in the SEC West Division with a 7-9 mark.
Arkansas, under the direction of first-year head coach Mike Anderson, returns just one starter (Marshawn Powell) from last season's squad. Powell finished second on the team in both points (10.8 ppg) and rebounding (4.5 rpg).
During the exhibition season, Arkansas battled Texas A&M-Commerce (Nov. 4) and Christian Brothers (Nov. 8). Highlighted by Mardracus Wade's 6-for-6 effort from the floor (20 points), the Razorbacks claimed a 97-80 win over Texas A&M-Commerce. Tuesday night, the Razorbacks used a late 22-5 run over the final 8:27 to pull away from Christian Brothers en route to the 76-54 victory.
Arkansas owns a 8-1 record all-time against members of the A-Sun. The Razorbacks are a combined 8-0 vs. FGCU (1-0), Jacksonville (1-0), Lipscomb (1-0) and Mercer (4-0). ETSU claimed a 94-85 win during the 2009-10 season to tie the all-time series at 1-1.
Against the Southeastern Conference
Upstate owns a 0-5 mark all-time against teams from the SEC. The Spartans are 0-2 against South Carolina, 0-1 against Auburn, 0-1 against Georgia and 0-1 against Ole Miss.
Below is a game-by-game breakdown of each contest:
|
Date |
Opponent |
Location |
Division |
Result |
|
Nov. 30, 1985 |
Ole Miss |
Oxford, Miss. |
NAIA |
L, 74-85 |
|
Nov. 14, 2008 |
Georgia |
Athens, Ga. |
NCAA Div. I |
L, 48-72 |
|
Nov. 22, 2008 |
South Carolina |
Columbia, S.C. |
NCAA Div. I |
L, 53-75 |
|
Nov. 23, 2010 |
South Carolina |
Columbia, S.C. |
NCAA Div. I |
L, 41-57 |
|
Dec. 21, 2010 |
Auburn |
Auburn, Ala. |
NCAA Div. I |
L, 54-68 |
Preseason Honors
Upstate sophomore Torrey Craig picked up a quartet of preseason honors. Craig was unanimously selected to the A-Sun's Preseason All-Conference Team (as voted upon by the league's head coaches). Craig was the only sophomore to be named to the preseason squad and was one of four unanimous selections. Preseason Player of the Year Markeith Cummings (Kennesaw State), Ian Clark (Belmont) and Mick Hedgepeth (Belmont) were the other three unanimous picks.
He was also tabbed All-Conference by both CollegeHoops.net and RushTheCourt.com and earned Second-Team All-Conference accolades from College Sports Madness.
The reigning A-Sun Freshman of the Year finished the 2010-11 season ranked sixth nationally (among freshmen) with a scoring average of 14.4 ppg. The only freshmen ahead of Craig were: Jared Sullinger (Ohio State), Terrence Jones (Kentucky), Brandon Knight (Kentucky), Trey Ziegler (Central Michigan) and DeAndre Kane (Marshall).
Craig recorded 15 rebounds against ETSU (12/5), which placed him in a tie for 15th in a single game (among freshmen), while his 14 rebound performances against UNC Asheville (11/29) and Stetson (2/4) put him in a tie for 27th (among freshmen). His rebounding average of 7.2 rpg, placed him 12th (among freshmen) nationally.
In league games, Craig was fifth in scoring with 16.4 ppg and ranked second in rebounding at 7.9 rpg. Craig's league average placed him fifth nationally (among freshmen), trailing only Trey Ziegler (Central Michigan), Perry Jones (Baylor), Jared Sullinger (Ohio State) and Cleveland Melvin (DePaul). He is also tied for ninth (among freshmen) with five double-doubles.
Spartans Tabbed Ninth by Coaches/Media
When the A-Sun Coaches' and Media Polls were released Oct. 12, 2011, the Spartans were selected ninth (of 10 teams) by the league's head coaches and the media. Upstate was predicted to finish the regular season seventh by RushTheCourt.com.
