Panther’s Toothsayer: High Point vs Longwood

📍 Where We Stand

High Point opens the home portion of Big South play riding the momentum of a historic 2025. The calendar year closed with a statement road win in Asheville on New Year’s Eve, a fitting punctuation mark on a season that saw the Panthers win the Big South regular season title, complete the double by capturing the conference tournament, and punch the program’s first ticket to March Madness.

The Panthers have now won 15 straight Big South games and five straight games overall this season. Their last conference loss? Against Longwood in Farmville.

The last Big South loss at the Qubein Center also came against the Lancers, an overtime semifinal heartbreak in the 2024 conference tournament. Longwood would go on to win that tournament on High Point’s home floor and advance to the NCAA Tournament for the second time in school history.

Even further back, Longwood owns the last regular season Big South win in this building, a February 2023 victory against a GG Smith led Panther team.

HPU athletics has been on a Game of Thrones Targaryen style conquest of the Big South. But this Longwood men’s team remains the last bastion yet to fall.

This is not just another conference game. This is the program’s longest running reminder.

🧭 THE ARC OF THE RIVALRY

While High Point has largely dominated Big South opponents over the past two seasons, two programs have consistently resisted bending the knee: UNC Asheville and Longwood. The Panthers handled the Bulldogs on the mountain in their last outing. Now they have a chance to do the same against the pesky Lancers.

Longwood is the only Big South program with a winning record against High Point during the Huss and Clayman era. The Panthers are just 2–3 against the Lancers over the past two seasons and 2–8 over the last ten meetings, despite holding a narrow all time series edge at 19–18.

From 2018 onward, Longwood won 11 straight games against High Point, creating a perception among Lancer fans that they own this matchup.

HPU has changed its trajectory. But Longwood has never been afraid of the Panthers. 

It’s time to change that.

🟦 SCOUTING THE OPPONENT: LONGWOOD

Program Snapshot

Location: Farmville, VA

Conference: Big South

Head Coach: Ronnie Thomas (first season, promoted from within)

Style: Physical, foul heavy, interior oriented on offense, defend the three on defense

Identity: Toughness over aesthetics

Like High Point, Longwood lost its head coach to his Power Five alma mater last offseason.

Like High Point, the Lancers elevated a trusted assistant, choosing continuity over reinvention.

The system remains intact.

🧱 TEAM IDENTITY: WHAT LONGWOOD IS

Longwood teams are built to turn games into trench warfare.

They:

• Thrive at getting to the free throw line

  • Convert there at an elite rate

• Defend the three-point arc

• Crash the glass relentlessly

• Force turnovers through pressure

• Welcome whistle heavy Big South officiating

They have not shot well from deep, but they muck up every game to make that deficiency matter less.

Their advantage is cumulative, possession by possession, foul by foul, rebound by rebound. With whistle happy officiating in the Big South, this approach has proven effective year after year.

🧩 Key Lancers to Know

⭐ Elijah Tucker (6’8 R-SR F) — The Enforcer

Interior scorer, foul magnet, emotional tone setter. One of the few players in the league who has consistently punished High Point physically, averaging close to 14 points per game against the Panthers.

HPU Key: Make him finish through traffic and keep him off the free throw line.

⭐ Johan Nziemi (6’6 GR F) — The Anchor

Elite efficiency, relentless rebounder, second chance engine. The backbone of Longwood’s interior play and offensive rebounding identity.

HPU Key: Hit first on the glass and eliminate extra possessions.

⭐ Jacoi Hutchinson (6’3 JR G) — The Driver

Primary ball handler, downhill creator, pace setter. When he gets into the paint, Longwood’s offense stabilizes.

HPU Key: Turn drives into decisions, not finishes.

⭐ Redd Thompson (6’0 SO G) — The Spark

Bench scorer, momentum shifter, fearless shot taker. Quietly one of the most effective reserves in the conference.

HPU Key: Do not let him flip the game in short bursts.

Depth matters, but this game will still be decided by the core.

