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Game 6
Opponent: Radford
Date: Tuesday, November 21, 2023
Site: Hard Rock Hotel Riviera Maya, Cancun, Mexico
Game Time: 12:30 p.m. (ET)
Series Record: Radford leads 4-0
Live Stats: www.cancunchallenge.net
Live Stream: FloHoops
Coaches: MSU - Kevin Broadus (59-57, 5th yr) | RU - Darris Nichols (34-36, 3rd yr)
Websites: www.MorganStateBears.com | www.radfordathletics.com

SETTING THE STAGE
• The Morgan State University men's basketball team will hit the hardwood for an overseas matchup when they travel for a pair of games in Cancun, Mexico at the Hard Rock Hotel Riviera Maya during Thanksgiving Week. The Bears take on the Radford Highlanders Tuesday at 12:30 p.m.
• Will Thomas scored 10 points in Morgan's 93-50 setback at Brigham Young last Saturday. Radford fell just shy of an upset over #24 James Madison who held on for a 76-73 win last Friday in Harrisonburg, Va. DaQuan Smith ed the Highlanders with 20 points (8-13 FG). The Cancun Challenge will continue Wednesday (Nov. 22) with a matchup against either Northern Colorado or Chicago State.
• Redshirt junior guard Kamron Hobbs and redshirt junior forward Will Thomas were named to the preseason All-MEAC second team. Last season, Hobbs started in 16 of 31 games played and averaged 28.1 minutes. He averaged 8.4 points, 2.8 rebounds and shot 44.7 percent from the field and 45 percent (45-100) from 3-point territory. Hobbs also averaged 2.7 assists (ranked No. 10 in MEAC) and 1.4 steals.  He scored in double-figures 13 times, including a season-high 24 points versus Delaware State (Feb. 4). Thomas started in 8 of 29 games played last season and averaged 8.9 points, 3.9 rebounds and shot 43.4 percent from the field and 34 percent (16-47) from 3-point territory.  He scored in double-figures 10 times, scored 20 or more points five times, and poured in a season-high 27 points (11-22 FG) and grabbed 11 rebounds versus Norfolk State (Jan. 23).
• Several newcomers could make an impact for the Bears this season. Morgan added guard Wynston Tabbs from East Carolina, guard Kiran Oliver from New Mexico State, and forward Myles Thompson from Saint Francis (Pa.) via the transfer portal. 
• Morgan's roster includes three freshman, three sophomores, seven juniors, and three seniors.

SCOUTING THE RADFORD
• Radford is led by head coach Darris Nicholas. Nichols enters his second season as the Radford head basketball coach in 2023-24. The native son of Radford, Va. was named the eighth head coach in program history on April 21, 2021. In just his second season at the helm, leading the program to a 21-15 overall record, including a 12-6 mark in Big South play, during the 2022-23 campaign. Radford came one point away from playing in the conference championship, but still earned a bid to the College Basketball Invitational.
• Radford currently has a 2-3 overall record.
• Nov. 17, 2023 - Radford took #24 James Madison to the brink as a deep three-pointer as time expired just missed its mark in a 76-73 defeat inside the Atlantic Union Bank Center last Friday night. Redshirt senior DaQuan Smith led the way with 20 points on 8-of-13 shooting while Kenyon Giles (15 points) and Justin Archer (14 points, seven rebounds) made major contributions as well.
• Radford enters Tuesday's contest averaging 68.6 points per game on 44 percent shooting from the field and 32 percent from behind the arc. The Highlanders are averaging 10.2 assists and 7.0 steals per game.
• Sophomore 5-11 guard Kenyon Giles (Chesapeake, Va.) is leading the Highlanders' squad averaging a team-high 17.4 points per game and is shooting 46 percent from the field and 2.4 assists.
• Redshirt senior 6-1 guard DaQuan Smith (Holly Springs, Miss.) is averaging 13.8 points on 42 percent shooting from the floor and 33 percent from beyond the arc. Senior 6-foot-7 forward  Justin Archer (North Brunswick, N.J.) is averaging 7.6 points on 70 percent shooting with a team-high 8.8 rebounds.

SCOUTING NORTHERN COLORADO
• The UNC Bears are 2-2 with both wins coming against non-Division I competition. That means a Tuesday afternoon showdown with Chicago State, which determines Radford's next opponent, will be a big early-season opportunity to prove itself.
• Northern Colorado finished T-8th in the Big Sky Conference Preseason Coaches' Poll and 9th in the Big Sky Conference Preseason Media Poll, so defying expectations will be a major theme for Head Coach Steve Smiley and company. The trio of Dejour Reaves (15.0 ppg), Brock Wisne (14.5 ppg) and Saint Thomas (13.8 ppg & 11.8 rpg) will have something to say in the matter.

