SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Seeing a third consecutive trip to the Big South Men's Basketball Championship semifinals, USC Upstate men's basketball's quest for a conference championship begins Wednesday evening at the Qubein Center in High Point, N.C., as the eight-seed Spartans take on nine-seed Radford as the 2024 Hercules Tires Big South Men's Basketball Championship gets underway.
 
2024 Hercules Tires Big South Men's Basketball Championship
March 6, 2024 | 8:00 p.m. ET
No. 8 USC Upstate (10-19; 5-11 Big South) vs. No. 9 Radford (15-16; 5-11 Big South)
Qubein Center | High Point, N.C.
 
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 (10-19; 5-11 Big South); Radford (15-16; 5-11 Big South)
Series: Radford leads 8-2
Last Five Meetings: Feb. 3, 2024 (UPST 78; RAD 69); Jan. 20, 2024 (RAD 64; UPST 61); Jan. 28, 2023 (RAD 55; UPST 52); Jan. 4, 2023 (UPST 65; RAD 60); Jan. 6, 2022 (RAD 82; UPST 77)
 
First Meetings This Season
During the regular season, USC Upstate and Radford split a pair of games as each team won on its respective home floors, the Highlanders winning 64-61 on Jan. 20, and the Spartans winning 78-69 on Feb. 3. In the first meeting, Upstate fought back from a deficit as large as 12, putting itself in a position to win late before Radford hit a three-pointer at the buzzer to capture the three-point victory. In the second meeting, the Spartans flipped the script, earning a wire-to-wire victory, ending a four-game skid by the Spartans in games played against the Highlanders at the G.B. Hodge Center.
 
Players to Watch
USC Upstate: Averaging 19.5 points while shooting 44.4 percent from the field, redshirt junior guard Trae Broadnax led the Spartans in scoring across the two games with Radford, scoring 20 and 19 points, respectively over the two games. He also averaged 5.0 assists and 4.5 rebounds in the two games, passing out seven assists, one of three games this season he's totaled seven or more helpers. On the season, he averages 14.4 points to lead the Spartans while passing out 103 assists on the year, the sixth Spartan in the Division I era (2007-pres.) to reach the milestone.
 
Radford: Averaging 15.5 points per game, redshirt senior guard DaQuan Smith proved the Highlander's leading scorer over the two games, scoring 10 and 20 points, respectively, in the season series. In the first meeting, Smith hit a three at the buzzer, lifting the Highlanders to victory. On the season, he represents Radford's leading scorer, averaging 15.1 points per game while shooting 41.9 percent from the field.
 
Last Time Out
February 28, 2024: USC Upstate 74; Presbyterian 72
March 2, 2024: UNC Asheville 71; Radford 62
 
Up Next for the Spartans
Following Wednesday's No. 8-No. 9 seed game at the Hercules Tire Big South Men's Basketball Championship, the winner advances to Friday at noon for a date with No. 1 seed High Point.
 
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