Feb. 6, 2008
Complete Upstate vs. Stetson Game Notes in PDF Format 
SPARTANBURG, S.C. - USC Upstate travels to the Sunshine State to take on Stetson Friday night in DeLand, Fla., in a matchup that can be seen regionally on CSS as part of the A-Sun's agreement with the cable network. Upstate enters the game with a 6-17 overall record and a 4-5 mark in the A-Sun following back-to-back wins over Kennesaw State and Mercer last week. Stetson enters the game with a 10-13 overall record and a 5-4 mark in the A-Sun. Spartan fans can watch the action in Spartanburg on Charter Cable channel 58. Upstate fans can listen to the game live on the radio in the Spartanburg area on ESPN 1400 AM or on the internet at www.espn1400am.com or www.upstatespartans.com. Follow the game online through ASun.TV by visiting the ASun.TV website at www.asun.tv/uscupstate. Get live statistical updates through the official website of Stetson Athletics at www.gohatters.com.
Recapping Mercer
USC Upstate got a double-double from Nick Schneiders and three other Spartans finished in double figures as the Spartans ran away with a 75-49 victory over Mercer Sunday afternoon in the Hodge Center.
Upstate used a 14-5 spurt midway through the first half to grab a 14-point lead and Mercer never threatened the rest of the game. Schneiders finished with 13 points and 10 rebounds. Luke Payne led all scorers with 20 points, while freshmen Josh Chavis and Mezie Uzochukwu added 12 and 10 points, respectively.
Davis Turns In Double-Double Weekend
Junior forward Bobby Davis had quite a weekend last weekend, finishing the two-game swing averaging a double-double with 16.0 points and 11.0 rebounds. He started the weekend with 24 points and 11 rebounds to go along with three assists and three steals to lead Upstate to a 71-65 victory over Kennesaw State. It marked his fourth double-double of the season. He followed that game with eight points and 11 rebounds in the 75-49 victory over Mercer Sunday.
Schneiders' Big Day
Sophomore center Nick Schneiders had a career day Sunday in the 75-49 win over Mercer. He collected his first career double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds to go along with four blocked shots. The game marked the second straight contest when the 7-2 post grabbed 10 rebounds.
Spartans Non-Conference Schedule 18th
Upon completion of the 14-game non-conference schedule on Jan. 2 at Iowa State, USC Upstate's schedule was ranked as the 18th-toughest schedule by Jeff Sagarin in his daily updated strength of schedule index of all 341 Division I teams.
Byrd Would Be No. 3 If...
Senior point guard Jeremy Byrd is used to sitting atop conference or national statistical lists for steals. He led the Peach Belt Conference in steals in each of the last three years and spent over half of the season last year atop the nation in steals in NCAA Division II.
While Upstate is playing in its first season of Division I competition and is in its reclassifying years, the NCAA does not recognize players on teams who are reclassifying on their statistical leader lists. However, if Byrd were eligible, he would rank third in the nation with 3.2 steals per game, trailing Texas-San Antonio's Devin Gibson by 0.4 spg and South Carolina's Devan Downey by 0.2 spg. He does lead the A-Sun in steals, nearly a full steal ahead of No. 2 on the list.
Byrd 26th All-Time In NCAA Steals Category...
Jeremy Byrd now has 337 steals in his standout career at Upstate. The 334 steals ranks 26th all-time in the NCAA in total steals among individuals in all divisions (I, II and III). With three steals Sunday, he passed East Tennessee State's Keith "Mr." Jennings for 26th on the list.
Home Sweet Home
Despite playing just 10 games at home this season, the Spartans will be happy to do so. Upstate has a solid home record, going 58-20 in six years under head coach Eddie Payne.
Playing For The Provisional Championship?
Atlantic Sun Conference members USC Upstate, Florida Gulf Coast, Kennesaw State and North Florida all remain in their provisional status in NCAA Division I after reclassifying to Division I within recent years. Kennesaw State and North Florida are in their third season of D-I play, while Upstate and Florida Gulf Coast are playing their first seasons on the D-I level. Upstate and Florida Gulf Coast are both 2-0 on the year against the other provisional status teams (Kennesaw State and North Florida), setting up a showdown Sunday for the mythical provisional championship in the A-Sun when the Spartans visit the Eagles.