SCOUTING CHICAGO STATE
• Chicago State, the only independent program remaining in Division I, has begun the 2023-24 season with a 1-4 record, but their lone win came over a solid Southern Indiana squad that was part of the College Basketball Invitational field alongside Radford a season ago.
• Head Coach Gerald Gillian and his staff have the Cougars headed in the right direction, pulling off recruiting victories that elevated the overall talent level of the program by leaps and bounds. For example, junior guard Wesley Cardet Jr. joined the team after being ranked as the 60th-best player in the nation coming out of high school. Even still, offensive struggles have plagued Chicago State thus far as they only average 59.8 points per game and are being outscored by an average of 9.8 points per contest.

LAST TIME OUT FOR THE BEARS
PROVO, Utah. -  Jaxson Robinson scored 19 points and Foussey Traore added 17 as Brigham Young remained perfect on their home court, routing Morgan State 93-50 on Saturday. BYU improved to 4-0, while the Bears dropped to 2-3 on the season.
• Noah Waterman added 15 points and eight rebounds and Richie Saunders had 12 for the Cougars.
• Will Thomas led the Bears with 10 points (5-12 FG), and Winston Tabbs added nine points and three steals. Kiran Oliver added seven points off the bench.
• Thomas scored a layup to cut the Cougars' lead to 7-5 after the first couple minutes, but a 3-point hit by Spencer Johnson helped launch a 16-4 run over a 6-minute span, capped with a dunk by Jaxson Robinson. BYU led by as many as 17 points (33-16) when Tiki Ally Atiki scored on a hookshot with 6:14 remaining in the first half.
• The Bears used a 9-3 spurt and a layup by Wynston Tabbs cut the lead to 36-27. BYU went into the halftime break with a 42-29 advantage.

16th ANNUAL CANCUN CHALLENGE
Set for Nov. 21-22, 2023 at the Hard Rock Hotel Riviera Maya, the Men's Cancun Challenge welcomes eight teams to this gated, trusted and all-inclusive resort, where teams play in a converted ballroom that is walking distance from guest rooms. 
• The event features four teams in the Riviera Division (Fresno State, James Madison, New Mexico State and Southern Illinois) and four teams in the Mayan Division (Morgan State, Northern Colorado, Radford and Chicago State).
• This marks the second visit to the event for Fresno State and Northern Colorado; it's the debut appearance for the other programs.

HITTING THE CENTURY MARK
• Morgan scored 100 points in their home-opener vs. Cheney University of Pa. (11/9/23).
• Morgan scored 100 or more points twice during the 2022-23 season.
• The Bears recorded 130 points in the home-opener vs. Penn State Allegheny (11/11/22).
• Morgan registered 123 points in a home win vs. Virginia-Lynchburg (11/29/22).

HOME COOKING 
• Morgan completed the 2022-23 regular season 10-2 at home.
• The Bears had an 11-game home winning streak snapped by UMES on Jan. 30.
• Morgan completed the 2021-22 season with an 8-3 mark inside Hill Field House.
• The last time the Bears lost at home was against North Carolina Central (74-64) ... their previous loss was on Jan. 23, 2022 against Howard (91-82) on Jan. 23, 2022.
• Morgan is 2-0 at home so far this season.

NON-CONFERENCE RECAP 
• Morgan is off to a 2-3 record in non-conference play so far this season.
• The Bears registered a 8-9 record in their non- conference slate of games during the 2022-23 season (Feb. 4 vs. Delaware State was officially logged as a non-conference contest).

AT THE HELM
• Kevin Broadus is entering his fifth season at the helm of the program after being named as the men's head basketball coach in 2019.
• The Broadus-led Bears team has compiled several significant victories over non-conference competition, elevating the caliber of wins for a program that aims to compete at a championship level within the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC). Broadus demonstrated exemplary leadership while successfully overcoming a number of challenges at the onset of his tenure at Morgan, including having to navigate rebuilding a program under the shadow of the COVID-19 pandemic.
• This past season, Morgan finished with a record of 15-16 overall, and went 7-7 in MEAC play. In 2021-22, the Bears went 13-15 overall, and placed fourth in the MEAC standings with a 7-6 record while advancing to the MEAC Tournament semifinals game. Morgan advanced to the MEAC Tournament championship game in 2021.
• Prior to Morgan, Broadus worked at the University of Maryland, College Park, where he has been one of the nation's best recruiters as the top assistant on Mark Turgeon's coaching staff. Broadus was influential in the successful NCAA tournament run for the Terps.
• Consistently ranked in the top 20 nationally for recruiting, Broadus was instrumental in signing a number of local Baltimore talents such as DeJuan Summers, Brandon Herbert, LaFonta Johnson, and Henry Sims.

WHO'S OUT
• Malik Miller (Washington, D.C.), Khalil Turner (Philadelphia, Pa.), Isaiah Burke (Bowie, Md.), Daiquan Copeland (Philadelphia, Pa.), Lewis Djonkam(Springfield, Va.), Toto Fagbenle (London, England), Collin Nnamene (Enugu State, Nigeria), David McCullough (Bowie, Md.) and Ty Horner (Sisters, Ore.) wrapped up their Morgan careers last spring.

WHO'S BACK
The Bears return one starter from last year's team, bringing back guard Kamron Hobbs. MSU also returns forward Will Thomas along with guards Rob Lawson and  Kevon Wiggins.

