RADFORD, Va. – The Highlanders will look to bounce back from a pair of tough ACC road contests when they take on Furman and Navy at the Paladins' multi-team event in South Carolina this weekend.
 
SETTING THE STAGE – FRIDAY, NOV. 19
Opponent: Furman Paladins (2-1, 0-0 SoCon)
Date/Time: Friday, November 19^th at 7:00 p.m.
Location: Timmons Arena (Greenville, S.C.)
 
SETTING THE STAGE – FRIDAY, NOV. 20
Opponent: Navy Midshipmen (1-2, 0-0 Patriot League)
Date/Time: Saturday, November 20^th at 5:00 p.m.
Location: Timmons Arena (Greenville, S.C.)

FOLLOW THE ACTION VS. FURMAN
Watch Live on ESPN+
Listen Live on 101.7 WRAD
Get Updates with Live Stats
 
FOLLOW THE ACTION VS. NAVY
Listen Live on 101.7 WRAD
Get Updates with Live Stats
*No video stream will be available
 
SERIES HISTORY WITH FURMAN
Friday's game will mark the first-ever meeting between the Radford and Furman men's basketball programs.
 
SERIES HISTORY WITH NAVY
The Highlanders and Midshipmen have met twice, splitting the results, 1-1. The first match-up came on Nov. 29, 2008 when Navy earned a 73-71 overtime victory in Annapolis. There were a combined 61 fouls and 78 free throw attempts in a wild back-and-forth contest.
 
The second match-up went Radford's way as Joey Lynch-Flohr and Art Parakhouski combined for 41 points and 24 rebounds to lead the Highlanders to a 76-65 victory in the Dedmon Center. Freshman Blake Smith also added 17 points for the Highlanders in his collegiate debut.
 
SCOUTING THE PALADINS
Picked to finish second in both the SoCon Preseason Coaches Poll and Preseason Media Poll, Furman has yet again entered a season with high expectations. With the guiding hand of Bob Richey at the helm, plus the combination of veteran guards Mike Bothwell and Alex Hunter, the Paladins have the pieces to meet, or even exceed, those expectations.
 
Furman is off to a great start in 2021, crushing North Greenville by 52 in the season opener before going into Louisville and earning an 80-72 upset in overtime. An overtime loss to Belmont represents a small setback, but the Paladins still received two votes in the most recent AP Top-25 Poll.
 
It's hard not to be impressed by their offensive output, as the Paladins enter the weekend ranking top-10 in the country for scoring offense (9^th, 95.7), three-point field goals per game (3^rd, 15.3) and assists per game (6^th, 23.0). With 25.0 points per game thus far, Bothwell is one of the nation's most dangerous scorers.
 
SCOUTING THE MIDSHIPMEN
It took the Midshipmen no time at all to earn a signature win for the 2021-22 season, toppling #25 Virginia, 66-58, in the season opener. They have given up exactly 77 points in losses to Virginia Tech and Louisville since then, dropping their overall record to 1-2.
 
After a 15-3 run during the pandemic-shortened season, Navy was picked to finish third in the Patriot League Preseason Poll. The team lost scoring leader Cam Davis, but John Carter Jr. is picking up the slack with 12.9 points and 5.0 rebounds per game. His 22 three-point attempts through three games ranks 62^nd in the nation.
 
LAST TIME OUT
Fluid ball movement created plenty of good looks, but cold shooting all game was too much to overcome for the Radford men's basketball team as it fell to Virginia Tech, 65-39, in Cassell Coliseum on Monday night.
 
The Highlanders (1-2, 0-0 Big South) mustered just seven made field goals in each half as they struggled to get shots through the net against a strong Virginia Tech defense. After starting 1-for-2 from three-point range, Radford went on an 0-for-19 skid and finished the game shooting 8.3% from beyond the arc.
 
The Hokies (3-0, 0-0 ACC) didn't fare a whole lot better in the first half, hitting an uncharacteristic 3-of-12 from deep through the first 20 minutes. They caught fire in the second half, however, and finished with 10 threes on a 43.5% mark.
 
JEFFERS' SWIPES
With 10 steals through three games, senior guard Josiah Jeffers has taken advantage of his new-found starting job and shown off his advanced defensive chops. The Burlington, N.C. native ranks 16^th in the nation in total steals and 23^rd in steals per game.

YOUNG UP-AND-COMERS
Radford's Darris Nichols and Furman's Bob Richey are two of the youngest head coaches in the nation at the Division I level. The duo will be a combined 73 years old at the time of the game with Nichols entering the weekend at 35 and Richey at 38.
 
FOLLOW RADFORD MEN'S BASKETBALL
To follow the Radford men's basketball team throughout the season, visit RadfordAthletics.com, follow @RadfordHoops on Twitter, 'radfordhoops' Instagram or Radford Men's Basketball on Facebook.