Under the Radar Game of the Day – Saturday, January 2: Howard at Hawai’i

Posted on January 2, 2016 by Chad

Under the Radar Game of the Day: Howard at Hawai’i, 10:30 PM Eastern, OC Sports/bigwest.tv

If you have not checked out Jon Teitel’s Mid-Season Conference Awards yet, CLICK HERE.

Conference play is beginning to gear up, but for today’s UTR Game of the Day, we slip back into non-conference mode as the Rainbow Warriors of Hawai’i host their final non-conference opponent of the season, the MEAC’s Howard Bison.  The Bows enter today’s game with a record of 10-2, including having taken the championship in the Rainbow Classic to start the season and Third Place in the Diamond Head Classic last week.  Their only losses came in the Diamond Head semifinal to Oklahoma and on their lone road trip of the season so far, at Texas Tech.  Hawai’i, despite only one road game on the season, does enter play with a KenPom rating of 65 — solid enough that there is a chance they could be in the at-large bid discussion if they can dominate Big West play this season (and pick up a win today as well).  They are led by Stefan Jankovic, Roderick Bobbitt and Aaron Valdes.  Bobbitt led the way during the final two games in the Diamond Head Classic, scoring 32 against Oklahoma and 30 against Auburn, leading him to be honored as our colleague Jon Teitel’s Big West Mid-Season Player of the Year.  If the three of them and their teammates can continue to play at the level they have the past few weeks, there is a great chance that this team will finish right at the top of their conference standings this year.

Tonight’s opponent for the Rainbow Warriors is the Howard Bison, visiting the islands for the New Year all the way from Washington, DC.  Howard enters play at 7-7 on the season and 1-1 in early MEAC play.  Although 7-7 is normally not impressive, especially with two of those wins coming over non-D1 competition, the Bison are the only .500 or better team in the MEAC at the moment.  They also hold one of the conference’s best wins on the season so far — a home win back on November 28 against William & Mary.  The Bison are led by Jon Teitel’s MEAC Mid-Season Player of the Year, James Daniel.  Daniel has already topped the 30-point mark six times this season including scoring 39 in the William & Mary game.  He is one of, if not the most exciting player in the MEAC and will be trying to lead his Bison to the Big Dance for the first time since 1992.  A second notable non-conference win today could certainly send a message to the rest of the conference that the Bison are a legitimate contender.

 

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Under the Radar Game of the Day – Friday, January 1, 2016: Western Illinois at Omaha (and Other Highlighted Games)

Posted on January 1, 2016 by Chad

Under the Radar Game of the Day: Western Illinois at Omaha, 2:00 PM Eastern

For John S.’s latest Throwback Thursday about the Great Midwest Conference, CLICK HERE.

For Jon T.’s Midterm All-Conference Teams, CLICK HERE.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!

From all of us here at Hoops HD, we want to wish each and every one of you the best in 2016.  Now that the calendars have changed, conference play has taken over the college basketball world.  And today, although the hoops schedule is light, the Summit League does get going in earnest (one Summit League game was played Wednesday when Fort Wayne knocked off Oral Roberts).  For the first UTR Game of the Day of 2016, we are heading to the very first college basketball game of any kind this year — Western Illinois will be at Nebraska-Omaha for a 2:00 PM Eastern tip-off.

Western Illinois started the season off with a bang, scoring one of the first major upsets with their 69-67 win at Wisconsin.  Unfortunately, the Leathernecks ended 2015 on a sour note, suffering back-to-back losses to Chicago State and Loyola-Chicago. They sit at 7-4 on the season right now, but as with most Under the Radar teams, the slate is wiped clean as they enter conference play.  They have a chance to win games now against their conference rivals and contend for a top seed in the Summit League tournament, which would bring with it a better chance at an NCAA Tournament bid.  Although their toughest conference test comes on Sunday (at South Dakota State), WIU should be tested on the road today in Omaha.  The Leathernecks have been led so far this season by Garret Covington who has scored double figures in every game.  Convington has been the team’s top three-point shooter, including having made 5 in each of his last two games.

