SPARTANBURG, S.C. - Returning from a road trip in Virginia, USC Upstate prepares for battle with an in-state conference foe in Charleston Southern where the Spartans look to defend their homecourt in front of the explosive crowd of Spartan Army in the G.B. Hodge Center Wednesday, January 29th with a scheduled tip at 6:00 P.M. The Spartans look to return to their winning ways and end Charleston Southern's two-game series streak.  

Wednesday's Matchup 

January 29, 2025| 6:00 P.M ET 

USC Upstate (5-17; 1-6 Big South) vs. Charleston Southern (6-16; 2-5 Big South) 

G.B. Hodge Center| Spartanburg, S.C. 

TV: ESPN+ | Via WatchESPN.com or the ESPN App    

Radio: Fox Sports Spartanburg 98.3 FM/1400| Also available via the FoxSports Spartanburg or TuneIn App    
 

Weekly Coaches Interviews: 
Catch head coach Marty Richter twice every week! 
Mondays at 4:00 p.m.: "Spartans at the Spice" at Sugar N Spice with Coach Dick Cox (Watch).   
Tuesdays at 3:20 p.m.: Visit with the Voice of the Spartans Ryan Clary at Delaney's Irish Pub (when available) 

How they Stack Up 

Series: Charleston Southern leads series 13-6 

Last Five Meetings: Feb. 21, 2024 (CSU 63; UPST 60); Jan. 13, 2024 (CSU 77; UPST 70); Feb. 8, 2023 (UPST 77; CSU 60); Dec. 31, 2022 (CSU 90; UPST 85); Mar. 4, 2022 (UPST 72; CSU 62) 

How they Compare 

USC Upstate		Charleston Southern
74.7	Scoring Offense	72.7
82.8	Scoring Defense	78.4
-8.0	Scoring Margin	-5.7
.459	Field Goal Pct.	.419
.474	Field Goal Pct. Defense	.477
.297	Three-Point FG Pct.	.299
.348	Three-Point FG Pct. Defense	.338
.691	Free Throw Pct.	.642
35.1	Rebounds/Game	35.6
36.5	Rebounds Against/Game	35.6
-1.4	Rebounding Margin	2.8
13.2	Assists/Game	13.2
14.7	Turnovers/Game	13.2
11.8	Turnovers Forced/Game	10.0
-2.9	Turnover Margin	-3.2
6.7	Steals/Game	4.9
2.1	Blocks/Game	2.8

Last Times Out 

January 22, 2025: Longwood 80; USC Upstate 54 

January 22, 2025: UNC Asheville 69; Charleston Southern 61 

Players to Watch 

USC Upstate: Freshman Guard, Mister Dean currently leads the charge in scoring where he averages 15.3 Points per game and has been a name for any team's scouting report. Dean possesses a will compete and is a three-level scorer that can drive to the lane with strong takes, mid range shots, and can spread the floor out with a three-pointers. Dean has begun to find his confidence in more than scoring as he leads the team in blocks along with having his career high in assists with five against High Point Wednesday, January 22. Dean has had six 20 Point games in the 2024-25 campaign including scoring his career high twice with one being against Piedmont and his second time against UNC Asheville. Dean currently ranks at #164 in the NCAA in total Points (322) and #26 in the NCAA with field goal percentage (#26) Mister Dean's versatility provides the Spartans with the flexibility to have him on the wing or in the post while filling up the stats sheet to get his teammates involved. Mister Dean looks to get back on track in the scoring column to give the fans in the G.B. Hodge Center a show for Wednesday Night action. 

Charleston Southern: Senior Forward, Taje' Kelly has had a stellar senior year with leading the Big South in scoring with 19.7 Points per game while only scoring in single digits twice on the season. Kelly currently ranks #21 in the NCAA in scoring and will be a player to watch as the Buccaneers look to continue their series streak over the Spartans. While averaging 19 Points, Kelly adds an overall percentage of 49 percent which is ranked #133 in the NCAA. Kelly displays versatility with crashing the boards averaging 9.7 rebounds which is #1 in the Big South and #29 in the NCAA. Kelly will look to finish the month of January with an impressive outing as he has averaged 21.2 points per game through the month with 28 Points being his highest scoring outing. USC Upstate will look to have multiple defenders take the challenge of containing his contributions to Charleston Southern. 

Up Next for the Spartans 

Following the home matchup in G.B. Hodge Center, the Spartans will hit the road for their second consecutive weekend in Virginia where USC Upstate will face Radford University for the second time in Big South Play Saturday, February 1st with a 2:00 P.M. scheduled tip. 

Ingles I-26 Rivalry Food Drive: Support Miracle Hill Ministries in Spartanburg by donating to the Ingles I-26 Rivalry Series Food Drive through Wednesday, February 12.  All donations stay local and donors may scan the QR code on donation bins for a free ticket to an upcoming Upstate basketball game.  For donation locations and more information, click here. 

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