Under the Radar Game of the Day – Tuesday January 6, 2015: South Carolina Upstate at UMKC

South Carolina Upstate at UMKC, 8:00 PM Eastern, free streaming at wacsports.com

The UTR Game of the Day heads to Kansas City, Missouri tonight for a non-conference matchup between the WAC’s UMKC ‘roos and the A-Sun’s South Carolina Upstate Spartans.  With January here, non-conference games are getting sparse, and tonight’s game is the final such tilt for both teams before starting conference play this weekend (with the sole exception of Upstate’s scheduled game against a non-D1 team on February 3).

UMKC enters tonight’s game with a 5-11 record, and only 3 of those wins being against D1 competition.  The first of those wins was a huge one though, as the ‘roos won at Mizzou, 69-61, on the season’s opening night back in November.  Sophomore Martez Harrison is the player to watch for the ‘roos, having scored in double digits every game so far, including lighting up Indiana State for 34 in one of their other wins.

South Carolina Upstate has been showing that they intend to contend in the Atlantic Sun this season, as they enter tonight’s game with an 11-4 record and (narrowly over Florida Gulf Coast) the best KenPom Rating in the conference.  Most notably, the Spartans won at Georgia Tech on December 6.  They have also picked up a win over an SEC team, albeit Mississippi State.  A pair of seniors are the standout players this season for the Spartans, Ty Greene and Fred Miller.  Greene had a great game last time out, scoring 26 against Hampton.  He will need to have another strong game tonight for the Spartans if they want to head into conference play coming off of a road victory in Kansas City.