The Omaha Mavericks enter 2016 with a record of 8-6 that includes the “Visitor’s Bracket” championship at the Global Sports Classic.  Of course, the Mavs best win on the season came back on December 13 when they won at Grand Canyon by four points in overtime.  Omaha is one team that certainly knows about GCU’s current situation of being a transitional team that is ineligible for the NCAA Tournament.  The Mavericks just completed their own transition, and 2015-16 is their first season of full eligibility.  Although they may be a longshot for the Big Dance, they should be competitive in league play due to a fast pace and a tough, balanced scoring attack.  Devin Patterson, Tra-Deon Hollins, Tre’Shawn Thurman and Jake White are all capable of dropping double-digits on any team, any night.  The speed that the team plays at also makes them dangerous, as they enter play today ranked 6th in the nation in tempo by KenPom.

 

OTHER HIGHLIGHTED GAMES

-USC AT WASHINGTON STATE (Pac Twelve).  Wazzu is improving, but they’ve got a long way to go before they’re relevant again.  USC, on the other hand, is a surprising 11-2 on the year, but has just one true road win on the season.  This is one of the more winnable conference road games that they’ll play so it’s important that they pick it up.

-UTAH AT STANFORD (Pac Twelve).  Utah’s profile is pretty solid, especially with a neutral floor win over Duke.  But, Their next true road win will be their first, so they don’t want to pass up the opportunity to pick up a winnable conference road game.

-UCLA AT WASHINGTON (Pac Twelve).  Washington has a ton of work to do if they want to land inside the bubble.  UCLA is off to a pretty good start and can pick up their second true road win of the season tonight.

-COLORADO AT CALIFORNIA (Pac Twelve).  I’ve liked this Colorado team since the beginning.  Cal is unbeaten at home, so this would clearly be their biggest win of the year if they pull this one out.

 

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Throwback Thursday: The Great Midwest Conference

Posted on December 31, 2015 by John Stalica

Link #1 – Jon Teitel’s Midterm All-Conference Teams

Link #2 – David Griggs’ highlighted games and Chad Sherwood’s UTR Game Of The Day

Link #3 – 12/30/2015 Under The Radar Podcast with David Griggs and Chad Sherwood

Programs like Cincinnati and Memphis have a long history with each other – not only were they members of the Missouri Valley Conference, they also have the distinction of being charter members of four different conferences with each other. Those conferences include the Metro Athletic Conference, Conference USA, the American Athletic Conference, and today’s featured conference, the long-lost Great Midwest Conference. Even Saint Louis was a charter member with UC and Memphis in 3 of those conferences; they moved to the Atlantic 10 (with Charlotte) beginning with the 2005-06 season after DePaul and Marquette left Conference USA to join the Big East.

In the 1991-92 season, the Great Midwest Conference featured 6 charter members – 2 of which came from the Metro in the form of Cincinnati and Memphis. Saint Louis and Marquette had a brief stay in the Midwestern Collegiate Conference before joining the Great Midwest. UAB had been quite successful in the Sun Belt in their short history, and DePaul had been independent before joining as the 6th charter member. Dayton joined for the 1993-94 season, but unfortunately for them, their program was at its historical nadir.

Cincinnati was the most consistent program in the 4 years of the conference; they were 30-14 in 4 seasons of conference play and featured stars like Herb Jones, Nick Van Exel, and head coach Bob Huggins who had rebuilt a floundering UC program when he arrived in 1989. He led them to a Final 4 in 1992, an Elite 8 in 1993 which featured an overtime loss to eventual champion North Carolina, and 2 other NCAA appearances in that timespan. But 1992 still remains the high water mark in the last half century for the Bearcats; they whacked Xavier in the Crosstown Shootout, avenged an earlier loss to Michigan State in the NCAA Tournament, and would also beat then-Memphis State 4 times in the same season. Click here to see them defeat the Tigers to earn a trip to the Final 4 in Minneapolis that season. The Bearcats also won all 4 Great Midwest Conference Tournaments and further tormented Memphis by beating them each year en route to their titles!

Memphis was not far behind at 25-19; the Tigers themselves had a memorable season in 1991-92 as well. Led by All-American guard Anfernee “Penny” Hardaway, the Tigers upset Arkansas in the NCAA Tournament and defeated giant-killer Georgia Tech before bowing out to Cincinnati in the Elite 8. They would also qualify for the 1993 NCAA Tournament and had a rare losing year in 1994 before rebounding the following season. Even that season almost featured a Cinderella run in conference tournament play; they upset UAB and Saint Louis before losing to the hometown Cincinnati Bearcats in the final. Led by Lorenzen Wright, the Tigers would win the regular season title in 1994-95 and also make it to the Sweet 16 that season.

