Men's Basketball 11/5/2018 11:15:00 AM

RADFORD KICKS OFF 2018-19 SEASON AGAINST DAVIS & ELKINS ON TUESDAY NIGHT

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RADFORD, Va. – The Radford men's basketball team officially opens the 2018-19 regular season when it hosts Davis & Elkins at the Dedmon Center tomorrow night.

SETTING THE STAGE
Opponent: Davis & Elkins Senators (0-0, 0-0 G-MAC)
Date/Time: Tuesday, Nov. 6 at 7 p.m.
Location: Dedmon Center (Radford, Va.)
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SERIES HISTORY
The Highlanders own a 2-0 all-time record against the Senators.

November 27, 1995 – at Radford – W, 94-49
November 21, 1998 – at Radford – W, 89-58

LAST TIME OUT
Playing in front of a crowd for the first time since their magical 2018 NCAA Tournament run, the Highlanders knocked off some rust with a 75-54 exhibition victory over Washington and Lee last Friday.

Junior guard Donald Hicks posted a 10-point, 11-rebound double-double that also featured five assists and three steals. Senior guard Caleb Tanner led all scorers with 17 points on 6-of-10 shooting including a 5-of-9 clip from beyond the arc. Senior forward Ed Polite Jr. stuffed the stat sheet with eight points, four rebounds, four steals, three assists and three blocks across a team-high 27 minutes played.

LOFTY EXPECTATIONS
The Highlanders enter the 2018-19 season with some extremely high expectations following their incredible run to the NCAA Tournament a season ago. After being picked seventh in the 2017-18 Big South Preseason Poll, Radford finished second in the regular season standings, won the conference tournament in dramatic fashion, and defeated LIU Brooklyn for the first NCAA Tournament win in program history.

With that historic season fresh in the mind of voters, Radford was picked to finish first in the 2018-19 Big South Preseason Poll. Senior forward Ed Polite Jr. was named to the Preseason All-Big South First Team while redshirt sophomore guard Carlik Jones was selected for the Preseason All-Big South Second Team.

Outside publications such as Sports Illustrated, CBS Sports, the Blue Ribbon Yearbook, Mid-Major Madness and others are also tabbing Radford to retake the Big South title. All eyes will be on the Highlanders as they try to duplicate last season's success while maintaining the underdog mentality that carried them throughout.

SCOUTING THE SENATORS
Davis & Elkins, an NCAA Division II program, is coming off a tough 2017-18 campaign in which they finished 7-19 overall and 5-15 in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference. Led by fourth-year head coach Nike Patella, the Senators are hoping for better results this year.

The G-MAC preseason poll picked Davis & Elkins to finish 11^th out of 13 teams in 2018-19 so they will have their work cut out for them. The Senators lost some of their top players from a season ago, including leading-scorer Jordan McElveen (13.0ppg, 5.5rpg, 2.3apg) and All-Conference Honorable Mention selection Rickenjee Bellevue (12.4ppg, 10.5rpg, 1.2spg, 1.2bpg).

Senior guard Edmund Parker and junior center Trevor English are looking likely to be their top returners. The duo combined to average 22.1 points per game and 11.9 rebounds per game last year. English, who is 6'8", has another 6'8" partner in junior forward Erkam Kiris who should make a big impact this season. In a preseason exhibition, D&E starters averaged a height of 6'5".

STATEMENT FROM HEAD COACH MIKE JONES ON SUSPENSIONS
Junior guard Travis Fields, Jr., redshirt sophomore guard Carlik Jones and junior center Devonnte Holland will be serving a suspension against Davis & Elkins.

"Travis, Carlik and Devonnte have not lived up to the standards set for our program. We are confident that they have learned from this experience, and that they will uphold our standards going forward." – Head Coach Mike Jones

NEXT HOME GAME
Radford begins play in the Gotham Classic tournament when it hosts UIC on Friday, Nov. 9 at 9 p.m. in the Dedmon Center. 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' Instagram or Radford Men's Basketball on Facebook.

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