RADFORD, Va. – Fans will be giving thanks a day early when they return to the Dedmon Center to watch a highly anticipated game between the Radford men's basketball team and in-state foe William & Mary.
 
SETTING THE STAGE
Opponent: William & Mary Tribe (0-5, 0-0 Colonial Athletic Association)
Date/Time: Wednesday, November 24^th at 5:00 p.m.
Location: Dedmon Center at Carilion Clinic Court (Radford, Va.)

FOLLOW THE ACTION
Watch Live on ESPN+
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Get Updates with Live Stats
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SERIES HISTORY
Radford and William & Mary have faced off nine times in program history, with the Highlanders coming out on top on three occasions. The Tribe earned an 85-56 victory in the first-ever meeting back in 1977 and won five of the last seven games since then.
 
The Highlanders toppled their in-state rival, 81-72, in their last meeting with the Tribe on Nov. 20, 2018, however. Playing in Kaplan Arena, Carlik Jones went off for 21 points, seven rebounds, four assists, and two steals. Radford shot a blistering 58.2% (32-55) from the field as a team.
 
Many of the match-ups between these two squads have been extremely close, with five of the nine meetings being decided by five points or less.
 
SCOUTING THE TRIBE
Since winning CAA Coach of the Year honors in 2019-20, things haven't gone quite as smoothly as William & Mary head coach Dane Fischer would like. The Tribe went 21-11 in his first year at the helm, but followed it up with a 7-10 campaign last year and are off to an 0-5 start this time around.
 
Those five losses have come at the hands of Wake Forest, American, Norfolk State, Georgia State, and Howard but the schedule doesn't get much easier from here. Radford, Navy, Davidson, and Old Dominion make up four of William & Mary's the next five opponents. 
 
Reigning CAA Freshman of the Year Connor Kochera is averaging 10.8 points and 3.2 rebounds per game, a slight regression from his output in 2020-21. Sophomore forward Ben Wight, a 6-9 force in the post, is leading the Tribe with 13.4 points and 6.4 rebounds per game while Quinn Blair (12.7 points per game) gives W&M three double-digit scorers.
 
COMMONWEALTH FOES
The Radford men's basketball program has a long history of going head-to-head with other institutions in the state of Virginia and William & Mary is just the latest.
 
Radford has played against 30 different Virginia-based schools and put together an overall record of 199-174 in those games. Former Big South Conference member, Liberty, is the most common opponent with 75 games played.
 
STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE
While NET Rankings from the NCAA have not yet begun rolling out, ESPN keeps its own College Basketball Power Index (BPI) which is a measure of team strength that is meant to be the best predictor of performance going forward.
 
With games against the 25^th-ranked Virginia Cavaliers and both Virginia Tech and Furman, who received votes in the AP Top-25 Poll, the Highlanders strength of schedule is ESPN's BPI currently ranks as the 38^th-toughest in the nation.
 
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.