Feb. 7, 2010
Game Notes | ASun.TV | Live Audio | Live Stats
Macon, Ga. - USC Upstate travels to Macon, Ga., for the second game of a two-game road trip to Georgia Monday night, taking on Mercer at 7:30 in the University Center. The Spartans snapped a three-game losing skid with a thrilling 68-64 victory at Kennesaw State Saturday night. Upstate enters Monday night's game with a 4-18 overall record and a 4-9 mark in the A-Sun. Mercer enters the game with an 11-12 overall record and a 7-6 mark in the conference. The series is tied at 2-2 after Mercer took a 60-57 victory over Upstate on Jan. 15 in Spartanburg, a game broadcast on CSS as part of the A-Sun's television agreement. Upstate has played at Mercer just once, a 74-64 loss in Macon last year.
Fans not in attendance at the game can watch the action live online for a fee at www.ASun.tv. Fans can listen to the action live online for free at www.upstatespartans.com, the official Upstate Athletics Web site, and get live statistical updates for free at www.mercerbears.com, the official Mercer Athletics Web site.
Looking Back At Kennesaw State
Caleb Palkert came off the bench to score a career-high 10 points, all in the second half, to spark Upstate over Kennesaw State Saturday night in the KSU Convocation center. Eight of Palkert's points came in key stretches, first to give Upstate a nine-point lead midway through the second half and four late in the game to give the Spartans a 62-60 lead and then a five-point advantage. Upstate used a 7-0 run and pushed the lead to 11 points in the first half before taking a five-point lead into the locker room at halftime. The Spartans pushed the lead to 11 again in the second half, but Kennesaw State fought back to tie the game at 60-60 before Palkert helped deliver the win for the Spartans. Josh Chavis sank two free throws with seven seconds to play to put the game away. Four Spartans finished in double figures with Carter Cook leading the way with 15 points. Ryan LeGates added 12, while Mezie Uzochukwu and Palkert finished with 11 and 10 points, respectively.
Scouting Mercer
Mercer enters Monday night's game against Upstate with an 11-12 overall record and a 7-6 mark in the A-Sun. The Bears stand sixth in the conference standings after taking a 66-63 loss at Kennesaw State on Thursday.
Mercer opened the season with two straight wins over Bucknell and Bryant. The Bears went on to claim non-conference wins over Fisk and Piedmont. They dropped non-conference games to Providence, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Vanderbilt, Alabama and Charlotte while playing the nation's 15th-toughest non-conference schedule.
Mercer opened A-Sun play by losing to Lipscomb and Belmont on the road in December. However, the Bears have rallied to win seven of the last 11 games. They won five straight before dropping three in a row. The Bears claimed wins over Stetson and Florida Gulf Coast last weekend, but lost at Kennesaw State on Thursday.
Mercer can flat out score and ranks second in the conference while averaging 77 points per game. The Bears shoot 44 percent from the field, 34 percent from the arc and are strong from the free throw line at 71 percent. Mercer averages 77 points per game in conference play. The Bears have forced opponents into 294 turnovers on the year, 145 of which came by Bears steals.
Mercer touts a potent offense, one that has four players averaging in double figures. James Florence, an A-Sun Player of the Year candidate, leads the team at 19.4 points per game. He averages 18.4 points per game in conference play while leading the Bears with 114 assists on the year.
Daniel Emerson averages a double-double with 15.1 points and 12 rebounds per game. He increases those numbers to 17.7 points and 12.2 rebounds per outing in conference play. E.J. Kusnyer averages 11.4 ppg, while Jeff Smith scores at a 11 ppg clip.
Bob Hoffman is in his second year as head coach of the Mercer program. He is in his 19th season overall as a head coach and has won over 400 games with a 428-197 record. He stands 28-27 at Mercer. A native of Oklahoma City, Okla., he took the job at Mercer after spending the two seasons as head coach of the ABA's Arkansas Aeros. He began his head coaching journey as the head women's coach at Southern Nazarene from 1988-90. He then served as a head coach in the NAIA at Oklahoma Baptist from 1990-99. He joined the ranks of DI when he became the head coach at Texas-Pan American from 1999-2004 before serving as an assistant coach at Oklahoma from 2004-06.
Recalling The First Meeting
Upstate made a furious rally in the second half and Ryan LeGates' shot at the buzzer fell short as Mercer escaped with a 60-57 victory over the Spartans on Jan. 15 in Spartanburg in a game televised on CSS as part of the league's television agreement. Upstate had fallen behind by 13 points with nine minutes to play, but rallied to get within two late. However, Mercer was able to hold off the Spartans to take the win. Nick Schneiders led all scorers with 21 points, while Mercer placed three players in double figures, including Daniel Emerson who finished with 17 points and 12 rebounds.
