Feb. 22, 2008
Complete Upstate vs. Gardner-Webb Game Notes in PDF Format 
Spartanburg, S.C. - USC Upstate makes the short road trip to Boiling Springs, N.C., to take on Gardner-Webb in the Spartans' final road game of the season. The Spartans look to complete a season sweep of the Bulldogs after taking a 73-59 victory over GWU on Jan. 10 in Spartanburg. Upstate enters the game with a 7-21 overall record and a 5-9 mark in the A-Sun after claiming a 79-58 victory at Campbell Thursday night. Gardner-Webb enters the game with a 14-13 overall record and an 8-5 mark in the A-Sun following its 96-70 drubbing of East Tennessee State Thursday evening. Get live statistical updates via Gardner-Webb's official athletics website at www.gwusports.com.
Recapping Campbell
Luke Payne and Mezie Uzochukwu led Upstate to a nine-point advantage at halftime and Campbell could not recover as the Spartans ran away with a 79-58 victory over the Fighting Camels Thursday night in Buies Creek, N.C.
Payne and Uzochukwu finished the half with 12 and 10 points, respectively, for the Spartans. Upstate used an 8-0 run early in the second half to open a 15-point advantage, increased the lead to 23 points, and cruised to the 21-point win. Payne finished the game with 22 points, while Uzochukwu added his second double-double of the season with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Rashawn Brailsford added 10 points as well.
It's A Boy!
Upstate assistant coach Steve Smith and wife Fran are the proud new parents of a bouncing baby boy, Jordan Myles Smith. Jordan weighed 6 lbs., 12 ounces at the time of birth and both baby and mother are doing well.
Recapping First Gardner-Webb Game - Jan. 10
USC Upstate used a 9-1 spurt early in the second half to gain control of its Atlantic Sun Conference home opener and pulled away for a 73-59 victory over Gardner-Webb. Upstate grabbed control of the game from the start and battled with Gardner-Webb throughout the first half. Upstate made its decisive run to gain total control of the game early in the second half. Jeremy Byrd nailed a three-pointer, came up with a steal, and converted a layup to ignite a 9-1 run that gave Upstate an 11-point advantage, 42-31, with 16:45 to play. Gardner-Webb would get no closer than eight the rest of the way.
Spartans Are No. 1...
USC Upstate has gotten defensive in A-Sun play and the recent rankings prove it. Upstate ranks No. 1 in the A-Sun in scoring defense, limiting league opponents to 65.6 ppg. That figure is a full three points fewer than No. 2 on the list, Stetson, which allows opponents to score 68.6 ppg in conference games.
Hitting The Century Mark
Upstate head coach Eddie Payne won his 100th game at the helm of the Spartans program Thursday night at Campbell. Payne is in his sixth season at Upstate and his 23rd overall. He owns a 100-75 record at Upstate and led the Spartans to two Peach Belt Conference championships and back-to-back appearances in the NCAA Division II Tournament prior to Upstate's move to Division I and the Atlantic Sun Conference this season.
Soaring Towards 1,000
Jeremy Byrd's biggest claim to fame is his ability to come up with the steal in a blink of an eye. He already owns the school's career record for steals, notching 345 in his career. Although he does not have the reputation as being a scorer, he needs 31 points in the next two games to reach 1,000 for his career.
Spartans Non-Conference Schedule 18th
Upon completion of the 14-game non-conference schedule on Jan. 2 at Iowa State, USC Upstate's schedule was ranked as the 18th-toughest schedule by Jeff Sagarin in his daily updated strength of schedule index of all 341 Division I teams.
Byrd Would Be No. 7 If...
Senior point guard Jeremy Byrd is used to sitting atop conference or national statistical lists for steals. He led the Peach Belt Conference in steals in each of the last three years and spent over half of the season last year atop the nation in steals in NCAA Division II.
While Upstate is playing in its first season of Division I competition and is in its reclassifying years, the NCAA does not recognize players on teams who are reclassifying on their statistical leader lists. However, if Byrd were eligible, he would rank seventh in the nation with 2.7 steals per game. He does lead the A-Sun in steals.
