HPU Men’s Hoops Opens 2017-18 against William & Mary Friday

WHEN: Friday, Nov. 10, 8 p.m.
WHERE: Millis Center – High Point, N.C.
RECORDS: High Point (0-0), William & Mary (0-0)
SERIES RECORD: High Point leads, 4-3
LAST MEETING: William & Mary won, 78-75, in overtime in Williamsburg, Va., on Dec. 21, 2015
LIVE STATS: Click here
VIDEO: Big South Network
LIVE AUDIO: High Point Panthers Radio Network
GAME NOTES: Click here

HIGH POINT, N.C.— The High Point University men’s basketball team opens the 2017-18 season at home against William & Mary. Tip-off at the Millis Center is scheduled for 8 p.m.

PAW PRINTS
•?HPU is 66-24 all-time in season openers (10-8 in Division I era). In 2016-17, the Panthers defeated Averett, 74-41, at the Millis Center.
•?High Point is 6-2 in season openers under ninth-year head coach Scott Cherry.
• The Panthers will play three of their first four games of 2017-18 inside the Millis Center. It is the second year in a row the Panthers have hosted at least three of their first four games.
• The Panthers are coming off a 2016-17 season in which HPU posted a 15-16 record (9-9 in Big South play). High Point finished fifth in the Big South standings.
• HPU welcomes four new players in 2017-18, three of which are eligible this season, including freshmen fowards Justyn Mutts and Caden Sanchez and guard Denny Slay. High Point’s three transfers that sat out last season are eligible to suit up, including junior Sam Berlin and sophomores Brandonn Kamga and Jahaad Proctor.
•?Guard Tim Cameron (UTEP) is a transfer and will sit out this season due to NCAA transfer guidelines. Cameron will have three years of eligibility remaining.
• The Panthers will look to replace its departing senior class of Miles Bowman Jr, Anthony Lindauer and Tarique Thompson, who accounted for 49.9 percent of High Point’s scoring last season.
•?High Point was picked sixth out of 10 teams in the Big South preseason poll. UNC Asheville was picked to win the league with 23 out of 30 first-place votes.
• HPU returns eight letter winners from last season’s team, including junior guard Andre Fox, who started 28 games in 2016-17 and was second on the team with 12.7 points per game.
• Over the past five years, the Panthers lead the Big South in conference wins (59), conference winning percentage (68.6%) and are the only program to make four postseason tournaments. HPU went to the NIT in 2014 and 2016 and to the CIT in 2013 and 2015.
•?The Panthers return four players who started 20 or more games in 2016-17, including senior Austin White (22), junior Andre Fox (28), and sophomores Ricky Madison (29) and Jamal Wright (29). The quartet accounts for 79.2 percent of games started last season.

HISTORY vs. WILLIAM & MARY
High Point holds a slim 4-3 lead in the all-time series against the Tribe. William & Mary captured the last meeting, a 78-75 overtime affair, Dec. 21, 2015 in Williamsburg, Va. The Panthers have won two of the three meetings in the Millis Center, including the last meeting, 66-63, in 2014.

HISTORY vs. CAA OPPONENTS
The Panthers are 105-92 (.533) all time against current members of the Colonial Athletic Association. HPU’s most common opponents are Elon (86-76), UNC Wilmington (10-6) and William & Mary (4-3). HPU went 0-1 against teams from the CAA last season with a 78-72 loss to Drexel on Dec. 3, 2016 at the Millis Center. Miles Bowman Jr. had a double-double with 18 points and 11 rebounds in the loss for the Panthers.

HISTORY vs. OPPONENTS FROM VIRGINIA
High Point has complied a 77-73 (.513) record all-time against Division I programs hailing from the Old Dominion State. HPU’s most common opponents are Radford (20-23, .465), Liberty (16-23, .410) and Longwood (21-7, .750). High Point is 57-53 (.518) against Big South programs from Virginia and 19-20 (.487) against the rest of the state’s Div. I teams. HPU was 1-4 against teams from Virginia in 2016-17 with losses to Virginia Tech, Longwood, Liberty (two times) and Radford and a win at Radford.

A LOOK AT THE TRIBE (17-13 IN 2016-17)
The Tribe returns eight letterwinners, including a trio of seniors in Connor Burchfield, Oliver Tot and David Cohn, who have seen extensive time during their Tribe careers. Cohn is a two-year returning starter at the point guard position and is on pace to set the program record for career assists, while the Green and Gold also returns CAA All-Rookie Team selection Nathan Knight and 2016-17 regular Paul Rowley.

NEXT UP
The Panthers will travel to Knoxville, Tenn., on Tuesday (Nov. 14) to face off against the SEC’s Tennessee. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m.