Posted at 2:45 PM EST. Odds subject to change.

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Big South Tournament

Nido and Mariana Qubein Arena, High Point, NC

South Carolina Upstate +5 over Radford

Streaming: ESPN+

8:00 PM EST. The Big South has moved its conference tournament from the familiar confines of the Bojangles Coliseum in Charlotte, North Carolina, to High Point, NC, where that program has invested $175 million in its new arena, hotel, and conference center. When you spend that kind of cheddar, you will get some perks, and hosting the Big South Tournament is one of those perks for High Point. The first-placed Panthers of High Point will not play until Friday, as will the rest of the top seven seeds, who all got a bye to the quarterfinals. However, in the Big South, there is a #8 vs #9 Opening Round play-in game, and it is for the right to face the Panthers on Friday afternoon.

Let’s start with the #8 seeded Spartans of South Carolina Upstate, who finished the Big South regular season at 5-11 while posting just a 10-19 record. However, a closer look shows that the Spartans have played one of the toughest non-conference schedules in the Big South at 94-of-362 graded Division I programs. Furthermore, while their success in the Big South was limited, the Spartans were the only team to beat the top-seeded High Point on this court back on Valentine’s Day, in an 86-81 overtime decision. During the regular season, South Carolina Upstate and #9 Highlanders of Radford split the series, with the Spartans winning at home, 78-69, on February 3, and the Highlanders taking their game at home, 64-61, on January 20.

Radford limps into this Big South Tournament on the heels of two straight losses and just two wins over their last night to finish at 5-11 in the conference and 15-16 overall. The Highlanders racked up most of their wins during non-conference play, where they beat up non-Div I schools like Eastern Mennonite and Notre Dame (Maryland), as well as other weak teams in Morgan State (333), Elon (316), North Carolina Central (249), VMI (353), and Bucknell (293). Feasting on cupcakes did not serve the Highlanders well, as they totally bombed in Big South action.

The Highlanders failed to live up to their preseason expectations, and they are crash-landing into this play-in game. If they can flip the switch and play at a high level tonight, so be it, but Radford looks like an old horse that needs to be taken out behind the barn and put out of its misery. Make no mistake, the Spartans are very capable of winning this game outright and moving on to play High Point on Friday, but we’re not going to look a gift horse in the mouth. We're more than happy to scoop up these inflated points and we hope to see you at the pay window.

Sherwood

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