Byrd 19th All-Time In NCAA Steals Category...
Jeremy Byrd now has 345 steals in his standout career at Upstate. The 345 steals ranks 19th all-time in the NCAA in total steals among individuals in all divisions (I, II and III). He is currently tied at No. 19 with Winston-Salem State's Marcus Best. At his current average, Byrd could finish in the Top 15 by season's end.
Home Sweet Home
Despite playing just 10 games at home this season, the Spartans will be happy to do so. Upstate has a solid home record, going 58-21 in six years under head coach Eddie Payne.
Hold `Em At 59
USC Upstate is 6-1 when holding opponents under 60 points this season and 1-19 when allowing opponents to score 60 or more. The Spartans claimed wins over Brevard (78-54), SMU (58-56), Gardner-Webb (73-59), North Florida (53-52), Mercer (75-49) and Gardner-Webb (79-58) when holding opponents under 60 points. The only time Upstate has lost while holding opponents under 60 points came on Feb. 14 against Lipscomb as the Spartans fell, 57-53.
Breaking The Trend
Upstate did something against Kennesaw State that the team had not accomplished in any game this season, the Spartans won a game despite allowing an opponent to score 60 or more points. Prior to the Kennesaw State game, Upstate was 0-17 in games when the opponent scored 60 or more points.
Byrd Feeling Sunny In League Play
Senior point guard Jeremy Byrd has certainly come into his own during A-Sun play this year. Having served a three-game suspension earlier in the season, the Greenville, S.C., native seemingly lost confidence. Since league play began on Jan. 5, though, Byrd has returned to the form he had during his first three seasons when the electrifying player led the team as the floor general. He currently ranks third on the team in scoring during league games at 10.6 ppg. He also averages 3.4 rebounds per outing, has dished out a team-best 47 assists and picked a team-high 33 steals in the 14 league games. He has reached double figures in nine of the 14 league games, including a season-high 18 against Lipscomb. Prior to the start of conference play, nine had only reached double figures one time.
Three In Double Figures
Three Spartans average in double figures in league games. Payne leads the way at 14.9 ppg, but Bobby Davis and Jeremy Byrd are close behind. Davis, who is second on the team overall with 9.9 ppg, averages 11.2 ppg, while Byrd scores at a 10.6 ppg clip.
Shaking Up The Lineup
Head Coach Eddie Payne has used 11 different starting lineups in 28 games this season. Bobby Davis is the only Spartan to start every game this season. Luke Payne has started 27 of the 28 games this year, his lone missed start coming against IUPUI when he did not start because of a severe thigh bruise. Despite not starting, he played 30 minutes in the game and finished with nine points.
Payne Receives A-Sun Weekly Honor
Senior guard Luke Payne became the first basketball player (men or women) at USC Upstate to receive weekly honors from the Atlantic Sun Conference when he was named the league's player of the week on Dec. 24. Payne received the honor after averaging 18.7 points, 3.3 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 2.0 steals per game and leading Upstate to their first win over a Division I opponent, a 58-56 victory at SMU (Dec. 18).
Payne Receives BP TOWC Honor
Despite playing the final two games, and part of the first, with a deep thigh bruise at the BP Top of the World Classic Nov. 16-18, starting guard Luke Payne played well enough to garner All-Tournament honors. He scored 43 points in three games, averaging 14.3 points and three rebounds per outing in the tournament. He scored 17 points against Akron and Oregon State and nine against IUPUI.
Payne Receives Sun Bowl Honor
Luke Payne had a tremendous tournament at the State Farm Sun Bowl Tournament in El Paso, Texas, Dec. 21-22. His performance, in particular, in the second game of the tourney against Buffalo not only secured his spot on the All-Tournament team, but it overshadowed a standout two-game performance by teammate Bobby Davis.
Payne finished the UTEP game (Dec. 21) with 11 points, five assists and four rebounds. In the tourney finale against Buffalo the next day, the senior guard went for a career-high 26 points to go along with five rebounds and three assists. He was named to the All-Tournament team after averaging 18.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game.