Hold `Em At 59
USC Upstate is 5-0 when holding opponents under 60 points this season and 1-17 when allowing opponents to score 60 or more. The Spartans claimed wins over Brevard (78-54), SMU (58-56), Gardner-Webb (73-59), North Florida (53-52) and Mercer (75-49) when holding opponents under 60 points.
Breaking The Trend
Upstate did something Friday night against Kennesaw State that the team had not accomplished in any game this season, the Spartans won a game despite allowing an opponent to score 60 or more points. Prior to Friday, Upstate was 0-17 in games when the opponent scored 60 or more points.
Spartans Defensive In A-Sun Play
Since beginning A-Sun play, USC Upstate's effort on the defensive end of the court has picked up. The Spartans allowed non-conference opponents to score 74.6 points per outing. In A-Sun games, though, Upstate has clamped down to hold opponents to a 64.2 ppg scoring average. In non-conference play, opponents shot 47.8 percent from the floor, while league opponents are shooting 49.9 percent from the field.
Byrd Feeling Sunny In League Play
Senior point guard Jeremy Byrd has certainly come into his own during A-Sun play this year. Having served a three-game suspension earlier in the season, the Greenville, S.C., native seemingly lost confidence. Since league play began on Jan. 5, though, Byrd has returned to the form he had during his first three seasons when the electrifying player led the team as the floor general. He currently ranks third on the team in scoring during league games at 11.0 ppg. He also averages 4.0 rebounds per outing, has dished out a team-best 30 assists and picked a team-high 25 steals in the seven league games. He has reached double figures in seven of the nine league games, including a season-high 15 at Belmont. Prior to the start of conference play, he had only reached double figures one time. He is also strong at the free throw line in league play, hitting 77.1 percent (27-of-35) of his shots from the charity stripe.
Three In Double Figures
While Luke Payne is the only Spartan to average in double figures overall (14.3 ppg), three Spartans average in double figures in league games. Payne still leads the way at 13.7 ppg, but Bobby Davis and Jeremy Byrd are close behind. Davis, who is second on the team overall with 9.7 ppg, averages 11.3 ppg, while Byrd scores at a 11.0 ppg clip.
Shaking Up The Lineup
Head Coach Eddie Payne has used nine different starting lineups in 23 games this season. Bobby Davis is the only Spartan to start every game this season. Luke Payne has started 22 of the 23 games this year, his lone missed start coming against IUPUI when he did not start because of a severe thigh bruise. Despite not starting, he played 30 minutes in the game and finished with nine points.
Payne Receives A-Sun Weekly Honor
Senior guard Luke Payne became the first basketball player (men or women) at USC Upstate to receive weekly honors from the Atlantic Sun Conference when he was named the league's player of the week on Dec. 24. Payne received the honor after averaging 18.7 points, 3.3 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 2.0 steals per game and leading Upstate to their first win over a Division I opponent, a 58-56 victory at SMU (Dec. 18).
Payne Receives BP TOWC Honor
Despite playing the final two games, and part of the first, with a deep thigh bruise at the BP Top of the World Classic Nov. 16-18, starting guard Luke Payne played well enough to garner All-Tournament honors. He scored 43 points in three games, averaging 14.3 points and three rebounds per outing in the tournament. He scored 17 points against Akron and Oregon State and nine against IUPUI.
Payne Receives Sun Bowl Honor
Luke Payne had a tremendous tournament at the State Farm Sun Bowl Tournament in El Paso, Texas, Dec. 21-22. His performance, in particular, in the second game of the tourney against Buffalo not only secured his spot on the All-Tournament team, but it overshadowed a standout two-game performance by teammate Bobby Davis.
Payne finished the UTEP game (Dec. 21) with 11 points, five assists and four rebounds. In the tourney finale against Buffalo the next day, the senior guard went for a career-high 26 points to go along with five rebounds and three assists. He was named to the All-Tournament team after averaging 18.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game.
Payne's efforts overshadowed those of Davis who turned in his second double-double of the season with 11 points and 13 rebounds against UTEP and finished with 13 points and six boards against Buffalo. Davis averaged 12.0 points and 9.5 rebounds per game in the tournament.
