High Point at Charleston Southern
WHEN: Saturday, January 5 | 5:30 p.m.
WHERE: North Charleston, S.C. | Buc Dome
SERIES RECORD: 40th meeting, HPU leads, 21-18
LIVE STATS: Click Here
AUDIO: High Point Panther Radio Network
VIDEO: ESPN+
GAME NOTES: Click Here
 
HIGH POINT, N.C.—The High Point University men's basketball team opens Big South play at Charleston Southern on Saturday (Jan. 5) in North Charleston, S.C. Tip-off at the Buc Dome is scheduled for 5:30 p.m., and the game will be broadcast on ESPN+.
 
PAW PRINTS
• This will be the 40th all-time meeting between the two programs, with High Point leading the series, 21-18. The two teams split the season series in 2017-18.
 
• HPU head coach Tubby Smith has faced Charleston Southern once as a head coach, and it was his very first Division I head coaching win, a 91-46 win with Tulsa on Dec. 14, 1991.
 
• High Point is 11-8 in conference openers since joining the Big South in the 1999-2000 season. Last season, the Panthers fell to Winthrop, 76-60, on Dec. 30, 2017.
 
• The Big South moves back to a 16 game conference schedule this season after being 18 for the last few. High Point will play each of the teams from Virginia and North Carolina home and away and the four schools from South Carolina only once. HPU plays only at Charleston Southern and Winthrop, while Presbyterian and USC Upstate will only play at the Millis Center.
 
• HPU is coming off of a 101-60 victory over Washington College (Md.) on Jan. 2 at the Millis Center.
 
• It was the first time the Panthers had reached the century mark since Toccoa Falls on Dec. 10, 2017, a 110-39 victory.
 
• Four Panthers scored in double figures and three more had nine points each. Junior Brandonn Kamga led all scorers with 18 points, while redshirt freshman Caden Sanchez scored a career-high 10 points.
 
• Junior Cliff Thomas Jr. made his season debut after missing the first 13 games due to an injury. He made an immediate impact, scoring nine points and grabbing seven rebounds off the bench.
 
• The first half continues to be important for the Panthers, as HPU is 5-1 when leading or tied at the break and only 2-6 when trailing at halftime.
 
• High Point scores 59.8 percent of its points from 2-point field goals, which is the sixth-highest ratio in the country.
 
• Junior Jahaad Proctor is third in the Big South and 35th in the country with 20.3 points per game.
 
• Senior Ricky Madison ranks first in the conference and is 48th in the nation with 3.07 offensive rebounds per contest.
 
HISTORY vs. CHARLESTON SOUTHERN
High Point holds a 21-18 advantage in 39 all-time meetings between HPU and Charleston Southern. Last season, the Panthers and Bucs split the season series, with both teams winning at home. HPU won the first matchup of the season, 80-59, on Jan. 6, but Charleston Southern returned the favor on Feb. 1, 2018, winning by a score of 83-74.
 
HISTORY vs. OPPONENTS FROM SOUTH CAROLINA
High Point has complied a 81-100 (.448) record all-time against Division I programs hailing from the Palmetto State. HPU's most common opponents are Winthrop (14-29), Charleston Southern (21-18) and Coastal Carolina (16-21). High Point is 52-56 against Big South programs from South Carolina and 29-44 against the rest of the state's Div. I teams. The Panthers are 0-2 this season against teams from South Carolina, falling to Wofford and The Citadel.
 
TUBBY SMITH vs. CHARLESTON SOUTHERN
HPU head coach Tubby Smith is 1-0 all-time against Charleston Southern and it was a very special win, as it was Coach Smith's first Division I head coaching win. Coach Smith and his Tulsa team defeated the Bucs, 91-46, on Dec. 14, 1991.
 
A LOOK AT THE BUCCANEERS
Charleston Southern is 6-7 on the season after winning back-to-back games against Johnson & Wales, 86-61, and Piedmont International, 111-65. Christian Keeling leads the Bucs with 18.7 points per game and 6.2 rebounds per contest. Dontrell Shuler is second on the team with 10.8 points per game, primarily coming off the bench, while Duncan Lexander averages 10.2 points per contest.
 
NEXT UP
The Panthers will open Big South home play on Thursday (Jan. 10) when they host Presbyterian at 7 p.m. The game is part of a doubleheader with the women, who play the Blue Hose at 4 p.m. at the Millis Center. Both games will be broadcast on ESPN+.
 
#GoHPU