GAME INFO
Saturday, Jan. 11 -- vs Presbyterian (Clinton, S.C), 4 p.m.
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The High Point University men's basketball team (3-12, 0-2) travels to the Ross E. Templeton Center to take on Presbyterian (5-10, 2-0) for a crucial Big South Conference game on Saturday afternoon (Jan 11.).
 
Smith vs Presbyterian
Head Coach Tubby Smith is 1-0 all time against Presbyterian with his lone win coming last year in a 74-58 win at Millis Center.

Matchup History
The Panthers have dominated the series thus far, touting a 15-4 record against their Big South rivals. HPU won last year's matchup and nine of the last ten against the Blue Hose.
 
Across the Bench
Presbyterian is off to a 2-0 start in Big South Conference play with close wins over UNC Asheville and Gardner Webb. Presbyterian's non-conference play was highlighted by a back and forth thriller on the road against ACC foe Notre Dame, which the Blue Hose lost 63-53.
 
The Blue Hose are led in scoring by sophomore forward Cory Hightower with 12 points per game. Hightower was selected to this year's Big South preseason All-Conference team after a spectacular freshman campaign. Presbyterian is currently riding a three-game win streak, that's seen its defense hold opponents to just 65 points per game.
 
PC is coached by Quinton Ferrell, who is in his first season at Presbyterian. As a player Ferrell helped get PC to a NCAA Division II appearance in 2005 and two 20-win seasons.  
 
New Year New Cliff?
Cliff Thomas Jr. has been a different player since the turn of the new year, increasing his production on the offensive side of the floor. The redshirt junior is averaging 12 points per game in his last four, including a career-high 15 at Texas.
 
Five for Coleman
Eric Coleman Jr. put together a gutsy performance against Radford scoring 12 points, bringing in five boards, recording two blocks and had one steal. Coleman's 12 point marked the freshman's fifth double digit outing this season.

But He's Only a Freshman
Freshman John-Michael Wright leads all Big South freshmen in scoring averaging 13 per game, which also ranks him 13th in scoring in the conference overall. He is also the top freshman in rebounding with 5.2 boards per game, which is also ranked 14th overall in the conference.
 
Can I Help You?
Not only is John-Michael Wright a tremendous scorer but he is a great facilitator as well, leading the team in assists on the year with 28.
 
Swiper No Swiping!
John-Michael Wright has been a nightmare for opposing ballhandlers this season. The freshman out of Fayetteville has 15 steals, including a three-steal game against Saint Louis.
 
Money from the Charity Stripe
Bryant Randleman is cashing in on every opportunity he gets at the free throw line. He leads the Panthers, shooting 83% on the year.
 
Block Party
The Panthers rank 133rd out of 350 schools in blocked shots per game averaging 3.0 per contest.
 
Glass Cleaners
High Point have been terrific on the offensive and defensive boards. They rank second in the Big South in rebounding at +2.1.

JMW Seeing Double
John-Michael Wright has recorded double digits in 10 of his first 14 games. He has reached the 20-point plateau twice, including a career-high 25 points against Valpo (12/18/19).
 
JUST BLOCKin' it
Redshirt junior Cliff Thomas Jr. ranks sixth in the Big South with 0.9 blocks per game.
 
Chairman of the Offensive boards
Redshirt sophomore Caden Sanchez ranks second in the Big South with 2.4 offensive rebounds a game.
 
They Are Free for a Reason
High Point is the 67th best free throw shooting team in the country.
 
Defensive Boards
High Point leads the Big South with a 32.1 a game rebounding defense.
 
Up Next: HPU will continue their road trip when they take on UNC Asheville on Thursday (Jan. 16). It'll be the first of two games between the Panthers and Bulldogs with the second meeting coming in late February (Feb. 27) at the Millis Center.  
 

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