The Hillsdale College men's basketball team suffered its first setback against Ferris State on Wednesday, but didn't stay down for long, bouncing back with an impressive road win over Midwest Regional foe Wayne St. on Saturday.
The Chargers head into Thanksgiving week with business to take care of before the holiday starts, as Hillsdale hosts a Lewis squad that's much tougher than their 0-3 record indicates on Tuesday night.
Schedule
Lewis (0-3, 0-0 GLVC) at #7/#3(t) Hillsdale (3-1, 0-0 G-MAC) | 7 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 23 | Dawn Tibbetts Potter Arena | Hillsdale, MI
Follow/Watch
Live Stats vs Lewis | Video vs Lewis | Tickets vs Lewis
Additional Info
Hillsdale Roster | Lewis Roster | 2021-22 Hillsdale Stats | 2021-22 Lewis Stats
Projected Starters
Hillsdale: #15 Patrick Cartier, So., F, Brookfield, WI/East (27.0 ppg, 4.0 rpg); #24 Austen Yarian, Sr., F, Cleveland, OH/St. Ignatius (8.5 ppg, 8.3 rpg, 4.0 apg); #1 Tavon Brown, Jr., F, Columbus, OH/St. Charles Prep (7.3 ppg, 8.0 rpg, 1.8 spg, 1.0 bpg); #2 Kyle Goessler, Jr., F, Brunswick, OH/Brunswick (7.5 ppg, 2.8 apg); #5 Cole Nau, Jr., G, Brookfield, WI/Central (4.0 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 4.3 apg)
Lewis: #33 Connor Niego, Sr., F, Western Springs, IL/Lyons Twp./Holy Cross (14 ppg, 8.7 rpg, 1.7 spg); #15 Bruno Williams, Sr., G/F. Milwaukee, WI/Wisconsin Lutheran/Parkland College (9 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 2 spg); #5 Deon Ejim, Jr., Toronto, Canada, TRC Academy/Illinois-Chicago (7.3 ppg, 3 rpg); #22 Dre Bell, Sr., G, Detroit, MI/River Rouge (6.3 ppg, 2 apg, 1 spg); #3 Marquise Jackson, Sr., G, Macon, GA/Windsor Academy/South Georgia St. (4.3 ppg, 3 rpg, 2 spg)
Scouting the Opposition
Lewis: The Flyers have been competitive in three games so far in 2021-22, but it has yet to result in a win, with the most recent defeat coming at the hands of Wayne St., 68-66, in the final seconds.
The GLVC Tournament Champion last year, Lewis has struggled offensively so far this season, breaking the 60-point mark just once in three contests. The Flyers have a dependable low-post scorer in 6-foot-8 fifth-year senior Connor Niego, but have been unable to find consistent secondary scoring around him.
One area where the Flyers have excelled so far is defensively, grabbing 26 steals as a team in three games. Five players are averaging a steal or more a game for Lewis, making taking care of the ball a priority against the Flyers.
Along with the projected starting lineup, sophomore guard Beau Frericks has also been impressive off the bench for Lewis, averaging 8.3 points per game in just 19 minutes and giving the team a needed spark.
Lewis is coached by Scott Trost, now in his 16th season at the helm of the Flyers. During his tenure at Lewis, he's led the Flyers to five 20+ win seasons, six NCAA Tournaments, and two GLVC titles, in 2016 and 2021.
Scouting the Chargers
Hillsdale is looking to build off of one of the most successful seasons in school history in 2020-21, a campaign that saw the Chargers repeat as G-MAC regular season champions, earn a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament for the first time, and reach the Atlantic Regional Final round, with a 21-3 final record.
Three starters return for the Chargers, led by G-MAC Male Athlete of the Year and consensus All-American Patrick Cartier. A 20.5 point per game scorer whose efficient offense consistently draws double-teams in the paint, Cartier has the perfect running mate in fellow first team All-G-MAC forward Austen Yarian, whose versatility and outside shooting touch causes significant matchup issues of his own for opposing defenses.
Also back is junior forward Tavon Brown, whose defense, rebounding and energy were critical to the team's success last season, and who could have another breakout year as his offensive game continues to mature.
The Chargers have big holes to fill with the loss of second team All-G-MAC guards Connor Hill and Davis Larson. Replacing the production and especially the leadership of that back-court will be a significant determining factor in Hillsdale's success in 2021. Two top subs from 2020-21, juniors Cole Nau and Kyle Goessler, have moved into the starting lineup to help fill the void, while fellow junior Jack Gohlke, sophomore Noah Applegate and redshirt freshmen Charles Woodhams and Samuel Vasiu, among others, have taken on expanded roles.
Directing the Chargers for the 15th straight season is head coach John Tharp, who is the all-time winningest coach in program history with a 254-137 record. Returning as assistants on Hillsdale's bench this year are associate head coach Keven Bradley, assistant coach Eric Weiss, and assistant coach David Choi.
Other Notes
- Hillsdale is 5-7 since joining NCAA Division II in 1990 in a competitive series with Lewis. The Chargers and Flyers have split the last four meetings, with Lewis winning the most recent one on Dec. 17, 2019 68-65. The Flyers also knocked Hillsdale out of the 2002 NCAA Division II Tournament in a 67-53 Regional Quarterfinal victory.
- Hillsdale was picked as the favorite to win the G-MAC crown for the third consecutive year in the conference's Preseason Coaches Poll presented by Under Armour, though by only a single vote over conference newcomer Ashland, which made the NCAA Tournament in its final year in the GLIAC last season. 2020-21 G-MAC runner-up Findlay was picked third and 2020-21 G-MAC Tournament champion Malone was picked in fourth.
- The 2020-21 G-MAC Male Athlete of the Year, Patrick Cartier, continues to excel on the court in his junior season. Cartier has scored 19 or more points in all four of Hillsdale's games so far, and is currently 2nd in the G-MAC and 7th in the nation in points per game with 27.0. On Saturday, Nov. 13, the junior also became the 39th player in Hillsdale College men's basketball history to surpass 1,000 points for his career with 30 points in a 83-61 win over Northwood.
- At 920 points in his career, senior Austen Yarian is fast closing in on joining Cartier as the 40th Charger to reach 1,000 points in his career. A first-team All-G-MAC player in 2020-21, Yarian had a season-high 17 points and grabbed seven rebounds in a 68-62 win over Wayne State on Saturday.
- While it's a long road to get there, Hillsdale has the opportunity to chase unprecedented accomplishments in the program's history this year. The Chargers will be in contention for a third-straight G-MAC title, something that's never been done in the history of the program. The Chargers also will be looking for their seventh NCAA Division II tournament appearance in school history, and their first back-to-back appearance since the 2000-01 and 2001-02 teams made it in consecutive years.
