Weekend MatchUPs
December 18, 2021 | 2:00 p.m. ET
USC Upstate (7-2; 0-0 Big South) vs. Morehead State (1-7; 0-0 OVC)
Johnson Arena | Morehead, Ky.
 
December 19, 2021 | 2:00 p.m.
USC Upstate (7-2; 0-0 Big South) vs. No. 19 Kentucky (6-3; 0-0 SEC)
Memorial Coliseum | Lexington, Ky.
 
TV: ESPN+ (vs. MSU) / SEC Network+ (vs. UK) | Via WatchESPN.com or the ESPN App
 
Series History
vs. Morehead State: Saturday's meeting between USC Upstate and Morehead State is the third all-time meeting between the two programs after meeting for a home-and-home series during the 2014-15 and 2015-16 seasons. The Spartans lead the series 2-0, winning at home 75-69 on Dec. 17, 2014, and on the road 86-72 on Dec. 14, 2015.
 
vs. Kentucky: Like its series with Morehead State, Upstate's meeting with No. 19 Kentucky marks the third all-time in the series between the two programs. The Wildcats have taken both meetings in the series with games played during the 2007-08 and 2012-13 campaigns. With the game played on Nov. 10, 2007, Kentucky was the first opponent for the Spartans at the NCAA Division I level.
 
Last Time Out
December 16, 2021: USC Upstate 86; Bob Jones 36
December 15, 2021: Eastern Kentucky 66; Morehead State 43
December 12, 2021: No. 7 Louisville 64; No. 14 Kentucky 58
 
Players to Watch
Upstate: Shooting 81.8 percent (9-of-11) from the field and 71.4 percent (5-of-7) from three, freshman forward Hannah Roberts notched her second career double-figure scoring game behind a career-high 25 points against Bob Jones. She enters Saturday's game leading the Spartans in three-point field goal percentage, shooting 58.8 percent (10-of-17) from long range. Saturday's game also marks a homecoming for the Huntington, W. Va. native as Roberts played her high school basketball at Boyd County High School in Ashland, Ky.
 
Morehead State: Playing an Ohio Valley Conference-high 36.3 minutes per game, including playing 30-plus minutes in each game this season, guard Terri Smith enters Saturday's game as Morehead State's leading scorer. She's averaging 10.3 points and 2.9 rebounds per game this season, scoring a season-high 22 points against Bellarmine on Nov. 27.
 
Kentucky: Leading Kentucky in scoring, averaging 18.3 points per game this season, forward Rhyne Howard finds herself on the Wooden Award, Wade Trophy, and Cheryl Miller Award Watch Lists. The Preseason Southeastern Conference Player of the Year has scored in double-figures in eight of nine games this season, including a season-high 27 points against West Virginia on Dec. 1.
 
UP Next for the Spartans
Following its two-game Bluegrass State road swing, Upstate returns from the holiday break with the start of Big South Conference play. The Spartans open the league slate at Presbyterian on Dec. 29 at 6 p.m. ET.
 
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