📈 RECENT FORM

Longwood enters the Qubein Center coming off a gritty rivalry win over Winthrop, holding the Eagles to poor shooting while winning the battle in the paint and at the free throw line.

Winthrop center Logan Duncomb scored 31 points and grabbed 13 rebounds, but Longwood’s defensive philosophy held firm: allow interior production, eliminate perimeter rhythm, and win the math game everywhere else.

It was Ronnie Thomas’s first Big South win as a head coach, and the response from his players spoke volumes.

📊 Matchup Snapshot

For High Point:

• Defensive rebounding discipline

• Managing foul trouble early

• Maintaining offensive spacing against pressure

• Avoiding stagnant half court possessions

• Making free throws

• Not taking Longwood’s shooting struggles for granted and always be closing out

  
  

For Longwood:

• Ball security, as they have turned the ball over frequently and HPU feasts on live ball turnovers

• Perimeter shooting variance, as they have not shot the ball well, while HPU has, though the Panthers have made poor shooting teams look good before

• Defending without fouling

• Surviving High Point’s guard driven pace

  
  

This game will not be decided by aesthetics. It will be decided by control and composure.

🧠 Coaching Context

Ronnie Thomas inherits a program with expectations and a proven formula. He brings relationship building energy and continuity.

High Point, meanwhile, is more versatile offensively, deeper, and more talented across the roster.

But Longwood loves to drag teams into the mud, and Big South officiating often supports that style.

Can HPU stay cool when calls do not go their way? Can they find offense if shots are not falling? Can they stem momentum and respond when the game tightens?

The Panthers built a large lead in Asheville, but the Bulldogs fought back and cut the margin before the under 12 timeout. HPU responded with its most mature stretch of the season. They will need that same resolve again.

🗝️ Keys for High Point

1️⃣ Shoot it with confidence

Longwood leads the Big South in defending the three. Teams are shooting under 32 percent against the Lancers, and Winthrop managed just 21 percent from deep in their most recent contest. But High Point’s shooters are a different caliber. When looks are there, take them.

2️⃣ Win the defensive glass

This is non-negotiable. Longwood lives on second chances. One shot and done must be the standard.

3️⃣ Limit the free throw parade

The Lancers thrive at the line, and Big South whistles reward physicality. Stay vertical, show hands, and avoid cheap fouls.

4️⃣ Find post scoring and paint touches

Longwood’s focus on defending the arc has left them vulnerable inside. Duncomb scored a career high 31 against them. High Point does not feature its bigs the same way, but paint touches will be vital. Touch the key, play through contact, and force Longwood to guard inside out. Owen Aquino and Cam Fletcher should loom large.

5️⃣ Stay poised when it gets physical

There will be bumps, runs, and frustration moments. Do not let emotion replace execution.

This game will be about toughness and discipline. Make shots when they are there, rebound with intent, and do not give Longwood free points at the stripe. Stay connected, stay strong, and finish possessions.

🔮 Toothsayer’s Take

High Point is the better team. That has not mattered against Longwood.

The Lancers are the last team to truly scar High Point in this league. They remember the Farmville loss. They remember the overtime heartbreak. They remember the trophy ceremony on their home floor.

Saturday is not just about revenge. It is about completing the dynasty.

Longwood is physical, disciplined, and entirely comfortable turning games into attrition battles. They do not blink in this building. They do not get rattled by runs. And they have more recent success on High Point’s floor than any other program in the league.

This is the kind of game that can:

• Exorcise the last lingering demon from the Qubein Center

• Confirm that High Point’s dominance is now matchup proof

• Or remind everyone that some opponents know exactly where to press

Longwood will foul. They will rebound. They will dare officials to keep the whistle consistent.

If High Point controls the glass, maintains composure through physicality, and avoids foul driven stagnation, the win streak lives and the past loosens its grip.

If not, Longwood can once again remain Unbowed, Unbent, and Unbroken.

Prediction: High Point 84, Longwood 78