Marquette would actually have a better record in 4 seasons of conference play (28-16), but they weren’t as successful as the Tigers were when it came to postseason play. Their best season was in 1993-94 when they won the Great Midwest regular season title and would advance to the Sweet 16 for the first time in the post-Al McGuire era before losing to Duke. One of their more notable players was William Gates; he was a co-star with Arthur Agee in the documentary film Hoop Dreams. Although the film was devoted largely to their high school careers, Gates would be an on again/off again player at Marquette before ultimately earning a degree at Marquette. Marquette would also make the NCAA Tournament in 1992-93 and would finish as the NIT runner-up in 1995.

UAB was still relatively new to Division I ball when they joined the conference; they had actually transitioned up to Division I after Gene Bartow left UCLA in the late 1970s. The glory days for the Blazers were in the early 1980s (in their Sun Belt days) that featured a trip to the Sweet 16 and Elite 8 in 1981 and 1982, respectively. In the Great Midwest, the Blazers had a pedestrian 22-22 record that saw an NCAA Tournament appearance in 1993-94 preceded by two NIT appearances (including a trip to the NIT Final 4 in 1993 before losing to eventual runner-up Georgetown).

DePaul had enjoyed many years of success as an independent under the father-son head coaching duo of Ray and Joey Meyer. Joey Meyer would make the NCAA Tournament in 7 of his first 8 seasons, although Sweet 16 appearances in 1986 and 1987 were later vacated due to NCAA violations. After tying with Cincinnati for the regular season title in the Great Midwest in 1992, the Blue Demons would reach the NCAAs for the last time under Joey Meyer. The next 3 seasons saw a steady decline in the Blue Demons’ program, although they did qualify for the NIT in the 1994 and 1995 seasons. DePaul would finish 21-23 in their 4 seasons of Great Midwest play.

Saint Louis was 17-27 during their tenure in the Great Midwest Conference due to their first two seasons being downright horrific; they only managed a home win over DePaul in that timeframe. But the Billikens did manage a swift turnaround with Charlie Spoonhour as head coach; they improved from a 5-23 season in 1991-92 to a 23-6 season 2 years later that also featured a trip to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 37 seasons. The following season featured a return trip to the NCAAs and even included a win against Minnesota in the 1st round before falling to top-seeded Wake Forest in the 2nd round.

Last, and certainly least are the Dayton Flyers. While the Flyers had a storied history that included multiple NIT titles and a trip to the 1968 NCAA Championship, their talent cycle had completely bottomed out under head coach Jim O’Brien. They finished 1-23 in their 2 seasons of conference play with their only win coming against a ranked Saint Louis team at home in 1993-94. Oliver Purnell took over as head coach for the 1994-95 season, but he was ultimately able to rebuild the Flyers after a season that saw them go winless in conference play in 1995.

With major realignment taking place after the 1994-95 season that saw the Southwest Conference dissolve, all the original members of the Great Midwest Conference would join Louisville, UNC-Charlotte, Southern Miss, Tulane and South Florida (from the Metro Conference) and Houston (orphaned from the Southwest Conference) in the newly-formed Conference USA. Dayton would be invited to the Atlantic 10 along with Xavier, Virginia Tech, La Salle and Fordham after the A-10 lost West Virginia and Rutgers to the Big East.

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Handing out the Hardware: All-Conference Awards for 2015

Posted on December 31, 2015 by Jon Teitel

The end of the non-conference season means that it is time to recognize the best players in college basketball for 2015. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel has reviewed the entire season so far and is ready to announce his picks for the 5 best players from every single conference in the country based on their all-around stats. Players are listed in a traditional 5-position lineup (G-G-F-F-C) whenever possible, with several exceptions. If you think he has overlooked anyone, feel free to post your feedback in the comments section below.

2015

America East
G: Jaleen Smith (New Hampshire)
G: Jahad Thomas (UMass-Lowell)
G: Ahmad Walker (Stony Brook)
F: Jameel Warney (Stony Brook)
F: Willie Rodriguez (Binghamton)
POYSF (Player of the Year…so far): Jameel Warney (Stony Brook)

AAC
G: Shaquille Harrison (Tulsa)
G: Nic Moore (SMU)
G: Daniel Hamilton (Connecticut)
F: Dedric Lawson (Memphis)
F: Jordan Tolbert (SMU)
POYSF: Dedric Lawson (Memphis)

