The third annual Pioneer Tip Off Classic will feature four basketball tradition-rich programs.
On Friday, Ripon faces Buena Vista at 5 p.m., while UW-Platteville plays host to Viterbo at 7 p.m. On Saturday, Ripon plays Viterbo at 5 p.m., and UWP meets Buena Vista at 7 p.m.
Buena Vista Beavers
After six consecutive 20-win campaigns, last season's Buena Vista University men's basketball team produced surprises both bad and good. With no returning starters and a roster full of inexperienced underclassmen, the Beavers were expected to take a step backward and have their four-year reign as the Iowa Conference Tournament champions ended.
The young Beavers stumbled to a 4-11 start, then regrouped to win 11 of their next 13 games, win the conference tournament, and advance to the NCAA III National Tournament.
This season, Buena Vista returns five of its top six scorers from last year's 15-14 team. Five of the seven players who started at least 10 games are back for head coach Brian Van Haaften who is beginning his 11th year leading the program.
Buena Vista will start the season with only one senior who has seen playing time in the past. The Beavers will also likely have three sophomores in their starting lineup as the year begins.
The Beavers opened their season with an exhibition game against the Iowa Hawkeyes. Losing 29-41 at halftime, the Beavers scored 10 straight points to start the half, and bring the score within two. That margin would remain the same until half way though the second half, when Iowa went on a run of its own to win the game 77-58.
Ripon College Red Hawks
Last season was a tough one for the Ripon men's basketball team, as the Red Hawks experienced some unchartered waters throughout the season. For the first time in 23 years, the Red Hawks finished the season with a losing record, with a 7-15 overall mark, finishing sixth in the Midwest Conference. After going through last year, Coach Bob Gillespie's team is optimistic about this year because of the experience a young team gained.
Ripon averaged 78 points per game last year, but they also allowed opponents to score 80 ppg, which is much higher than the defensive-oriented Red Hawks usually allow. In order to cut that number down this season, the Red Hawks will be counting on their veteran lineup, which returns every starter from last year's team.
The Red Hawks are picked to finish third in the Midwest Conference preseason poll, behind only Lawrence and Carroll who were in the national polls last season.
Ripon College is the alma mater of UW-Platteville Coach Paul Combs, who also was an assistant for the Red Hawks.
Viterbo V-Hawks
As a team, the V-Hawks finished the 2005-06 season with a late season run that saw them finish in second place in the Midwest Classic Conference. Unfortunately for Coach Wayne Wagner, he is losing three of his five starters as well as two more main contributors.
Guard Greg Jefferies, who started in all 31 games last season as a freshman, and three-time All-Conference forward Jeremy Fradette. These two should give Viterbo a base from which to grow. Fradette earned all-tournament honors here two season ago.
Nck Stilwell, freshman Scott Buschman and Eric Ambrose and transfer Drew Knutson round out the expected list of contributors.
UW-Platteville Pioneers
Coach Paul Combs and the Pioneers will look to continue with their winning ways, after losing just two seniors from last year's team.
Seniors Mark Gossens, a four-year starter, and Mike Jamerson will be looked at as two of the team's leaders. Jamerson, a transfer student, was third on the team in assists and second in steals last year.
Jeff Skemp, a 6-foot-10-inch junior, led the Pioneers in rebounds last season with 6.2 per game and in blocked shots with 22. He also averaged 10.9 points per game.
Combs said that the backbone of the team will consist of his four returning sophomores: Charlie Lohoff, Bo Richter, Kyle Tetschlag and Josh Langenfeld, although Langenfeld is currently out with an injury. Combs also said he is excited for this year's new additions to the team, which include nine true freshmen.
The team had a chance to blend last week at Purdue. The Pioneers opened their season with an exhibition game against the Purdue Boilermakers. This is the third consecutive year that the Pioneers have taken on a Division I opponent to start their season.
The Pioneers gave the Boilermakers a big scare in the first half of the game, only being down 30-28 at the half. Purdue's athleticism, and all-Big Ten performer Carl Landry would take over in the second half however, as the Boilermakers posted a 78-46 win. Freshman Mike Shaw led the Pioneers with 11 points off the bench.