SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Off the team's first Big South win of the season—a gutsy second-half comeback featuring a game-winner against Longwood—USC Upstate men's basketball looks to continue its momentum as it wraps its two-game stretch against teams from the Commonwealth of Virginia with a trip to the New River Valley Saturday for a meeting with Radford.
 
Saturday's Game
Jan. 20, 2024 | 2:00 p.m. ET
USC Upstate (6-11; 1-3 Big South) at Radford (11-8; 1-3 Big South)
Dedmon Center | Radford, Va.
 
TV: ESPN+ | Via WatchESPN.com or the ESPN App
Radio: Fox Sports Spartanburg 98.3 FM/1400 AM | Also available via the Fox Sports Spartanburg or TuneIn App
Weekly Coaches Interview: Mondays at 4:15 p.m. live from Sugar-n-Spice (212 S. Pine St., Spartanburg) with Coach Dick Cox; Tuesdays at 4:20 p.m. with the voice of Spartans, Ryan Clary, on Fox Sports Spartanburg 98.3 FM
 
How They Stack Up
Records: USC Upstate (6-11; 1-3 Big South); Radford (11-8; 1-3 Big South)
Series: Radford leads 7-1
Last Five Meetings: Jan. 28, 2023 (RAD 55; UPST 52); Jan. 4, 2023 (UPST 65; RAD 60); Jan. 6, 2022 (RAD 82; UPST 77); Feb. 5, 2021 (RAD 102; UPST 66); Feb. 4, 2021 (RAD 63; UPST 61)
 
Players to Watch
USC Upstate: Tying for the game-high scoring total with 16 points against Longwood, sophomore guard Justin Bailey guaranteed his fourth consecutive double-figure scoring game to open Big South play—accomplishing the feat for the second straight season to begin conference play. He enters the weekend as the Spartans' third-leading scorer against Big South competition, averaging 12.3 points per game. Bailey also leads Upstate in total steals, swiping 28 on the campaign as he ranks second in the league with 1.65 steals per game.
 
Radford: Through four Big South games, redshirt senior guard DaQuan Smith leads all Highlander scorers, averaging 18.3 points per contest against league foes. Despite not reaching double-figures against Gardner-Webb, Smith features three games scoring 18 or more points, including two 20-plus point efforts to begin conference play. He also totals nine games scoring 18 or more points, eclipsing the 20-point mark five times this season.
 
Last Time Out
January 17, 2024: USC Upstate 73; Longwood 71
January 17, 2024: Gardner-Webb 74; Radford 68
 
Up Next for the Spartans
Coming off one of the team's longest Big South road trips of the year, Upstate returns to the G.B. Hodge Center for a meeting with High Point, a team atop the conference standings. The Spartans and Panthers tip off at 7 p.m. ET Wednesday.
 
Support the Spartans
USC Upstate returns to the G.B. Hodge Center on Wednesday, Jan. 24 to take on High Point at 7 p.m. ET. Tickets for all USC Upstate men's and women's basketball games are on sale now with tickets beginning at just $8! To order log into upstatespartans.com/tickets.
 
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