GAME INFO
Monday, Dec. 30-- at Texas (Austin, Texas), 7 p.m. CT
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The High Point University men's basketball team (3-9) travels to Austin to take on Texas (9-2) on Monday evening (Dec. 30) for its final game of the decade and last non-conference matchup.
 
Matchup History
Monday will be the first matchup between High Point and the Longhorns.
 
Smith vs Texas
Head Coach Tubby Smith has faced the Longhorns eight times in his 29 seasons as an NCAA DI head coach and holds a 2-6 record.
 
Career High for CHIII
Sophomore Curtis Holland III recorded a career-high 25 points while shooting 8-11 from the field and 6-9 from beyond the arc in HPU's 92-66 victory over Belmont Abbey (Dec. 21)
 
8 for 5
With his 25 points his last time out against Belmont Abbey, Holland extended his double-digit scoring streak to eight straight games. Holland leads HPU with 14.5 points per game.
 
But He's Only a Freshman
Freshman John Michael Wright leads all Big South freshmen in scoring averaging 13.3 per game, which also ranks him ninth in scoring in the conference overall.
 
Make that Three Honors for JMW
John-Michael Wright was named Big South Freshman of the Week for the third time (Dec. 16) after recording his first double-double (12p, 10r) at FAU. This is Wright's third weekly honor, the most of anyone this season.
 
Scoring off the Bench
Senior Jamal Wright scored a season-high 13 points in HPU's win over Belmont Abbey coming off the bench and is now tied with sophomore Rob Peterson III with the most points per game average off the bench with 5.7.
 
Bringing them Down
HPU has outrebounded each of its last three opponents for a combined total of 141-103.
 
JUST BLOCKin' it
Redshirt junior Cliff Thomas Jr. ranks sixth in the Big South with 1.0 blocks per game.
 
offensive boards
Redshirt sophomore Caden Sanchez ranks second in the Big South with 2.6 offensive rebounds a game.
 
they are free for a reason
High Point ranks second in the Big South with a .726 free throw percentage.
 
Defensive boards
High Point leads the Big South with 31.5 rebounding defense
 
Milestone Moment
High Point's 92-66 win over Belmont Abbey on Dec. 21 was the 2,500th game in program history.
 
Across the Bench
The Longhorns come into the contest with a 9-2 record while going a perfect 6-0 thus far at the Frank Erwin Center, outscoring opponents by a 12.3 margin in those six games.
 
Texas is coached by Shaka Smart, who is in his fifth season in Austin and has led the Longhorns to a pair of NCAA Tournament appearances and the 2019 NIT Championship. Prior to UT, Smart spent six season at VCU, leading them to five NCAA Tournament appearances and a trip to the 2011 Final Four.
 
UT is led by junior Matt Coleman III (12.9 ppg), who is one of four Longhorns to have double digit scoring this season. Redshirt sophomore Andrew Jones has been averaging 11.4 points a game off the bench.
 
Up Next: HPU will kick off the new decade on Saturday, Jan. 4 when it begins Big South Conference play at Radford. Tipoff is scheduled for 4:30 p.m.
 
 
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