Monumental Win
USC Upstate's 58-56 win at SMU (Dec. 18) was another milestone victory for the Spartans this year. Upstate claimed its first win in the Division era against Brevard on Dec. 6. However, Brevard is a Division II member, making the SMU win the first against a Division I program this year as well as the first win over a Division I opponents in the history of the school.
Upstate has several wins over programs currently competing on the Division I level, but the wins came in the 1970s and 80s when the institutions played in the NAIA before moving to NCAA Division I membership.
Payne Reaches Milestone
Senior guard Luke Payne notched his 1,000th-point at UNC Greensboro (Nov. 24). The Spartanburg High School graduate sank a three-pointer with a little over seven minutes to play in the game to give him 12 points in the contest and 1,000 for his career. He went on to finish with 15 points in the game.
Payne became the 17th player in the history of the storied program to reach the 1,000-point milestone. He currently has 1,263 points in his career and has cracked the top 10 all-time in scoring. He has moved past Jay Free for ninth place on the all-time list as well as recently passing Darren McDuffie (11th), Todd Gambrell (12th), Upstate Athletics Hall of Fame member Mike Smith (12th), Charles Ford (14th), Terrance Gist (15th), Carlos Bryson (16th) and Upstate Athletics Hall of Fame member Willie Murdaugh (17th) on the all-time scoring list.
In addition to his scoring prowess, Payne ranks among the program's all-time leaders in 14 other statistical categories.
Playing No Gimmies
Upstate's ambitious schedule in 2007-08 certainly has no slouches on it. In fact, when you combine the win-loss records of the 17 Division I opponents the Spartans have played so far this year, the opponents are a combined 225-223 for a winning percentage of .502. Upstate's non-conference opponents are a combined 140-109 for a winning percentage of .562. The Spartans have played five teams ranked in the Top 100 in the latest RPI ranking released by the NCAA, and 11 in the Top 150.
In the Mid-Major Top 25 Poll released by CollegeInsider.com, the Spartans have played two teams ranked in the poll. Akron, who gutted out a tough 64-60 victory over Upstate in the first game of the BP Top of the World Classic, is ranked 10th. IUPUI, the second-day opponent of the Spartans in the BP TOWC, is ranked 21st.
USC Upstate's current strength of schedule is ranked as the 169th toughest schedule out of 341 Division I teams by Jeff Sagarin in his daily updated strength of schedule index. The strength of schedule ranking is the tops in the Atlantic Sun. East Tennessee State is second at No. 206. Upstate's strength of schedule peaked at No. 12 three weeks ago.
Upstate Road Warriors
By season's end, USC Upstate will have played 30 games with two-thirds of the games being played away from the G.B. Hodge Center. In fact, the Spartans opened the season playing their first seven games away from the friendly confines of the Hodge Center before playing its home opener against Brevard on Dec. 6. Upstate played 13 of its first 15 games on the road this season. In all, Upstate will travel more than 12,000 miles away from Spartanburg, and nearly 24,000 miles round trip, this season to play 20 games away from home.
Byrd Flies To The Top
Jeremy Byrd collected six steals in the season-opening game at Utah, surpassing Terrance Gist (276) to move atop the all-time steals list at Upstate. Byrd now has 337 picks in his stellar four-year career with the Spartans.
Byrd, from Greenville, leads the Atlantic Sun with 3.2 steals per game, nearly a full steal ahead of second place on the list. He led the Peach Belt Conference in steals the first three years of his collegiate career, recording 94 steals as a reserve his freshman campaign and 90 each as a sophomore and junior.
Hines Gives Schneiders Props
Reigning Southern Conference player of the year and UNC Greensboro standout Kyle Hines gave Upstate center Nick Schneiders praise on his blog. Hines was in the middle of recapping recent action when he talked of Schneider's thunderous dunk over him.
"USC Upstate had a 7-2 player on their team that I had to guard in the game," Hines blogged. "He was the tallest player I had played against. I faired well against him until one play in the second half, he dunked on me pretty bad. Coach (Mike) Dement showed the play like five times during our film session. I must admit it looked really bad on film. The coaches and rest of the team got a good laugh out of that one."
