Men's Basketball 11/29/2018 3:06:00 PM

NO. 17 TEXAS AWAITS RADFORD FOR FRIDAY NIGHT CONTEST IN AUSTIN

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RADFORD, Va. – The Radford men's basketball team travels to Austin for a Friday night clash with the No. 17 Texas Longhorns.

SETTING THE STAGE
Opponent: No. 17 Texas Longhorns (5-1, 0-0 Big 12)
Date/Time: Friday, Nov. 30 at 7 p.m. ET/6 p.m. CT
Location: Frank Erwin Center (Austin, Texas)
Television: Dish Network (Ch. 407), Direct TV (Ch. 677)
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LAST TIME OUT
The Radford men's basketball team used a balanced attack that saw 12 different players score to race past a high-octane Glenville State squad in a 102-69 victory at the Dedmon Center on Monday night.

With the win, the Highlanders moved to 5-1 overall and secured their best start to a season since 1990-91 when they began 8-0. It was the first time Radford scored more than 100 points in a game since defeating Central Penn, 123-63, on Dec. 27, 2015 and it was the first time five or more players finished in double figures since defeating Central Penn the very next year on Nov. 16, 2016.

Redshirt sophomore guard Carlik Jones kept up his torrid scoring pace, leading the team with 15 points, six rebounds and two assists. Senior forward Ed Polite Jr. earned his fourth double-double of the year with 12 points and 11 rebounds while junior center Devonnte Holland had his best game of the season with 12 points on 6-of-7 shooting and six rebounds.

SERIES HISTORY
Friday's marquee matchup marks the first time the Radford and Texas men's basketball programs will meet.

RADFORD VS. THE BIG 12
The Highlanders have only played eight games ever against teams from the current Big 12 Conference. They are 0-6 against West Virginia, 0-1 against Kansas and 0-1 against TCU.

Radford's last game against a Big 12 member came on Dec. 20, 2016 when it dropped an 84-57 decision at #11 West Virginia in Morgantown.

JONES AND SMART, TOGETHER AGAIN
Radford head coach Mike Jones and Texas head coach Shaka Smart worked on the same staff at VCU during Smart's first two seasons at the helm of the Rams (2009-10 and 2010-11). Under their supervision, VCU went 55-21 and made an incredible run to the NCAA Final Four in 2010-11.

TOP-25 IN NCAA NET RANKINGS
The NCAA released its first ever NET (NCAA Evaluation Tool) Rankings on Monday and Radford checked in at No. 22 out of 353 teams in Division I college basketball. The rankings, which updated daily, have since moved the Highlanders up to 21^st thanks in part to a 5-1 record and a huge road victory at ACC-foe Notre Dame. For comparison, Texas is No. 34 in the Wednesday, Nov. 28 edition of the NET Rankings despite ranking No. 17 in the latest AP Poll.

SCOUTING THE LONGHORNS
Texas had a Thanksgiving to remember this year, knocking off No. 7 North Carolina, 92-89, in the Continental Tire Las Vegas Invitational. The team turned around and fell, 78-68, to No. 11 Michigan State the next day, but the Longhorns are now 5-1 and have entered the AP Top-25 at No. 17.

The Big 12 Conference Preseason Poll, voted on by the league's head coaches, tabbed the Longhorns to finished T-4^th with TCU. Senior guard Kerwin Roach II and sophomore forward Jericho Sims were both named to the preseason All-Big 12 Honorable Mention team.

Returning four of their five starters from a season ago, Texas is averaging 77.7 points per game while limiting opponents to 70.2 points per game. Roach II leads all Longhorns with 18.6 points and 4.4 assists per game while senior forward Dylan Osetkowski pulls down a team-leading 7.8 rebounds per game.

NEXT HOME GAME
The Highlanders head back out for a five-game road trip before returning to the Dedmon Center on Friday, Dec. 21 to take on Georgia Southern at 7 pm. Tickets can be purchased on RadfordTickets.com or by calling the Radford Ticket Office at (540) 831-7889 during business hours.

FOLLOW RADFORD MEN'S BASKETBALL
To follow the Radford men's basketball team, visit RadfordAthletics.com, follow @RadfordMBB on Twitter, 'radfordmbb' on Instagram or Radford Men's Basketball on Facebook.

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