A-10
G: Jack Gibbs (Davidson)
G: Jordan Price (La Salle)
F: Terry Allen (Richmond)
F: Isaiah Miles (St. Joseph’s)
F: DeAndre’ Bembry (St. Joseph’s)
POYSF: Jack Gibbs (Davidson)

ACC
G: Anthony Barber (NC State)
G: Grayson Allen (Duke)
F: Michael Gbinije (Syracuse)
F: Michael Young (Pitt)
F: Devin Thomas (Wake Forest)
POYSF: Anthony Barber (NC State)

Atlantic Sun
G: Dallas Moore (North Florida)
G: Damon Lynn (NJIT)
G: Ky Howard (NJIT)
F: Marc-Eddy Norelia (Florida Gulf Coast)
F: Demarcus Daniels (North Florida)
POYSF: Dallas Moore (North Florida)

Big 12
G: Buddy Hield (Oklahoma)
G: Monte Morris (Iowa State)
F: Georges Niang (Iowa State)
F: Rico Gathers (Baylor)
C: Cameron Ridley (Texas)
POYSF: Buddy Hield (Oklahoma)

Big East
G: Kris Dunn (Providence)
G: Isaiah Whitehead (Seton Hall)
F: Ben Bentil (Providence)
F: Roosevelt Jones (Butler)
C: Luke Fischer (Marquette)
POYSF: Kris Dunn (Providence)

Big Sky
G: Austin McBroom (Eastern Washington)
G: Quinton Hooker (North Dakota)
G: Ethan Telfair (Idaho State)
F: Joel Bolomboy (Weber State)
F: Venky Jois Eastern (Washington)
POYSF: Joel Bolomboy (Weber State)

Big South
G: Armel Potter (Charleston Southern)
G: Rashun Davis (Radford)
F: John Brown (High Point)
F: DeSean Murray (Presbyterian)
C: Lotanna Nwogbo (Longwood)
POYSF: John Brown (High Point)

Big 10
G: Denzel Valentine (Michigan State)
G: Malcolm Hill (Illinois)
G: Caris LeVert (Michigan)
F: Jarrod Uthoff (Iowa)
C: AJ Hammons (Purdue)
POYSF: Denzel Valentine (Michigan State)

Big West
G: Michael Bryson (UCSB)
G: Roderick Bobbitt (Hawaii)
F: Josh Fox (UC Davis)
F: Tavrion Dawson (Cal State Northridge)
C: Mamadou Ndiaye (UC Irvine)
POYSF: Roderick Bobbitt (Hawaii)

CAA
G: David Walker (Northeastern)
G: Kory Holden (Delaware)
G: Juan’ya Green (Hofstra)
F: Quincy Ford (Northeastern)
F: Marvin King-Davis (Delaware)
POYSF: David Walker (Northeastern)

C-USA
G: Marcus Evans (Rice)
G: Alex Hamilton (Louisiana Tech)
F: James Kelly (Marshall)
F: Justin Johnson (Western Kentucky)
C: Adrian Diaz (Florida International)
POYSF: Alex Hamilton (Louisiana Tech)

Horizon
G: Kahlil Felder (Oakland)
G: Carrington Love (Green Bay)
G: Jordan Fouse (Green Bay)
F: Matt Tiby (Milwaukee)
C: Jalen Billups (Northern Kentucky)
POYSF: Kahlil Felder (Oakland)

Ivy
G: Robert Hatter (Cornell)
G: Maodo Lo (Columbia)
F: Justin Sears (Yale)
F: Cedric Kuakumensah (Brown)
C: Zena Edosomwan (Harvard)
POYSF: Maodo Lo (Columbia)

MAAC
G: Justin Robinson (Monmouth)
G: Marquis Wright (Siena)
G: Matt Scott (Niagara)
F: Brett Bisping (Siena)
C: Quadir Welton (St. Peter’s)
POYSF: Justin Robinson (Monmouth)

MAC
G: Thomas Wilder (Western Michigan)
G: Jaaron Simmons (Ohio)
G: Eric Washington (Miami Ohio)
F: Antonio Campbell (Ohio)
C: Nathan Boothe (Toledo)
POYSF: Nathan Boothe (Toledo)

MEAC
G: James Daniel (Howard)
G: Jordan Potts (Bethune-Cookman)
G: Reginald Johnson (Hampton)
F: Malcolm Bernard (Florida A&M)
F: Mario Moody (Bethune-Cookman)
POYSF: James Daniel (Howard)

