RADFORD, Va. – The Radford men's basketball looks for a clean sweep of its three-game homestand when VMI visits the Dedmon Center for the first time since 2016 on Tuesday night.
SETTING THE STAGE
Opponent: VMI Keydets (2-8, 0-0 SoCon)
Date/Time: Tuesday, Dec. 12 at 7:00 p.m.
Location: Radford, Va. (Carilion Clinic Court at the Dedmon Center)
FOLLOW THE ACTION
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Radio:
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SERIES HISTORY
Split right down the middle throw 44 all-time meetings, Radford goes into Tuesday night's game exactly 22-22 against VMI. The Highlanders are 11-7 at home when playing the Keydets, serving as a slight advantage this time out.
When the two Commonwealth sides met last year, VMI came out on top, 77-74, in Lexington.
Kenyon Giles dropped 21 points in just 25 minutes off the bench while
DaQuan Smith (15 points, 3 assists) and
Bryan Antoine (11 points) contributed double-figure scoring. The Keydets played lights out however, shooting 57.4% from the floor and 55.0% from three while getting 10+ points from all five starters.
SCOUTING THE KEYDETS
The Keydets are in their second season under Head Coach Andrew Wilson, but it still feels like they've been forced to start from scratch. Despite a 7-25 record and a 10
th place finish in the SoCon a year ago, their was hope for the future thanks to a strong freshman class. That is, until, most of the team entered the dreaded transfer portal.
Senior leader Sean Conway transferred to St. John's and then several standout freshmen followed suit: Asher Woods (Tulane), Tyler Houser (Delaware), Tony Felder (Stonehill) and Rickey Bradley (Georgia State).
With yet another new-look roster in 2023-24, the Keydets were picked to finish last in the SoCon Preseason Poll and are off to a 2-8 start in which both wins have come against Non-Division I opponents.
BIG SOUTH BLOCKS
After recording 10+ blocks as a team for the first time since Dec. 19, 2014 on Saturday, the Highlanders lead the Big South with 43 total blocks through 11 games.
D'Auntray Pierce alone has 21 blocks (1.9 bpg), which also leads the league.
For comparison, the Highlanders finished fifth in the conference last season and 12
th the season before.
HOME COURT STREAK
Radford is 4-0 at home this season, collecting wins against Eastern Mennonite, Notre Dame (MD), Elon and N.C. Central.
It's the fourth consecutive season the Highlanders have begun the year 4-0 inside the Dedmon Center, including a 5-0 start last season and a 7-0 streak to kick off the 2020-21 COVID season.
BALANCED OFFENSE
It's been rare in recent years for the Highlanders to have five double-figure scorers in a single game, but that's no longer the case with the team doing it twice in a row against Elon and N.C. Central.
Radford vs. Elon: Antoine (30 points), Turner (12), Archer (12), T. Harris (11), Giles (10)
Radford vs. NCCU: Antoine (16 points), T. Harris (15), Smith (12), Turner (11), Archer (11)
It comes as no surprise looking at the season stats, in which the Highlanders now have seven players averaging 8.3 or more points per contest.
FOLLOW RADFORD MEN'S BASKETBALL
To follow the Radford men's basketball team throughout the season, visit RadfordAthletics.com, follow @RadfordHoops on Twitter, 'radfordhoops' on Instagram or Radford Men's Basketball on Facebook.
