The Opening Tip
• Longwood has won 10 straight games and 17 on the season, tying the program record for wins at the Division I level set in 2008-09.
• The 10 straight wins are the most since the 1993-4 squad won 11 straight.
• The Lancers are the lone remaining unbeaten team in the Big South, and one of eight unbeaten teams in league play nationally, joining Vermont, Houston, Wagner, Murray State, Auburn, South Dakota State, and Gonzaga.
• Longwood last won 18 games in 2000-01, when the team went 23-8 and was ranked as high as 21st in the DII national poll while in the CVAC.
• The Lancers were ranked 25th in the latest College Insider Mid-Major Top 25 for the first time. The poll is voted on by mid-major coaches from around the nation.
• The Lancers are 12-1 in Willett Hall, the most home wins since the '08-09 team went 13-2.
Last Time Out
• Longwood squeezed past Charleston Southern 69-67 on Saturday night to wrap up a two-game road swing and stay unbeaten in Big South play.
• The Lancers, despite being shorthanded without
Justin Hill and
Leslie Nkereuwem, used a strong defensive first half and three-double-digit scoring performances to outlast the Buccaneers.
•
DeShaun Wade led the way with 19 points and multiple clutch shots down the stretch, while
Isaiah Wilkins added 15 points and
Zac Watson totaled 10 points.
• Watson made the game-securing block on the game's final possession. With Longwood up two, he snuffed out Tahlik Chavez's potential game-winning three-point attempt and grabbed the board as time expired.
• Chavez led all scorers with a game-high 27 points for Charleston Southern. Taje' Kelly added 11 for the Bucs.
By The Numbers
• Longwood's offense has been one of the top outfits in the Big South sharing the basketball all season. The Lancers are second in the league with 14.8 assists per game. Point guard
Justin Hill ranks second in the league in assists per game (4.1).
• Longwood has totaled more assists than turnovers in 15 of 22 games this season. The team has had less than 10 turnovers in a game six times.
• The team's 12.4 turnovers per game rank as the second-fewest in the Big South, and the team leads the Big South in turnover margin (+2.4).
• Longwood's bench is contributing 29.5 points per game, with 10.4 of those coming from
Leslie Nkereuwem. Nkereuwem leads the Big South in scoring off the bench.
• The Lancers lead the Big South in scoring offense (77.5 points per game) and rank third in scoring defense (64.4 points allowed per game). Longwood is one of three Big South schools ranked among the league's top five in both categories. Longwood leads the conference in scoring margin with an average of +13.1 points per game.
• Longwood has excelled on its home court under fourth-year head coach
Griff Aldrich, amassing a 38-17 record in Willett Hall during his tenure. That includes an 12-1 mark this season, an 8-5 record in 2020-21, an 8-6 record in 2019-20 and a 10-5 mark in 2018-19.
• Only nine teams have scored more than 65 points  against Longwood. The Lancers have held seven teams to 55 points or fewer.
• The Lancers' +7.9 rebounding margin ranks 11th nationally, while their 13.0 offensive rebounds per game lead the league and are 19th in the nation.
• Longwood's defense leads the Big South in steals per game (8.05) and has racked up 177 steals on the season.
Quotables
"What these guys have accomplished is nothing short of extraordinary. To be 9-0, again, I don't care who you're playing, to be on the road, and be gone since Tuesday and pick up two road wins, that's special. It's not easy. Frankly, people across the country aren't doing it. We're fortunate to be executing when it counts. That's a big deal and we need to celebrate that."
— Longwood head coach Griff Aldrich after Charleston Southern
Series History
• USC Upstate swept the season series in 2020-21, winning on back-to-back days in a pair of tight contests, 71-69 and 65-59.
DeShaun Wade had double digits both times for the Lancers while Dalvin White totaled 37 points across both games for USC Upstate.
• Longwood's last win came on Feb. 20, 2020 in a 68-58 win in Spartanburg that saw four Lancers score in double figures.
Leslie Nkereuwem had 10 points, while
Shabooty Phillips,
Juan Munoz and
JaShaun Smith led the way with 13 points apiece.
• The two sides split the first four matchups between them, with each side winning once at home and once on the road before USC Upstate swept the series last season.
#HorsePower
