SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Embarking on a new era of Spartan Basketball, USC Upstate men's basketball officially kicks off the Marty Richter-era as the 2024-25 season gets underway Monday evening. The Spartans head to The Triangle for the program's third all-time meeting with NC State, meeting the Wolfpack for a 7 p.m. ET tilt at the Lenovo Center in Raleigh, N.C.
 
Richter, the 11^th head coach in program history, enters his first season at the helm following a six-year stint as an assistant coach at Drake. As a head coach, he guided Florida Southwestern to 56 wins across the 2016-17 and 2017-18 seasons before beginning his time with the Bulldogs. The Upstate roster enters the new campaign featuring two returners and 12 newcomers.
 
Monday's Matchup
November 4, 2024 | 7:00 p.m. ET
USC Upstate (0-0; 0-0 Big South) at NC State (0-0; 0-0 ACC)
Lenovo Center | Raleigh, N.C.
 
TV: ACCNX | Via WatchESPN.com or the ESPN App
Radio: Fox Sports Spartanburg 98.3 FM/1400 AM | Also available via the FoxSports Spartanburg or TuneIn App
Weekly Coaches Interview: Catch head coach Marty Richter weekly on Fox Sports Spartanburg every Tuesday at 3:20 p.m. ET.
 
How They Stack Up
Records: USC Upstate (0-0; 0-0 Big South); NC State (0-0; 0-0 ACC)
Series: NC State leads 2-0
Last Five Meetings: Dec. 22, 2018 (NCST 98; UPST 71); Dec. 11, 2010 (NCST 79; UPST 60)
 
Players to Watch
USC Upstate: In the Spartans' final tune-up for the 2024-25 regular season a pair of newcomers closed the team's exhibition surpassing the 20-point plateau as freshman guard Mister Dean and redshirt sophomore guard Karmani Gregory scoring 24 and 21 points, respectively. Against North Greenville, Dean finished the night shooting 9-of-12 from the field and nearly recorded a double-double with nine rebounds. Gregory ended his evening 8-of-11 from the field, including hitting 4-of-6 attempts from beyond the arc.
 
NC State: Leading the Wolfpack in scoring in its exhibition versus Lees-McRae, senior guard Jayden Taylor marked the lone player to score in double-figures—of the 11 players to score for the Wolfpack in the game—with 11 markers. In helping NC State to a run to the Final Four in 2023-24, Taylor averaged 11.2 points as he finished second on the team in both steals (47) and three-pointers made (64) last season. Taylor also led the Wolfpack last season in both free throws made and free throws attempted, finishing 108-of-143 from the charity stripe.
 
Up Next for the Spartans
Wasting little time in getting back to action, USC Upstate's season rolls on next Wednesday as it returns to the G.B. Hodge Center for the first time. The Spartans host Piedmont for a 7 p.m. ET clash in the middle game of their three-game week.
 
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