High Point at No. 11/13 Ohio State
WHEN: Saturday, Dec. 29 | Noon
WHERE: Columbus, Ohio | Value City Arena
SERIES RECORD: 2nd Meeting, Ohio State leads, 1-0
LIVE STATS: Click Here
AUDIO: High Point Panther Radio Network
TV: Big Ten Network
VIDEO: BTN2Go
GAME NOTES: Click Here
 
HIGH POINT, N.C.—The High Point University men's basketball team travels to Columbus, Ohio to take on No. 11/13 Ohio State in its final game of 2018 on Saturday (Dec. 18). Tip-off at Value City Arena is set for noon and the game will be broadcast on Big Ten Network.
 
PAW PRINTS
• The Panthers (6-6) and Buckeyes (11-1) meet for the second time, with Ohio State winning the previous matchup, 97-43, on Dec. 10, 2014 in Columbus.
 
• While HPU and Ohio State have only met once, the Buckeyes are familiar with High Point head coach Tubby Smith. Smith is 3-8 all-time against the Buckeyes and is 73-79 against the Big Ten. Most of those contests came when Smith coached at Minnesota for six seasons.
 
• Saturday's game is a homecoming for redshirt freshman Caden Sanchez. Sanchez played at St. Francis DeSales High School in Columbus and was a third-team All-Ohio and the district player of the year as a senior.
 
• In its last outing, High Point fell to Richmond, 74-59, as part of the EventsDC Holiday HoopsFest in Washington, D.C., on Dec. 22.
 
• Junior Jahaad Proctor led all scorers with 23 points against the Spiders and has tallied 20 or more points in eight of his last nine games.
 
• Before falling to Richmond, High Point had won three consecutive games, including a 90-85 win over NC Wesleyan on Dec. 17 at the Millis Center.
 
• Junior Brandonn Kamga hit his second buzzer-beater of the season, this time to tie the game and send it to overtime. He hit a 3-pointer from the wing after NC Wesleyan scored a three with eight seconds to go. Kamga also had a buzzer beater against Valparaiso to win the game, 55-53, on Dec. 4.
 
• Proctor had nine of his career-high 35 points in the extra frame. Proctor also tallied career highs with nine assists and five steals. 
 
• Proctor's 35 points were the first time a Panther has scored 30 or more points since John Brown dropped 32 on Gardner-Webb Feb. 3, 2016.
 
• Senior Jordan Whitehead grabbed a career-high 13 rebounds against NC Wesleyan. It was the first time in his career Whitehead has secured double-digit rebounds.
 
HISTORY vs. OHIO STATE
This will be only the second meeting between the two programs. Then-No. 12 Ohio State picked up the win, 97-43, on Dec. 10, 2014 in Columbus, Ohio. It also marked the most recent game High Point has faced a ranked opponent.
 
HISTORY vs. OPPONENTS FROM BIG TEN
High Point has played against current members of the Big Ten six times, falling in every meeting. The Panthers have faced Michigan and Minnesota twice and Maryland and Ohio State once. The previous meeting against Ohio State in 2014 is the most recent Big Ten opponent HPU has faced.
 
TUBBY SMITH vs. BIG TEN and OHIO STATE
HPU head coach Tubby Smith is very familiar with the Big Ten, having spent six seasons with Minnesota. Coach Smith is 73-79 all-time against the Big Ten and 3-8 all-time against Ohio State.
 
A LOOK AT THE BUCKEYES
Ohio State is 11-1 on the season and has won five in a row after defeating UCLA, 80-66, on Dec. 22 in the CBSSports Classic in Chicago. Kaleb Wesson leads the Buckeyes with 16.4 points per game and 7.1 rebounds per game. C.J. Jackson is second on the team with 13.1 points per contest.
 
NEXT UP
The Panthers will be back home to open the new year against Washington College (Md.) on Jan. 2, 2019. Tip-off at the Millis Center is set for 7 p.m.
 
#GoHPU