MVC
G: DJ Balentine (Evansville)
G: Ron Baker (Wichita State)
G: Wes Washpun (Northern Iowa)
F: Sean O’Brien (Southern Illinois)
C: Egidijus Mockevicius (Evansville)
POYSF: Egidijus Mockevicius (Evansville)

MWC
G: Josh Adams (Wyoming)
G: Elijah Brown (New Mexico)
G: Marvelle Harris (Fresno State)
F: Tim Williams (New Mexico)
F: Hayden Graham (Air Force)
POYSF: Josh Adams (Wyoming)

NEC
G: Rodney Pryor (Robert Morris)
G: Cane Broome (Sacred Heart)
G: Corey Henson (Wagner)
F: Jerome Frink (LIU Brooklyn)
F: Dan Garvin (Bryant)
POYSF: Rodney Pryor (Robert Morris)

OVC
G: Jarelle Reischel (Eastern Kentucky)
G: Evan Bradds (Belmont)
G: Keron DeShields (Tennessee State)
F: Wayne Martin (Tennessee State)
C: Chris Horton (Austin Peay)
POYSF: Jarelle Reischel (Eastern Kentucky)

Pac-12
G: Andrew Andrews (Washington)
G: Gary Payton II (Oregon State)
F: Josh Scott (Colorado)
F: Jakob Poeltl (Utah)
C: Thomas Welsh (UCLA)
POYSF: Gary Payton II (Oregon State)

Patriot
G: Nick Lindner (Lafayette)
G: Austin Tillotson (Colgate)
F: Tanner Plomb (Army)
F: Jarred Jones (Loyola Maryland)
C: Kevin Ferguson (Army)
POYSF: Tanner Plomb (Army)

SEC
G: Stefan Moody (Mississippi)
G: Kevin Punter (Tennessee)
F: Ben Simmons (LSU)
F: Moses Kingsley (Arkansas)
C: Damian Jones (Vanderbilt)
POYSF: Ben Simmons (LSU)

Southern
G: QJ Peterson (Virginia Military)
G: Mike Brown (Western Carolina)
F: Torrion Brummitt (Western Carolina)
F: Stephon Jelks (Mercer)
C: RJ White (NC Greensboro)
POYSF: QJ Peterson (Virginia Military)

Southland
G: Zeek Woodley (Northwestern State)
G: Kyle Hittle (Incarnate Word)
G: Thomas Walkup (Stephen F. Austin)
F: Rashawn Thomas (Texas A&M CC)
F: Ja’Dante’ Frye (Nicholls State)
POYSF: Rashawn Thomas (Texas A&M CC)

SWAC
G: Ladarius Tabb (Alabama A&M)
G: Paris Collins (Jackson State)
G: Jamel Waters (Alabama State)
F: Malcolm Riley (Texas Southern)
F: Nick West (Alabama A&M)
POYSF: Ladarius Tabb (Alabama A&M)

Summit
G: Obi Emegano (Oral Roberts)
G: Mo Evans (IPFW)
G: Tra-Deon Hollins (Nebraska Omaha)
F: Jake White (Nebraska Omaha)
F: Tre’Shawn Thurman (Nebraska Omaha)
POYSF: Obi Emegano (Oral Roberts)

Sun Belt
G: Frank Eaves (Appalachian State)
G: Donte Thomas (Arkansas State)
F: Shawn Long (Louisiana Lafayette)
F: Kevin Hervey (Texas Arlington)
F: Jordon Varnado (Troy)
POYSF: Shawn Long (Louisiana Lafayette)

WCC
G: Kyle Collinsworth (BYU)
G: Emmett Naar (St. Mary’s)
F: Kyle Wiltjer (Gonzaga)
F: Domantas Sabonis (Gonzaga)
F: Kyle Davis (BYU)
POYSF: Kyle Collinsworth (BYU)

WAC
G: Ian Baker (New Mexico State)
G: Martez Harrison (UMKC)
F: Pascal Siakam (New Mexico State)
F: Kevin Mays (Cal State Bakersfield)
C: Aly Ahmed (Cal State Bakersfield)
POYSF: Pascal Siakam (New Mexico State)

Posted in News and Notes | 3 Comments

News, Notes, and Highlighted Games: Thursday, Dec 31st

Posted on December 31, 2015 by David Griggs

Below is a rundown of today’s college basketball action…

NEWS AND NOTES

-For our latest Under the Radar Video Podcast – CLICK HERE   We Discussed last night how we feel that there are several teams in the Colonial that could end up in position to get an at-large bid if they can run away from the league, but that there is probably only room for the first place finisher.  You’ll see that noted in the Highlighted Games below.  

