RADFORD, Va. – The Radford men's basketball team heads to Bucknell in search of its first road victory of the season on Saturday afternoon.
 
SETTING THE STAGE
Opponent: Bucknell Bison (3-7, 0-0 Patriot League)
Date/Time: Saturday, Dec. 16 at 3:30 p.m.
Location: Lewisburg, Pa. (Sojka Pavilion)

FOLLOW THE ACTION
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Live Stats: CLICK HERE
Radio: CLICK HERE (WRAD 101.7/103.5 FM)

SERIES HISTORY
This will mark the first-ever meeting between the Highlanders and Bison in men's basketball.
 
SCOUTING THE BISON
The Nathan Davis era is over, and the John Griffin III era has begun at Bucknell. After going 129-115 in eight years under Davis, including a 12-20 record and a first round loss to American in the Patriot League tournament a season ago, the Bison have started fresh.
 
That fresh start has featured a 3-7 start to the 2023-24 campaign, but the Bison made sure no one would overlook them again with a 76-67 upset of Penn State in their last contest. They have also earned wins over Southern Indiana, a fellow CBI contestant alongside Radford last season, and Niagara.
 
Senior guard Jack Forrest leads the team with 16.2 points and 5.7 rebounds per game, while ranking 30^th in the nation with more than 35 minutes played per contest. Junior guard Josh Bascoe has also made an early impact on the Bison, ranking 32^nd in the country with 5.4 assists per game.
 
DEFENSIVE STRIDES
Radford's scoring defense has been a point of strength since Darris Nichols took the helm. The Highlanders ranked 124^th in the country with 67.4 points per game allowed in 2021-22 and then jumped all the way to 39^that 64.8 points per game allowed in 2022-23. But there's one defensive category that the Highlanders have taken a big leap forward in this year and that's three-point percentage defense.
 
Radford allowed opponents to shoot 34.8% on three-pointers in 2021-22, good for just 258^th in the country. The team then followed up with 33.2% allowed last season, a mark that ranked 140^th. Through 12 games this season, the Highlanders have held opponents to just 27.7% shooting from beyond the arc, the 25^th best number in the nation. In an era where college basketball is often dominated by the three-point shot, opponents have made just six or less threes against Radford in nine of 12 contests this year.
 
ON THE ROAD AGAIN
Winning on the road in college basketball is never easy. Radford has gone 3-12 and 7-10 in true away games over the past two seasons and are 0-4 so far this year, making them one of four teams in the Big South Conference still searching for their first victory away from home. 

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.