HIGH POINT, N.C. – The High Point University men’s basketball team (21-10, 13-5 Big South) will open the 2016 National Invitation Tournament with a game at South Carolina (24-8, 11-7 SEC) on Tuesday.
Tip-off between the Panthers and Gamecocks is set for 7 p.m. in Columbia, S.C. The game will be broadcast live on ESPNU.
South Carolina posted a 24-8 record and finished third in the SEC with an 11-7 league mark in 2015-16. The Gamecocks fell in the SEC quarterfinals to Georgia (65-64).
High Point is making its second NIT appearance in the last three seasons after winning the 2016 Big South regular season championship. HPU posted a 21-10 record, including a 13-5 mark in league play. The Panthers won their final six league games to claim the title.
In HPU’s only other NIT appearance, the Panthers fell to eventual tournament champion Minnesota, 88-81, on March 18, 2014, in Minneapolis.
The Panthers were led in 2016 Big South Player of the Year and Big South Defensive Player of the Year John Brown, who became the first player in league history to claim both honors in the same season. Brown averaged 19.6 points, 7.1 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 1.8 blocks and shot 60.2 percent from the field during the season.
He led the country in player efficiency rating and was third nationally in offensive efficiency.
Senior Adam Weary earned second team All-Big South honors after posting 12.4 points, 3.4 rebounds, 3.1 assists and shooting 51.3 percent on the year.
Brown (foot) and Weary (knee) are both out for the upcoming NIT. Weary had been named the Lou Henson National Player of the Week and had averaged 23.5 points, 6.0 assists, 3.5 rebounds, 1.5 steals and shot 60.7 percent (62.5 3pt FG%) in the two games prior to his injury.
In their absence, a number of players stepped up during the Big South Championship. Redshirt-junior Miles Bowman Jr. was named to the Big South All-Tournament team after averaging 21.0 points, 11.5 rebounds and shooting 72.2 percent from the floor (.929 FT%).
HPU went 1-1 in the Big South Tournament, defeating No. 8 seed Longwood and falling to eventual champion UNC Asheville in the quarterfinals.
In addition to Bowman, senior Haiishen McIntyre averaged 13.0 points and 4.5 assists during the tournament while sophomore Austin White (13.0 ppg) and junior Anthony Lindauer (10.5 ppg) also averaged double figures over HPU’s pair of tournament games.
HPU’s 2016 Big South title marked its fourth-straight regular season league championship. Only Kansas (Big 12), Gonzaga (WCC) and Stephen F. Austin (Southland) also have won regular season league titles in each of the past four seasons.
Over the past four years, HPU leads the Big South in conference victories (50), conference winning percentage (.735) and is the only league team to make four-straight postseason appearances.
HPU has posted back-to-back 20 win seasons for the first time in the Div. I era and the first time overall since 1994-95/1995-96.