A-Sun Makes Some Noise
If the start if the season is any indication of how good the Atlantic Sun Conference is going to be this year, the league will be tough. Belmont, East Tennessee State, Gardner-Webb, Mercer and Upstate have pulled off impressive wins early in the season. Below is a listing of the notable wins this season by A-Sun schools.
N7--Gardner-Webb def. No. 22 Kentucky, 84-68
N9--Belmont def. Cincinnati, 86-75
N10--Mercer def. No. 18 Southern Cal, 96-81
N19--Belmont def. Alabama, 85-83
D18--USC Upstate def. SMU, 58-56
D21--East Tennessee State def. Georgia, 76-58
Greensboro Newbies Have Solid Pedigrees
When coaches bring in new recruits, they not only look for individual talent, they also look to see how well a player helps their former team and the how well the teams do in competition. Josh Chavis and Mezie Uzochukwu, both from Greensboro, N.C., come to Upstate after strong senior seasons.
Chavis, from Dudley HS, played in the North Carolina East-West All-Star game. He also spent the summer playing for the N.C. Gaters AAU team. He was the starting point guard on the team that won the AAU 19-Under National Championship. Uzochukwu, from Northeast Guilford HS, also played in the North Carolina East-West All-Star game. He finished the game with a team-high 16 points to go along with eight rebounds, leading the West squad to the 81-75 victory and earning MVP honors. He joined a prestigious club of East-West MVP winners, including recent honorees Kevin Swinton and William Graves, both of whom now play in the ACC.
Burrows Brings Experience To Sidelines
First-year assistant coach Bill Burrows is anything but new to the game. The veteran of the sideline has been a head coach on the high school level in North Carolina for nearly 30 years and was an assistant coach at Georgia Tech and Towson. He can tell stories of coaching greats such as Brad Daugherty and Brad Johnson, but his best quality may be his ability to tell stories that both entertain and educate.
Paul Makes Good
Former Spartan starting point guard C.J. Paul is now living the life around the NBA. No, he is not playing in the world's top league, he is serving as the personal assistant/manager for his younger brother, Chris, the former NBA Rookie of Year now in his third season with the New Orleans Hornets.
Scouting Stetson
Stetson enters Friday's game with a 10-13 overall record and a 5-4 mark in the A-Sun. The Hatters have dropped their last two games of the season, losing at Lipscomb the last time out, 77-53, in Nashville. Stetson dropped an 83-75 decision to Belmont in DeLand on Jan. 31. Stetson claimed non-conference wins over Palm Beach Atlantic, Bethune-Cookman, Savannah State and Charleston Southern. The Hatters dropped non-conference decisions to Alabama-Birmingham, Florida Atlantic, Rhode Island, Georgia Southern, Florida, Florida State, Bethune-Cookman, Miami and Longwood twice. Stetson has recorded A-Sun wins over North Florida, Florida Gulf Coast, Kennesqw State, Mercer and Campbell, while losing in the league to Jacksonville, Gardner-Webb, Belmont and Lipscomb.
About The Team
Garfield Blair garners a lot of attention for Stetson, and rightly so. He averages 16.0 points per outing and grabs 5.8 rebounds per game. He increases those averages to 19.1 points and 6.7 rebounds per outing in A-Sun play. However, he is not a one-man show. A.J. Smith leads the Hatters with 58 assists on the year and averages 10.7 points per game. He increases his scoring output to 13.1 ppg in A-Sun games. Once you get past Blair and Smith, though, the next two leading scorers on the team are Eric Diaz and Kris Thomas who each average 6.7 ppg.
Stetson likes to shoot the three-pointer, taking 437 on the year. However, the Hatters don't light it up from three-point range, hitting just 29.1 percent from behind the arc. Averaging only 63.6 points and shooting less than 40 percent from the field, Stetson relies on its defense to win games.
About The Coach
Head Coach Derek Waugh is in his eighth season at the helm of the Stetson program. Stetson is his only stop as a head coach, owning an 86-127 record. He has a 48-45 record in A-Sun conference play. A 1993 graduate of Furman University, he was a member of the Paladin basketball team from 1989-93, earning All-SoCon and Academic All-America honors in 1993. He earned a juris doctorate from Wake Forest in 1996. He began his coaching career as an assistant at Stetson in 1997 and was promoted to head coach of the Hatter program in 2000.