WHO'S IN 
The Bears have added several newcomers to the 2023-24 roster: G Wynston Tabbs, G Demajion Topps, F Myles Thompson, G Kiran Oliver, G Amahrie Simpkins, F Daniel Akiotoby, F Trent Edwards, F Staccardo Washington, G Marvin Brimage, F Christian Oliver, G Tytan Newton, F Allen Udemadu, and G Xavier Valley.

RETURNING PRODUCTION NUMBERS 
Morgan State returns 30.2 percent of its scoring, 24.5 percent of its rebounding and 34.3 percent of its minutes played totals from last year's team. The team leaders in field goal percentage (Kamron Hobbs - .447), three-point percentage (Hobbs, .450), free throw percentage (Hobbs, .806), rebounding (Kyle Thomas - 3.9 rpg), assists (Hobbs, 2.7), steals (Hobbs, 1.4), blocked shots (Thomas, 0.2). and minutes played (Hobbs, 28.1). Two (2) players who started in at least five (5) games a year ago.

HOME GROWN 
Morgan State has six (6) players from the DMV (D.C., Maryland & Metropolitan-D.C.) area. Redshirt junior forward Will Thomas is from Baltimore and was a prep standout at Mervo HS, while sophomore guard Rob Lawson is from Capitol Heights and played at National Christian Academy, and freshman guard Staccardo Washington played at Dr. Henry A. Wise HS and is from Upper Marlboro. East Carolina transfer Wynston Tabbs hails from Suitland and played at St. Mary's Ryken School. Freshman guard Marvin Brimage is from Washington, D.C. and played at Jackson-Reed HS. Santa Monica College transfer Daniel Akitoby is a product of Fairfax, Va. and played at Falls Church HS.

THE SCHEDULE
The Bears won't ease into the season, opening the schedule Nov. 6 at Arizona. Another trip west comes later in the month with trips to Fresno State (Nov. 15) and Brigham Young (Nov. 18). Another high-profile game comes Dec. 27 with a visit to Virginia.
• "We're going to be battle tested," Broadus says. "The key is, we just have to be healthy, we have to be smart, we have to learn how to play together through adversity. I think once we do that, we're going to be really good."
• The home opener is Nov. 9 against Cheyney University of Pennsylvania. Among the other highlights will be local foe UMBC visiting Hill Field House on Dec. 6, and James Madison making the trip to Morgan for a pre-Christmas matinee on Dec. 22.
• The Bears' MEAC opener is Jan. 6 at Maryland-Eastern Shore, followed two days later by a visit from Delaware State. The regular season ends with a four-game homestand, capped by a Senior Day showdown against crosstown rival Coppin State on March 7.
•  "We just have to put it together," Broadus says. "I like what we've got. I think we have a good nucleus and I like how we're doing things."

PREDICTED TO FINISH FOURTH IN THE MEAC
The Morgan State men's basketball team has been picked to finish fourth in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference's preseason poll.
• The 2023-24 Bears earned 72 total points in the voting. Howard claimed 11 first place votes and 107 points total as the defending MEAC champions. Norfolk State (96 pts) was selected second, followed by North Carolina Central in third place  (79 pts). Maryland Eastern Shore (55 pts), Delaware State (39 pts), Coppin State (30 pts) and South Carolina State (26 pts) rounded out the league's predicted order of finish.
• Redshirt junior guard Kamron Hobbs and redshirt junior forward Will Thomas were named to the preseason All-MEAC second team.
• The 2024 MEAC Basketball Tournament will be held March 13-16 at the Norfolk Scope Arena in Norfolk, Va.

HOW TO WATCH GAMES: All men's and women's basketball home games will be video streamed for free through the MorganStateBears.com website. The latest broadcast and video stream information will always be listed on men's and women's basketball schedule pages at MorganStateBears.com.
 
MEN'S & WOMEN'S BASKETBALL RADIO: All home games and select away games for MSU men's and women's basketball will once again be available through Heritage Sports Radio Network (HSRN.com). Lamont Germany will handle play-by-play responsibilities and will also host pre-game and post-game shows. Including exclusive interviews with members of the teams and women's coach Ed Davis, Jr. and men's coach Kevin Broadus. Fans can download the HSRN app for free and listen to the MSU broadcasts from anywhere. Simply search for HSRN when using the iHeartRadio app.
  
FOLLOW MORGAN STATE ATHLETICS IN CYBERSPACE 
There are many ways to keep up with MSU athletics online and on the go:
• Visit www.morganstatebears.com, the official web site of Bears athletics, for news, schedules, stats, bios and more. 
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ABOUT MORGAN
Morgan State University, founded in 1867, is a Carnegie-classified doctoral research institution offering more than 100 academic programs leading to degrees from the baccalaureate to the doctorate. As Maryland's Preeminent Public Urban Research University, Morgan serves a multiethnic and multiracial student body and seeks to ensure that the doors of higher education are opened as wide as possible to as many as possible. For more information about Morgan State University, visit www.morgan.edu.