SPARTANBURG, S.C. - After a week away from the court for the Holidays, Upstate Men's Basketball returns to the G.B. Hodge Center for afternoon action on New Year's Eve to open Big South play against Radford at 2:00 P.M. live on ESPN+. Upstate looks to build non-conference where the Spartans got off to their third best start in program history led by Head Coach, Marty Richter.
Wednesday's Matchup
Wednesday, December 31| 2:00 P.M. EST
USC Upstate (8-7; 0-0 Big South) vs. Radford (7-8; 0-0 Big South)
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 every week! Tuesdays at 3:40 p.m. at Fox Sports Spartanburg
How they stack up
Series: Radford leads 11-2
Last five matchups: Feb. 1, 2025 (RAD 79; UPST 69); Jan. 11, 2025 (RAD 80; UPST 67); Mar. 6, 2024 (RAD 67; UPST 60); Feb. 3, 2024 (UPST 78; RAD 69); Jan. 20, 2024 (RAD 64; UPST 61)
How they compare
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USC Upstate
|
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Radford
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78.7
|
Scoring Offense
|
82.5
|
|
70.5
|
Scoring Defense
|
78.7
|
|
8.1
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Scoring Margin
|
3.7
|
|
.458
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Field Goal Pct.
|
.446
|
|
.405
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Field Goal Pct. Defense
|
.444
|
|
.345
|
Three-Point FG Pct.
|
.341
|
|
.310
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Three-Point FG Pct. Defense
|
.360
|
|
.691
|
Free Throw Pct.
|
.703
|
|
38.3
|
Rebounds/Game
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36.1
|
|
37.1
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Rebounds Against/Game
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36.9
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|
1.1
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Rebounding Margin
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-0.8
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|
13.9
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Assists/Game
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14.8
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|
12.6
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Turnovers/Game
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12.6
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|
13.5
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Turnovers Forced/Game
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15.5
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|
0.8
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Turnover Margin
|
1.2
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|
6.7
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Steals/Game
|
8.8
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|
4.7
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Blocks/Game
|
3.9
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Last times out
December 20, 2025: Youngstown State 74; USC Upstate 65
December 28, 2025: Radford 87; Shenandoah 44
Players to Watch:
USC Upstate: Senior Forward, Breylin Garcia made his return after missing 13 games to injury to the court in the matchup at Youngstown State, adding four points in 12 minutes. Garcia adds more depth to the frontcourt where he be plugged in many lineups at the four or five position. Breylin Garcia averaged 6.0 points per game, but his energy he provides to the team is more impactful than shown on the stat sheet. With the return of Garcia, he adds much needed versatility scoring the ball, rebounding and finding the open man.
Radford: Junior Guard, Dennis Parker Jr. Wasted little time making his presence known in his first year at Radford as has shown he can score on all three levels. Dennis Parker Jr. Set a school and conference record scoring 53 points where he shot 19-for-24 from the field and 10-for-14 from beyond the arc. Parker Jr. Leads he Highlanders with 19.4 points per game while shooting 50 percent from the field and 43 percent from the three-point line. Upstate will look to throw different defensive schemes to control Dennis Parker Jr. And their floor spacing.
Up next for the Spartans
Following the conference home opener on New Year's Eve, Upstate travels down the road to Clinton, South Carolina for the first game of 2026 with Presbyterian College on Saturday, January 3rd at 2:00 P.M.
Connect with the Spartans
Facebook.com/UpstateAthletics
Twitter | @UpstateMBB | @UpstateSpartans
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YouTube.com/UpstateSpartans
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