Spartans Travel to Kansas State Searching for Third Straight Win
11/30/2012 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: David Beall, dbeall@uscupstate.edu
SPARTANBURG, S.C. - The USC Upstate men's basketball team ends a season-long six-game road swing Sunday afternoon in search of a third straight victory, traveling to Kansas State to take on the Wildcats in Bramlage Coliseum.
The matchup between the Spartans and Wildcats will be the first-ever meeting between the two clubs and will be televised on Fox Sports Midwest and K-StateHD.TV.
Fans can follow online through a live video broadcast by clicking here and live in-game statistics by clicking here. ESPN Spartanburg 97.1 FM and 1400 AM will broadcast the game that can also be heard online by clicking here. Fans can follow on twitter @UPSTMBB and can join the conversation with the hashtag #UpstateHoops.
Story Lines
- Kansas State is perfect at Bramlage Coliseum this season, posting a 4-0 mark and outscoring its opponents by over 34 points per contest, including a season-best 61-point victory over Alabama-Huntsville. The Wildcats are 289-96 all-time in Bramlage.
- Upstate is looking to extend its winning streak to three games following comeback victory at UNC Asheville Thursday evening. The Spartans trailed by as many as 16 points in the second half before rallying to take their first lead of the game with 6.6 seconds left and picking up the 73-71 victory.
- In Thursday night's game at UNC Asheville, Head Coach Eddie Payne coached in his 800th career game and the comeback by the Spartans gave the longtime leader his 404th career coaching victory.
- With Upstate trailing by 16 points in the second half against Asheville, Torrey Craig took over and scored on four straight possessions to fuel a 15-3 run and put the Spartans within striking distance down the stretch.
- Kansas State is coming off a 14-point loss to 4th-ranked Michigan in the NIT Finals in Madison Square Garden, knocking off Lamar, Alabama-Huntsville and Delaware to reach the title game.
- With their 5-1 start to the season, the Wildcats are on the brink of a national ranking, receiving 12 votes in last week's USA Today Coaches Poll. Kansas State is also on the outside looking in with the latest ESPN.com Power Rankings, checking in as the ninth team receiving votes.
- KSU is one of two Big 12 teams Upstate will face during the regular season this year, with a trip to Baylor on tap Dec. 17, while the Spartans will be the second A-Sun team Kansas State has faced this season after taking down North Florida 74-55 last week.
- The 27 points scored by Craig at Asheville tied a season-high and left him three points shy of his career mark for points in a game. His 18.6 points per game currently rank second in the Atlantic Sun Conference.
- With a season-high 16-point performance at Asheville, Ty Greene is now averaging 10.4 points per contest for the season and 11.2 points per game for his 41-game career.
- Upstate's high-pressure defense has forced all seven opponents to double-digit turnovers this season, including 15 by Asheville Thursday evening that turned into 20 points the other way. The Spartans' eight turnovers against the Bulldogs, including just one in the second half, is a season-best.
- The Wildcats were picked to finished fifth in the Big 12 preseason poll according to the league's head coaches, while Upstate was picked second in the A-Sun.
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