Schneiders Earns Academic All-District Honors
Senior center Nick Schneiders has progressed rapidly on the basketball court. Although he has become a strong player for the Spartans, his play on the hardwood is overshadowed by his talents in the classroom. Carrying a 3.71 GPA as a graphic design major and with his prowess on the basketball court, Schneiders has earned ESPN the Magazine/CoSIDA First Team Academic All-District honors for District 3. He will now be placed in the pool of candidates for Academic All-America honors.
Palkert Back At Full Strength
Freshman post player Caleb Palkert suffered from the flu a week and a half ago, missing Upstate's game against North Florida on Jan. 27. He returned to the lineup last Sunday against Jacksonville, but the flu took its toll. Saturday night at Kennesaw State, he showed that he is back at full strength. After not scoring in the first half, he scored 10 key points in the second half, including four late in the game to give Upstate a five-point lead, to establish a career-high.
Spartans Earn First A-Sun Sweep
Upstate pulled off something Saturday night that has not been done since the Spartans moved to the A-Sun in 2007, a season sweep of an A-Sun foe. With the 68-64 victory over Kennesaw State Saturday night and the 66-62 overtime win over the Owls in Spartanburg on Jan. 17, Upstate swept the season series from KSU.
Posey Stepping Up His Play As Career Winds Down
Whether it is the knowledge that he has just a few more games to play in his college career or finally getting comfortable with his role on the team, senior Pat Posey has stepped up his game since the start of January. Entering the Jan. 2 game against Campbell, he was averaging just 5.4 points per game. Since Jan. 2, he is averaging 10.5 points per outing. He has reached double figures in five of the last eight games, including 18 points against Jacksonville last Sunday.
Schneiders Approaching Blocks Record, Milestone
Senior center Nick Schneiders is approaching both a record and a milestone for blocked shots as the last month of the season begins. For starters, he has totaled 70 blocks this season, just nine away from his own single-season school record of 79 set last season. In addition, he is just 13 blocks away from reaching the 200-block plateau.
Schneiders Tops The A-Sun, Ranks Nationally In Blocks
No doubt about it, Nick Schneiders is the main shot-blocking threat for Upstate. He leads Upstate, and the A-Sun, with 70 blocks on the year, averaging 3.2 per game. That figure puts him 10th in the nation. Caleb Palkert is second on the team and ranks 13th in the A-Sun with 17 blocks, while Chalmers Rogers has swatted nine.
Uzo Doubles Them Up
Junior forward Mezie Uzochukwu recorded a pair of double-doubles as a freshman, claiming his second double dip on Feb. 21, 2008, at Campbell, finishing with 12 points and 10 rebounds. He went his entire sophomore season and the first 12 games of this year without a double-double. But, he has caught fire lately and has recorded four double-doubles in the last nine games, including 15 points and 10 boards against North Florida on Jan. 27.
Schneiders Reaches Rebound Milestone
With nine rebounds Sunday afternoon against Kennesaw State, Upstate center Nick Schneiders topped the 500 career rebound mark and currently ranks 12th in program history with 532 career boards.
Close, But No Cigar
Upstate certainly has put itself in position to win games this season, including a pair against marquee-named opponents. However, the Spartans stand 2-15 on the year, though Upstate has played much better than the record would reflect. The Spartans have lost eight games by nine points or less, including five by six points or less. Upstate has lost by nine against Winthrop (Dec. 16) and at Arizona State (Dec. 23), eight at Indiana (Nov. 16), six against UNC Greensboro (Nov. 24), four against Florida Gulf Coast (Dec. 14), three at Winthrop (Nov. 21) and against Mercer (Jan. 15), two against North Florida (Jan. 27) and one against ETSU (Jan. 4).
Upstate Plays Tough Non-Conference Schedule
Anyone who has followed the Upstate basketball team since its move to NCAA Division I in 2007 knows that the Spartans play a very tough non-conference schedule. In 2007-08, the non-conference schedule was ranked as the 20th-toughest in the nation. In 2008-09, the non-conference slate was ranked 29th. This season, the Spartans' non-conference schedule is the 17th-toughest in all of Division I. A-Sun schools are notorious for playing difficult non-conference schedules with four in the top 20-toughest non-conference schedules and six in the top 40.
