#26o R.P.I. U.S.C. Upstate @ #25 R.P.I. Virginia Tech: 

Today’s word is … underdog!

un·der·dog  (ndr-dôg, -dg)

U.S.C. Upstate Head Coach: Dave Dickerson: age=52, 75-113 overall, 7-29 at U.S.C. Upstate. Has a rep’ for: being a solid assistant; as he hit several
conference and national awards list’s here.
$180,000.oo

Baller Dickerson played forward at Maryland from 1986-89 and earned four varsity letters. He was co-captain as a senior in 1989. Dickerson saw action in the 1986 and 1988 NC2A Tournaments and was a member of three teams that advanced to the A.c.c. Tournament semifinals. The Terps won 19 games in his freshman year and 18 during his junior season. Dickerson was a starter on the 1989 team that became the first No. 8 seed to defeat a No. 1 seed in the A.c.c. Tournament when the Terps knocked off N.C. State.

Soon after graduating from college, Dickerson began his coaching career at Gardner-Webb for one season. He then joined former head coach Lefty Driesell at James Madison for a 1992 season that culminated in a bid to the NIT.

Prior to being named head coach for the Green Wave, Dickerson served as an assistant coach at Maryland, his alma mater, under head coach Gary Williams for nine years. In 2004-05, Dickerson was elevated to associate head coach.

Coach Dick’ has over 20 years of college coaching experience with stops at Gardner-Webb, James Madison, Radford, Maryland, Tulane and Ohio State. He was hired at USC Upstate after spending one year as a scout for the NBA’s Utah Jazz.

Little Whistle Dickerson spent seven seasons on the coaching staff for Thad Matta at Ohio State from 2010-16, serving as the associate head coach for the last six. In those seven years on the sidelines for the Buckeyes, Dickerson was a part of 181 victories, two Big 10 Regular Season titles, three Big Ten Tournament title game appearances, three Sweet 16 appearances, an Elite Eight run in 2013 and the 2012 Final Four. Ohio State participated in NC2A Tournament play in five of his seven seasons.

Coach Dickerson spent five years as head coach at Tulane prior to being hired at Ohio State. He compiled a 68-84 record, 31-47 in Conference USA, after inheriting a Green Wave basketball program that had registered just one winning season during the five years prior to his arrival. He guided the Green Wave to back-to-back winning seasons in 2006-07 and 2007-08, a feat that had not been achieved in the 11 previous years. To start his tenure, he led Tulane to four consecutive opening-round wins in the Conference USA Tournament.

Dave.edu graduated from Maryland in 1990 with a bachelor’s degree in government and politics.

Daddy Dickerson and his wife, Laurette, have one son, Dave III.

U.S.C. Upstate at a glance:

• 13th in total steals!
• 42nd in total assists.
• 249th in 3-point shooting.
• 277th in FG percentage D.
• 294th in FG percentage.
• 339th fewest fouls ‘whistled’ against!
• NO injuries listed. (“THX @Coach God)!

Spartan Returning Starters=2

U.S.C. Upstate Strengths:

• ahhhhhhhhhhh, errrrrrrrrrrr, ahhhhhhhhhhh.
• Seriously… my preview mags have basically never read this dower on anyone. (see: below)
• The school’s team formerly competed in the Atlantic Sun Conference, then moved to the Big South Conference in 2018-19. During their time as a member of the NAIA, they were national champions in 1982 per the Mike Gibson led club. That counts. Since their move to Division I, they have yet to qualify for the NCAA Tournament. And so does that.
• My mag’s basically only typed up two Spartans, although a third one may have early season emerged.
• Everette Hammond is a 6′ 3″, 185 lb., Soph., Silver Spring, Md., lead-G. Everette is the Spartans leading returning scorer from last year (7.3 ppg in 2018-2019). He was something of a High School two-sport star (hoops and football). So he’s prolly athletic and tough enough and beyond that? Well, he can defend a bit, and he seemed scrappy enough on tape (I did watch the 2nd-half of their Monday nite game live). He has a big smile and he’s nearly got his last year scoring total this year doubled-up. So that’s prolly code for in-team most improved and that’s not the worst thing to say for their only even vaguely all-conference candidate kid. Yet Mister E.Hammond ain’t no “Reggie” (40% from the floor and 21% from deep) and he is coming off of a very chilly shooting Monday night. As this kid runs hawt-n-cold. Tho’ maybe his maturing overall game is indeed warming-up a scosche?

  

• Nevin Zink, true-C, is a 6′ 9″, 230 lb. sophomoric Newtown, Ct. native.  He’s basically a Baltic Avenue’s man of a Dave Cowens pure Five. Sans the hotels. Sans the housing, too. Tho’ Zink will work for you, he is physical, he eats up space, he rebounds, blocks, and dunks and that’s about what Nevin does. He just does not do a metric ton of it is all (6 ppg, 4.5 rpg, a swat on 54%).
• (this space intentionally left, blank).
• I suppose you do gotta say that U.S.C. Up’ is playing 2022 already; as this is indeed a very underclassman looking squad and it is not like early playing time has ever retarded later development. Although recalcitrant to publish how much… they should be the next two seasons better off for getting offed in 2019-2020 itself.

U.S.C. Upstate Weaknesses:

• from my aforementioned mag’s up above: “there is only one direction to go…” {sic: “up”}.
• “yet it is difficult to envision any climb up the standings this year.“
• “U.S.C. returns a core of role players… and is seriously lacking on star-power and in particular on proven scorers.“
• Not to mention wanting for height/size.
• That… and U.S.C.Up just ran ball on Monday night and does a N.b.a. ‘esque looking quick turn for this one.

Spartan’s Bench: (depth=5 to 8, they play a LOT of peeps)

Brandon Martin goes 6′ 9″, 220 (does not look it) lbs. and has been something of a pleasant second-season surprise or modest offensive breakout baller. As nobody I read had him anywhere near penciled in for pacing the Spartans silver medal style or second in scoring at 10 ppg paired with corraling 5 caroms per contest while netting 60% from the floor. The book says he lacks range on his J and 55% on FTA’s is not a good look. So, we shall see if this upward mobility backs down or not…

Illation, conclusion(s) and OPT digits:

Number of Up.State's who could sparta @Tech=zero. Not, 1.

the takeaway:
The takeaway here is… the Hokies really should win here and this just in… rain is still rumored to be, wet!

 ***

Our handy-dandy friend the so-called Forum Guide of Graham Houston fame is calling for nothing O.O.C., yet.

The annualized year-to-date vitals say that… V.Tech is up a staggering 27% in shooting percentage margin overall, up 22% in 3-point percentage margin and up +17 Windex swipes in rebounding margin. LOL and geez!

The most recent 5-game metrics say… ask back in two-mo’-weeks.

V.Tech is up 22% at the charity stripe for the year.

The Spartans just ain’t much and they are even less on O.

No joke, no levity, and no attempt at satire being made here gents… go ahead and bet the under on their team total out on the Vegas big-board now; thank me, later.

–oOo–

As U.S.C. Upstate was picked last or last-runner-up in all of my pre-season magazines for the sometimes a bit top-heavy little-major Big South Conference.

And that’s about all I can say here…

…pass the parsimony as we are going vegan on my typical word-salad due to the lack of U.s.c.Up. eats.

---

All things being: “normal” we really should Romanize these Spartans.

(hence the confidence interval down below)…

As this u.dog is muzzled.
And unlike trees everywhere, not even that much: “bark” lives here.

(98.6% confidence interval)
Virginia Tech=77, U.S.C. Upstate=48

“LETS GO!”

“Hokies!”

 bourbonstreet**