RADFORD, Va. – Tabbed as the first Big South ESPNU Wildcard game of the 2023-24 season, the Highlanders and Lancers go head-to-head on national television Thursday night.
 
SETTING THE STAGE
Opponent: Longwood Lancers (13-4, 1-1 Big South)
Date/Time: Thursday, Jan. 11 at 9:00 p.m.
Location: Farmville, Va. (Joan Perry Brock Center)

FOLLOW THE ACTION
National Television: ESPNU
Streaming: CLICK HERE (WatchESPN.com)
Live Stats: CLICK HERE
Radio: CLICK HERE (WRAD 101.7/103.5 FM)

SERIES HISTORY
In a series with a ton of meaning for fans of Commonwealth hoops, Radford owns a 28-10 record all-time against Longwood. The very first meeting between the two programs came on Jan. 25, 1977, starting a strong run of wins for the Highlanders that has since given way to momentum for the Lancers.
 
Radford is 17-2 when playing Longwood inside the Dedmon Center, but the series is a much more even 10-8 when playing in Farmville. In fact, the Lancers have won each of the last two meetings on their home floor and three of the last four overall.
 
The Highlanders split the season series with Longwood as season ago, but the Lancers earned a 73-63 victory in the most recent contest. In that game, played on Feb. 18, 2023, both teams shot over 50.0% from the floor and most statistical categories were near even. The biggest difference on the night came in turnovers, of which Radford committed 16 while Longwood made just eight.
 
SCOUTING THE LANCERS
From the moment Head Coach Griff Aldrich walked onto campus six years ago, Longwood has been a contender for the Big South title. Even after being picked to finish 5^th in the 2023-24 Big South Preseason Poll, the Lancers are off to a 13-4 start and at the top of the pack as conference play begins.
 
The program's recent run of success was fueled by a core of players that included Isaiah Wilkins, Leslie Nkereuwem, Zac Watson and DeShaun Wade – all of which are now gone. Aldrich and his staff have reloaded quickly however, with McNeese State transfer Johnathan Massie ranking second on the team with 12.1 points and 6.4 rebounds per game, and Utah State transfer Szymon Zapala adding 10.6 points and 5.8 boards per contest.
 
Lead guard Walyn Napper is back and leading the way with 13.9 points and 4.7 assists per game, while Michael Christmas adds a fourth double-digit scorer with 11.5 points and a team-high 7.6 rebounds.
 
As a team, the Lancers rank 8^th in the nation with a +11.4 rebounding margin and 31^st in the country with a +14.7 scoring margin. They get to the free throw line often, shooting 23.1 per contest, and force a whopping 14.9 turnovers per game as well.
 
BRAND NEW VENUE
The Highlanders played 18 games against Longwood inside Willett Hall, but will have to acclimate to a brand new venue on Thursday night when they face the Lancers inside the Joan Perry Brock Center on Thursday night.
 
Built directly next to Willett Hall on the campus of Longwood University, the new building made its debut on Saturday, Nov. 11 as the Lancers earned a 95-43 victory over St. Mary's College of Maryland. Since then, they are a perfect 9-0 playing on their new home court, making it one of the tougher places to play in the Big South right away.
 
CRASH THE GLASS
There are any number of reasons why the Highlanders have lost back-to-back games – the first of which would be the quality of opponents in #18 Clemson and High Point – but when you drill down deeper, rebounding was central to the team's struggles in those two games.
 
Radford lost the rebounding battle to the Tigers, 45-to-13, and then again to the Panthers, 45-to-20. That's a rebounding deficit of 90-to-33 or minus-57 in just two games. In just that span, Radford's rebounding margin for the season has dropped from +4.6 (91^st in the nation) to +0.4 (216^th 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' on Instagram or Radford Men's Basketball on Facebook.