Payne's efforts overshadowed those of Davis who turned in his second double-double of the season with 11 points and 13 rebounds against UTEP and finished with 13 points and six boards against Buffalo. Davis averaged 12.0 points and 9.5 rebounds per game in the tournament.
Monumental Win
USC Upstate's 58-56 win at SMU (Dec. 18) was another milestone victory for the Spartans this year. Upstate claimed its first win in the Division era against Brevard on Dec. 6. However, Brevard is a Division II member, making the SMU win the first against a Division I program this year as well as the first win over a Division I opponents in the history of the school.
Upstate has several wins over programs currently competing on the Division I level, but the wins came in the 1970s and 80s when the institutions played in the NAIA before moving to NCAA Division I membership.
Payne Reaches Milestone
Senior guard Luke Payne notched his 1,000th-point at UNC Greensboro (Nov. 24). The Spartanburg High School graduate sank a three-pointer with a little over seven minutes to play in the game to give him 12 points in the contest and 1,000 for his career. He went on to finish with 15 points in the game.
Payne became the 17th player in the history of the storied program to reach the 1,000-point milestone. He currently has 1,348 points in his career and has cracked the top 10 all-time in scoring. He has moved past Jay Free for ninth place on the all-time list as well as recently passing Darren McDuffie (11th), Todd Gambrell (12th), Upstate Athletics Hall of Fame member Mike Smith (12th), Charles Ford (14th), Terrance Gist (15th), Carlos Bryson (16th) and Upstate Athletics Hall of Fame member Willie Murdaugh (17th) on the all-time scoring list.
In addition to his scoring prowess, Payne ranks among the program's all-time leaders in 15 other statistical categories.
Playing No Gimmies
Upstate's ambitious schedule in 2007-08 certainly has no slouches on it. In fact, when you combine the win-loss records of the 17 Division I opponents the Spartans have played so far this year, the opponents are a combined 268 wins. Upstate's non-conference opponents are a combined 194-148 for a winning percentage of .567. The Spartans have played eight teams ranked in the Top 100 in the latest RPI ranking released by the NCAA, and nine in the Top 150.
In the Mid-Major Top 25 Poll released by CollegeInsider.com, the Spartans have played three teams ranked in the poll. Akron, who gutted out a tough 64-60 victory over Upstate in the first game of the BP Top of the World Classic, is ranked 14th. IUPUI, the second-day opponent of the Spartans in the BP TOWC, is ranked 13th. Belmont, which has claimed two wins over the Spartans this season, is ranked 21st.
Upstate Road Warriors
By season's end, USC Upstate will have played 30 games with two-thirds of the games being played away from the G.B. Hodge Center. In fact, the Spartans opened the season playing their first seven games away from the friendly confines of the Hodge Center before playing its home opener against Brevard on Dec. 6. Upstate played 13 of its first 15 games on the road this season. In all, Upstate will travel more than 12,000 miles away from Spartanburg, and nearly 24,000 miles round trip, this season to play 20 games away from home.
Byrd Flies To The Top
Jeremy Byrd collected six steals in the season-opening game at Utah, surpassing Terrance Gist (276) to move atop the all-time steals list at Upstate. Byrd now has 345 picks in his stellar four-year career with the Spartans.
Byrd, from Greenville, leads the Atlantic Sun with 2.8 steals per game. He led the Peach Belt Conference in steals the first three years of his collegiate career, recording 94 steals as a reserve his freshman campaign and 90 each as a sophomore and junior.
Hines Gives Schneiders Props
Reigning Southern Conference player of the year and UNC Greensboro standout Kyle Hines gave Upstate center Nick Schneiders praise on his blog. Hines was in the middle of recapping recent action when he talked of Schneider's thunderous dunk over him.
"USC Upstate had a 7-2 player on their team that I had to guard in the game," Hines blogged. "He was the tallest player I had played against. I faired well against him until one play in the second half, he dunked on me pretty bad. Coach (Mike) Dement showed the play like five times during our film session. I must admit it looked really bad on film. The coaches and rest of the team got a good laugh out of that one."