-For Chad Sherwood’s Under the Radar Game of the Day – CLICK HERE

-Severe weather continues to lead to games being postponed or cancelled due to hazardous travel.  Hampton v Texas Southern has been cancelled for today.

-I hope everyone has a safe and happy New Years!!

 

HIGHLIGHTED GAMES

-XAVIER AT VILLANOVA (Big East).  We’ve been projecting Xavier as a #1 seed.  #1 seeds typically need to pick up at least one road win against a protected seed.  Nova hasn’t been quite as good as expected, but this is still Xavier’s biggest test of the year seeing as how Nova is high in the rankings and unbeaten at home.  It’s also the conference opener for both teams.

-CHARLESTON AT JAMES MADISON (Colonial).  Neither team was outstanding out of conference, but both were solid and we think if one of these teams can run away from the rest of the league they can land inside the bubble.

-DELAWARE AT HOFSTRA (Colonial).  As mentioned above, Hofstra is one of the teams that could end up inside the bubble, but they’ll have to run away from the league to do it.

-TOWSON AT WILLIAM & MARY (Colonial).  W&M is another Colonial team that could land inside the bubble if they can run away from the league.

-NORTHEASTERN AT ELON (Colonial).  Northeastern had a few big wins out of conference, but they weren’t as impressive as we were expecting.  Elon has been strong at home and this is the kind of game Northeastern needs to win moving forward if they want to be in the discussion at the end.

-DRAKE AT WICHITA STATE (Missouri Valley).  Wichita State needs to blow through Missouri Valley play in order to be safely inside the bubble at the end of the year.

-PROVIDENCE AT BUTLER (Big East).  Both teams are highly ranked with just one loss, and both already have some impressive wins on their profile.  It wouldn’t surprise me if one or both ended up as protected seeds.  Winning a game like this on the road is the kind of win that makes you consider Providence for a #1 seed.  They have already beaten Arizona away from home, and their only loss was a close game against a full strength Michigan State team.  Adding a road win of this caliber to an already very impressive profile will go a long way toward #1 seed consideration.

-GONZAGA AT SANTA CLARA (West Coast).  Gonzaga’s profile is okay, but they have just one true road win on the season.  They’re expected to blow through this conference, and they’ll need to because they’ll be adding a damaging loss to their profile for virtually every league game they don’t win.

-BYU AT SAINT MARY’S (West Coast).  Saint Mary’s will be somewhat tested today, but the biggest strike against them is a lack of quality wins and a lack of wins away from home.  Their margin for error in conference is razor thin.  BYU has yet to win a true road game this year, so you can’t give SMC too much credit for this win either.

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Under the Radar Game of the Day – Thursday, December 31: Radford at High Point

Posted on December 31, 2015 by Chad

Under the Radar Game of the Day: Radford at High Point, 7:00 PM Eastern, bigsouthsports.com

For our latest Under the Radar video podcast, CLICK HERE.

The last Under the Radar Game of the Day for the calendar year 2015 comes from High Point, North Carolina as head coach Scott Cherry’s High Point Panthers welcome in Mike Jones and his Radford Highlanders for a New Year’s Eve matchup.  High Point enters play today with a record of 9-4 on the season, including being off to a 2-0 start in early Big South play.  The team is coming off a win Monday over non-D1 Methodist.  The victory was much-needed, as the Panthers had suffered back-to-back heartbreaking losses at North Carolina State, 76-73, and at William & Mary, 78-75 in OT.  High Point is led by one of the most exciting players in the entire country, senior John Brown.  Brown has already topped the 30 points mark six times this season, including a 41 point effort against Texas Tech to start the year.  His explosive talent on the court could be enough to help High Point fans and students say goodbye to 2015 with a bang.

Looking to spoil New Year’s Eve for High Point tonight will be the Radford Highlanders.  Radford currently sits at 8-6 on the season, 1-1 in Big South play.  The Highlanders’ biggest win of the season came in their first game, knocking off Georgetown 82-80 in double overtime.  Radford has been led so far by Rashun Davis, who scored 28 points in the Georgetown game, Cameron Jones, the team’s top three-point shooter, and Ed Polite, who has already notched three double-doubles this year.  Today’s game will be a tough test for Radford, but if they are able to pull off the road victory, it will certainly be a good sign for the team as they head into 2016.

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