The University of South Carolina Upstate is a public university in Valley Falls, South Carolina, near Spartanburg and with a Spartanburg postal address. Founded in 1967 and formerly known as University of South Carolina Spartanburg, the institution changed its name in the summer of 2004. It offers bachelor's and master's degrees for students in the Upstate and surrounding areas. It is part of the University of South Carolina System and home to approximately 6,000 students and 340 full-time faculty. It is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.
G. B. Hodge Center is an 878-seat multi-purpose arena in Spartanburg, South Carolina. It is home to the USC Upstate Spartans' basketball and volleyball teams. It was opened in 1973 and is named for one of the university's founders.
Edward G. Payne was an American college basketball coach and the head men's basketball coach at the University of South Carolina Upstate. Payne led the USC Upstate Spartans through their first season of Division I competition in 2007–2008. In 2012, he was named the Atlantic Sun Conference Coach of the Year. Prior to arriving at USC Upstate, Payne was a Div I head coach at Oregon State University and East Carolina University. Payne's son, Luke, was one of his assistant coaches at USC Upstate from 2012 to 2015. Payne announced his retirement from USC Upstate on October 3, 2017, citing complications from ankle surgeries in the off-season. He died in 2021, due to complications of a stroke at the age of 69
Cleveland S. Harley Baseball Park is a baseball venue in Spartanburg, South Carolina. It is home to the USC Upstate Spartans baseball team of the NCAA's Division I Big South Conference. It opened on February 1, 2004, when Upstate swept a double header against Tusculum College. The facility has a capacity of 500 spectators.
The USC Upstate Spartans are the athletic teams that represent the University of South Carolina Upstate, located in Spartanburg, South Carolina, in intercollegiate sports at the Division I level of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), primarily competing in the Big South Conference since the 2018–19 academic year.
The USC Upstate Spartans men's basketball team represents the University of South Carolina Upstate in Spartanburg, South Carolina, United States. The school's team formerly competed in the ASUN Conference, but moved to the Big South Conference in 2018–19. They are currently led by Head Coach Dave Dickerson and play their home games at the G. B. Hodge Center. During their time as a member of the NAIA, they were national champions in 1982. Since their move to Division I in 2007, they have yet to qualify for the NCAA tournament.
Although there are no major league professional franchises based in South Carolina, the state does have numerous minor league teams. The Carolina Panthers and Carolina Hurricanes major league pro teams representing both North Carolina and South Carolina, are based in neighboring North Carolina. The Carolina Panthers, the professional American football team of the National Football League based in Charlotte, North Carolina, has training facilities in Rock Hill, South Carolina. College teams throughout the state represent their particular South Carolina institution, along with the state being a prime destination for golf and water sports.
The USC Upstate Spartans baseball team is a varsity intercollegiate athletic team of the University of South Carolina Upstate in Spartanburg, South Carolina, United States. The team is a member of the Big South Conference, which is part of the National Collegiate Athletic Association's Division I. The team plays its home games at Harley Park in Spartanburg, South Carolina. The Spartans are coached by Mike McGuire.
The 2014–15 USC Upstate Spartans women's basketball team will represent the University of South Carolina Upstate in the 2014–15 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. The Spartans were coached by tenth year head coach Tammy George and were members of the Atlantic Sun Conference. They finished the season 14-16, 7-9 in A-Sun play for a three way tie for a fourth-place finish. They lost in the quarterfinals of the 2015 Atlantic Sun women's basketball tournament to Northern Kentucky.
Luke Payne is an American former basketball player and coach. He played both guard positions during his playing days; he was a standout college player for the USC Upstate Spartans before moving to Australia and forging a successful four-year career with the Lakeside Lightning of the State Basketball League (SBL). In 2012, he returned to USC Upstate, joining the Spartans men's basketball team as an assistant coach under his father, Eddie, the head coach.
The 2015–16 USC Upstate Spartans women's basketball team will represent the University of South Carolina Upstate in the 2015–16 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. The Spartans, led by eleventh year head coach Tammy George, played their games at G. B. Hodge Center and are members of the Atlantic Sun Conference. They finished the season 22–12, 10–4 in A-Sun play to finish in third place. They advanced to the semifinals of the A-Sun women's tournament where they lost to Jacksonville. They were invited to the Women's Basketball Invitational where defeated Northern Kentucky in the first round, Western Illinois in the quarterfinals before losing to Weber State in the semifinals.