A-Sun Makes Some Noise
If the start if the season is any indication of how good the Atlantic Sun Conference is going to be this year, the league will be tough. Belmont, East Tennessee State, Gardner-Webb, Mercer and Upstate have pulled off impressive wins early in the season. Below is a listing of the notable wins this season by A-Sun schools.
N7--Gardner-Webb def. No. 22 Kentucky, 84-68
N9--Belmont def. Cincinnati, 86-75
N10--Mercer def. No. 18 Southern Cal, 96-81
N19--Belmont def. Alabama, 85-83
D18--USC Upstate def. SMU, 58-56
D21--East Tennessee State def. Georgia, 76-58
Greensboro Newbies Have Solid Pedigrees
When coaches bring in new recruits, they not only look for individual talent, they also look to see how well a player helps their former team and the how well the teams do in competition. Josh Chavis and Mezie Uzochukwu, both from Greensboro, N.C., come to Upstate after strong senior seasons.
Chavis, from Dudley HS, played in the North Carolina East-West All-Star game. He also spent the summer playing for the N.C. Gaters AAU team. He was the starting point guard on the team that won the AAU 19-Under National Championship. Uzochukwu, from Northeast Guilford HS, also played in the North Carolina East-West All-Star game. He finished the game with a team-high 16 points to go along with eight rebounds, leading the West squad to the 81-75 victory and earning MVP honors. He joined a prestigious club of East-West MVP winners, including recent honorees Kevin Swinton and William Graves, both of whom now play in the ACC.
Burrows Brings Experience To Sidelines
First-year assistant coach Bill Burrows is anything but new to the game. The veteran of the sideline has been a head coach on the high school level in North Carolina for nearly 30 years and was an assistant coach at Georgia Tech and Towson. He can tell stories of coaching greats such as Brad Daugherty and Brad Johnson, but his best quality may be his ability to tell stories that both entertain and educate.
Paul Makes Good
Former Spartan starting point guard C.J. Paul is now living the life around the NBA. No, he is not playing in the world's top league, he is serving as the personal assistant/manager for his younger brother, Chris, the former NBA Rookie of Year now in his third season with the New Orleans Hornets.
Scouting Gardner-Webb
Gardner-Webb enters Saturday's game with a 14-13 overall record and an 8-5 mark in the A-Sun. The Bulldogs currently stand fourth in the conference standings. GWU crushed East Tennessee State Thursday night, taking a 96-70 victory over the Bucs. GWU tipped off the season in grand fashion, claiming back-to-back wins in Kentucky's tournament, including an 84-68 victory over the host Wildcats.
Gardner-Webb opened the season with three straight wins before falling to Connecticut and Oklahoma in the 2K Sports College Hoops Classic in New York City. Since the early success, the Bulldogs have claimed wins over Radford, High Point, Charleston Southern and Lipscomb. G-W has suffered losses to Connecticut (for a second time), Clemson, Radford, Tulane, Charleston Southern and Charlotte. Gardner-Webb has claimed wins over Lipscomb, East Tennessee State twice, Stetson, North Florida, Mercer, Kennesaw State and Campbell in conference play, while losing to Upstate, Belmont, Campbell, Florida Gulf Coast and Jacksonville in the A-Sun.
About The Team
Gardner-Webb has three players who average in double figures. Thomas Sanders averages a double-double with 18.0 points and 10.6 rebounds per game. Grayson Flittner scores at a 15.1 ppg clip, while Aaron Linn and Nate Blank average 12.0 and 10.6 ppg, respectively.
About The Coach
Head Coach Rick Scruggs is in his 13th season at the helm of the Gardner-Webb men's basketball program and his 20th overall. He has amassed a 354-282 career record with stops at Gardner-Webb, Milligan, Pikeville, Belmont Abbey and North Greenville.
Scruggs has a 176-177 record in his 13 years at Gardner-Webb. He has coached the Bulldogs to six winning seasons and is off to a 14-13 start this year, having claimed a win at Kentucky and losses to Connecticut twice and Oklahoma.
Scruggs was at the helm of the program when it made the transition from NCAA Division II to Division I status in 2000-01. He coached the Bulldogs to the regular season A-Sun championship in 2004-05.
