RADFORD, Va. – The Highlanders take on Charleston Southern in the Dedmon Center on Wednesday night in hopes of evening their Big South record.
SETTING THE STAGE
Opponent: Charleston Southern Buccaneers (6-14, 2-5 Big South)
Date/Time: Wednesday, Jan. 31 at 7:00 p.m.
Location: Radford, Va. (Carilion Clinic Court at the Dedmon Center)
FOLLOW THE ACTION
Streaming:
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Radio:
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SERIES HISTORY
An historic Big South series defined by massive runs of wins and losses, the Highlanders own a 47-24 lead all-time against Charleston Southern. Radford won each of the first six meetings, which began in 1982, and will take an 8-game winning streak into the next installation.
Each of the last four games against CSU have gone Radford's way as well, contributing to a 25-10 home record for the Highlanders.
DaQuan Smith and
Bryan Antoine went off to 19 points apiece in the most recent head-to-head matchup between the two programs, as Radford went into the Buc Dome and left with a 90-71 victory.
SCOUTING THE BUCCANEERS
No matter how the season goes for Charleston Southern, the story of the is most likely to be about the departure of long-time head coach Barclay Radebaugh. An extremely well-respected coach in the Big South and beyond, Radebaugh made the decision to step down from his post on Nov. 30 following 18+ seasons, including a 2-5 start to the 2023-24 campaign.
With Associate Head Coach Saah Nimley now leading the program, the Buccaneers are 6-14 overall and 2-5 in conference play, with wins over Gardner-Webb and USC Upstate thus far. CSU's best team stat by far comes at the charity stripe, where they're shooting 76.4% to rank 31
st in the nation.
Redshirt sophomore guard RJ Johnson has taken a huge leap forward in his second year since transferring from Holy Cross, leading the Bucs with 17.1 points per game while shooting 43.2% from deep. Junior forward Taje' Kelly is a nightly double-double threat, adding 15.5 points and 8.1 rebounds per contest.
SHUTDOWN DEFENSE
Saturday's 15-point win over Presbyterian marked one of the Highlanders' strongest defensive performances of the season. The Blue Hose were held to 58 points on 35.2% (19-54) from the floor, moving Radford to a perfect 19-0 when opponents have scored between 50-59 points during the
Darris Nichols era. The program is also 16-4 under Coach Nichols when holding opponents' overall field goal percentage below 40.0% - another clear recipe for success.
4.0 GRADE POINT AVERAGE
At halftime of Wednesday night's contest, Radford Athletics will have a recognition of the 75 student-athletes who earned a perfect 4.0 grade point average during the Fall 2023 semester.
The men's basketball has one representative on that list – redshirt freshman
David Vidor – who has excelled in the classroom as a Highlander and just his first career field goal in Saturday's win over Presbyterian.
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.