The 2016–17 USC Upstate Spartans men's basketball team represented the University of South Carolina Upstate during the 2016–17 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Spartans, led by 15th-year head coach Eddie Payne, played their home games at the G. B. Hodge Center in Spartanburg, South Carolina as members of the Atlantic Sun Conference. They finished the season 17–16, 7–7 in ASUN play to finish in a tie for fourth place. They lost in the quarterfinals of the ASUN tournament to Kennesaw State. They were invited to the CollegeInsider.com Tournament where they lost in the first round to Furman.
The 2016–17 USC Upstate Spartans women's basketball team will represent the University of South Carolina Upstate in the 2016–17 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. The Spartans, led by twelfth year head coach Tammy George, played their games at G. B. Hodge Center and were members of the Atlantic Sun Conference. They finished the season 9–21, 2–12 in A-Sun play to finish in last place. They lost in the quarterfinals of A-Sun Tournament to Stetson.
The 2017–18 USC Upstate Spartans men's basketball team represented the University of South Carolina Upstate during the 2017–18 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Spartans, led by first-year head coach Kyle Perry, played their home games at the G. B. Hodge Center in Spartanburg, South Carolina as members of the Atlantic Sun Conference. Perry was initially named interim coach upon head coach Eddie Payne's retirement on October 3, 2017 due to health concerns, but had the interim tag removed on October 20 and was named full-time head coach. They finished the season 7–25, 2–12 in ASUN play to finish in last place. They lost in the quarterfinals of the ASUN tournament to Florida Gulf Coast.
The 2017–18 USC Upstate Spartans women's basketball team represents the University of South Carolina Upstate in the 2017–18 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. The Spartans, led by thirteenth year head coach Tammy George, play their games at G. B. Hodge Center and were members of the Atlantic Sun Conference. They finished the season 11–19, 6–8 in A-Sun play to finish in fifth place. They lost in the quarterfinals of A-Sun Tournament to Lipscomb.
The 2018–19 USC Upstate Spartans men's basketball team represented the University of South Carolina Upstate during the 2018–19 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Spartans, led by first-year head coach Dave Dickerson, played their home games at the G. B. Hodge Center in Spartanburg, South Carolina as first-year members of the Big South Conference.
The 2019–20 USC Upstate Spartans men's basketball team represented the University of South Carolina Upstate in the 2019–20 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Spartans, led by second-year head coach Dave Dickerson, played their home games at the G. B. Hodge Center in Spartanburg, South Carolina, as members of the Big South Conference. They finished the season 13–20, 7–11 in Big South play to finish in a three-way tie for seventh place. They defeated High Point in the first round of the Big South tournament before losing the quarterfinals to Winthrop.
The 2020–21 USC Upstate Spartans men's basketball team represented University of South Carolina Upstate during the 2020–21 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The team was led by third-year head coach Dave Dickerson, and played their home games at G. B. Hodge Center in Spartanburg, South Carolina as members of the Big South Conference.
The 2021–22 USC Upstate Spartans men's basketball team represented the University of South Carolina Upstate in the 2021–22 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Spartans, led by fourth-year head coach Dave Dickerson, played their home games at the G. B. Hodge Center in Spartanburg, South Carolina as members of the Big South Conference. With the reintroduction of divisions for the first time since the 2013–14 season, the Spartans play in the South Division.
The 2022–23 USC Upstate Spartans men's basketball team represented the University of South Carolina Upstate in the 2022–23 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Spartans, led by fifth-year head coach Dave Dickerson, played their home games at the G. B. Hodge Center in Spartanburg, South Carolina as members of the Big South Conference. They finished the season 15–14, 10–8 in Big South play to finish in a three-way tie for fourth place. They defeated Gardner–Webb in the quarterfinals of the Big South tournament before losing the semifinals to UNC Asheville. The Spartans were invited to the CBI, where they were defeated in the first round by Indiana State.
