Men’s Basketball begins two-game road trip, taking on Longwood for Saturday Big South action

SPARTANBURG, S.C. - Rounding out the week down to their final five regular season games, Upstate Men's Basketball takes on Longwood for Saturday afternoon action in Farmville, Virginia where the Spartans look to rebound from Thursday's loss against High Point and collect their second Big South sweep on the season.

Saturday's Matchup

Saturday, February 14| 3:00 P.M. EST

USC Upstate (11-15; 3-8 Big South) vs. Longwood (13-14; 5-7 Big South)

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

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

Weekly Coaches Interviews: Catch head coach Marty Richter twice every week! Mondays at 4:30 P.M.: "Spartans at the Spice" at Sugar N Spice (Watch) and Tuesdays at 3:40 p.m. at Fox Sports Spartanburg

How they stack up

All-time series: Longwood leads 8-7

Last five matchups: Jan. 29, 2026 (UPST 65; LW 60); Mar. 1, 2025 (LW 83; UPST 66); Jan. 25, 2025 (LW 80; UPST 54); Feb. 7, 2024 (UPST 69; LW 64); Jan. 17, 2024 (UPST 73; LW 71)

How they compare

USC Upstate		Longwood
75.7	Scoring Offense	76.3
74.5	Scoring Defense	72.9
1.2	Scoring Margin	3.4
.444	Field Goal Pct.	.465
.433	Field Goal Pct. Defense	.444
.343	Three-Point FG Pct.	.305
.328	Three-Point FG Pct. Defense	.320
.683	Free Throw Pct.	.727
36.8	Rebounds/Game	36.8
37.8	Rebounds Against/Game	31.6
-0.9	Rebounding Margin	5.2
12.9	Assists/Game	12.9
12.2	Turnovers/Game	14.0
12.2	Turnovers Forced/Game	14.5
0.0	Turnover Margin	0.5
6.5	Steals/Game	8.6
4.4	Blocks/Game	2.5

Last times out

February 12, 2026: High Point 95; USC Upstate 70

February 12, 2026: UNC Asheville 79; Longwood 74

Players to Watch

USC Upstate: Junior Guard, Mason Bendinger leads the Spartans averaging 15.3 points per game while shooting 46 percent from the field and leading Upstate with 14 game scoring 15+ points. Bendinger has been the perfect recipe for the Marty Richter system when Upstate needs a bucket on offense. Bendinger's scoring mentality has forced more teams to key in on his contributions, helping Bendinger boost his assists. The Spartans will look to Mason Bendinger in the Saturday matchup to be a force on both ends as Upstate looks for their second sweep in the Big South.

Longwood: Redshirt Senior, Elijah Tucker continues to be driving force on both ends for the Lancers as Longwood runs their system through Tucker. The Redshirt Senior from Canton, Georgia added a 13 point and 12 rebound statline in the first matchup at Upstate, then followed with two consecutive 21-point outings against Gardner-Webb and Charleston Southern. The strength of Tucker in the post causes many defenses to have to key on his game as he plays more of a traditional forward role, only attempting one three-pointer on the season. As Tucker returns to the court for another battle, the Lancers will lean on his production.

Up next for the Spartans

Following Saturday's battle in Farmville, Virginia, Upstate Men's Basketball travels to Rock Hill, South Carolina for a Thursday night showdown at Winthrop with tipoff scheduled at 6:30 P.M. Eastern time.

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Players Mentioned

Mason Bendinger

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