HPU Panthers vs. Radford Highlanders: a preview of the men's basketball game

January 3, 2024

2024 is here. A new year means new goals and ambitions for both the

High Point Panthers and the Radford Highlanders, they are looking to

accomplish their goals. Both are looking to win the Big South Conference

tournament championship, and make it to the NCAA tournament in March. 

Both universities have had a great season thus far, but this is when

everything matters the most, now is when both schools need to switch

into a different gear as Big South Conference play begins. This is an

important game for both programs because of the momentum boost and

confidence a win provides for both schools going forward the rest of the

season.

Radford University (10-5) will square off against High Point University (11-4) on Wednesday Jan. 3 at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN Plus in the Donald N. Dedmon Center.

The High Point Panthers start the conference play on the road which is not an idle situation for the Panthers considering that they are 1-3 on their opponent's home court this season. However, the Panthers have recently been playing some really good basketball as they have won three games in a row, and eight of their last nine. The Panthers are extremely hot and are looking to continue their winning streak in the Dedmon Center.

HPU’s success has had a lot to do with their high-scoring offense as the Panthers lead the Big South Conference in points per game at an astounding 85.3 a game. 

The motor to that high-scoring offense has been the impressive play from the 6’3’ junior guard Duke Miles. The Troy University transfer in his first season with the Panthers is second in the Big South Conference in points at 18.3 a game. Miles has been shooting the ball at an elite level this season as he leads the conference in field goal percentage at 58.8 percent. 

To go along with his high-level scoring, Miles has also been getting his teammates involved as he averages four assists a contest. Miles is coming off a 16-point, four-assist, and four-rebound performance in a win against Bellarmine University, and is looking to put up similar numbers tonight.

HPUs recent success has also had a lot to do with the outstanding play the Panthers have received from their 6’7” sophomore forward, and reigning Big South Conference player of the week, Kimani Hamilton. The Mississippi State transfer is coming off a season and career-high 23 points to go along with six rebounds against Bellarmine University. Hamilton is second on the team in points at 14.4 a game, and leads the team in rebounds at 8.1 a game. Hamilton is still trying to find his perimeter shot as he shoots 26.1 percent from the three-point line, but he has been playing exceptionally well, and his play tonight and going forward will be key to how well the Panthers do the rest of the season.

The Panthers should be ecstatic by the progression and what they have seen from their 7’0” big man Juslin Bodo Bodo. The freshman center started the year off a little slow but has since been playing some really good basketball as he has recorded 10 points and at least nine rebounds in each of his past two contests. Those numbers were good enough for Bodo to win the Big South Conference freshman of the week. Bodo’s size and presence has been felt for opponents this season as he averages 1.9 blocked shots a game which is third in the conference. 

The Panthers had six players score in the double-digits, and as a team shot an impressive 52.6 percent from the court overall in their win against Bellarmine University. If the Panthers want a win against the tough Radford Highlanders, they will need to not give up as many offensive rebounds as they allowed 11 in their last contest. They need to figure out ways to get stops on the defensive end of the court as they gave up 85 points against the below average (4-11) Bellarmine Knights. 

On the other side, Radford University is coming off a loss to the (11-1), and No. 18 team in the AP Top 25 men’s college basketball rankings, the Clemson Tigers. Before their 93-58 loss to Clemson University, Radford University had won five games in a row which included a victory over their Big 12 Conference opponent, West Virginia University. 

The Radford Highlanders were faced with a difficult non-conference schedule which included contests against previously mentioned No. 18 Clemson as well as Virginia Commonwealth University, No. 19 University of North Carolina, and No. 24 James Madison University. Despite their difficult non-conference schedule, The Highlanders went an impressive 10-5 and 5-0 record at home during non-conference play.

The Highlanders as a team has shot the ball really well this season as they lead the Big South Conference in three-point percentage at 37.9 percent, and are fourth in the conference in overall field goal percentage at 45.8 percent.

Leading the way for Radford University is the 5’11” sophomore guard Kenyon Giles. The Chesapeake, V.A. native leads the team in points at 14.7 a game, and assists at 2.8 a game. Giles is shooting 42.1 percent from the court overall, and is coming off an impressive 17 points on 7-13 shooting from the court overall, and four assists against Clemson University. Giles has recorded double-digit scoring in all but two games this season, and he will look to be a huge scoring factor against the Panthers.

If Radford University wants to win this game they will need bounce-back games from 6’1” senior guard Daquan Smith and 6’5” senior guard Bryan Antoine. Both guards struggled to shoot the ball as they combined for 13 points on 1-7 shooting from the three-point line against Clemson University. 

Smith is averaging 13.3 points per game which includes an 18-point game on Dec. 20 against West Virginia. 

Antoine is the team’s third leading scorer at 10.5 points per game which includes a spectacular 30-point performance on Dec. 3 in a win against Elon University. Radford University will need both of their senior guards to step up against the guard-heavy HPU team. 

High Point Panthers and Radford Highlanders are coming into this game as two of the best shooting teams in the Big South Conference. Radford University and High Point University are one and two in the conference in three-point percentage, and the High Point Panthers are second in the conference in overall field goal percentage at 47.6 percent while Radford University is fourth in the conference. Both programs fared well in non-conference play and are looking to carry that momentum into conference play. The Big South showdown goes down on Wednesday Jan. 3 at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN Plus.