Schedule
Saginaw Valley St. (0-0, 0-0 GLIAC) at Hillsdale (0-0, 0-0 G-MAC) | 3 p.m. Friday, Nov. 8 | Dawn Tibbetts Potter Arena | Hillsdale, MI
Hillsdale (0-0, 0-0 G-MAC) at Saginaw Valley St. (0-0, 0-0 GLIAC) | 3 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 10 | James E. O'Neill Jr. Arena | University Center, MI
 
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Additional Info
Hillsdale Roster | SVSU Roster | 2023-24 Hillsdale Stats | 2023-24 SVSU Stats | G-MAC Standings | G-MAC Stats
 
Players to watch*
Hillsdale:  #2 Ashton Janowski, Jr., G, Pewaukee, WI/Pewaukee (10.1 ppg); #4 Charles Woodhams, Sr., G, Otsego, MI/Otsego (13 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 2.5 apg); #14 Mikey McCollum, Jr., G, Lewis Center, OH/Olentangy Orange (7.8 ppg); #31 CJ Yarian, So., F, Brookfield, WI/Central (4.7 ppg, 5.1 rpg); #33 Joe Reuter, Sr., F, Chippewa Falls, WI/Chippewa Falls (15 ppg, 7.2 rpg, 2.8 apg, 1.3 spg)
Saginaw Valley: #1 Freddie McIntosh, Sr., G, Saginaw, MI/Saginaw (16.2 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 2.3 apg, 1.2 spg); #4 Kevonne Taylor, Jr, F, Detroit, MI/Chandler Park (5.6 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 2.6 bpg); #5 Maurice Anderson, Sr., G, Romulus, MI/UM-Dearborn (3.2 ppg); #10 Bryson Huckeby, Jr., G, Freeland, MI/Anderson U. (14.2 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 2.3 apg, 1.3 spg at Anderson); #11 Toodles Seal, Sr, G, Detroit, MI/Henry Ford CC (18.5 ppg, 6 rpg, 1.1 spg)
 
*Stats from 2023-24 season
 
Scouting the Opposition:
After a second-straight season of coming up just short of a .500 finish at 13-14, SVSU is looking to reload for another shot at rising in the GLIAC standings.

The Cardinals return three starters from last year's squad that split two contests with Hillsdale, and are led by high-scoring guards Freddie McIntosh, now in his third year as a starter, and Toodles Seal, both of whom earned second-team All-GLIAC honors in 2023-24. The third returning starter is post Kevonne Taylor, a gifted rim protector who earned GLIAC All-Defensive honors last season as well.

SVSU doesn't return much experience around that trio, which means the Cardinals were active on the recruiting trail, landing athletic wings Bryson Huckeby and Elijah Mattingly from Anderson as well as big man Richmond Mawutor from the JuCo ranks. Those three players will be looked to early to contribute, and the Cardinals also will try to get productive minutes out of redshirt freshmen Christian Zielinski and Triston Nichols, as well as a five-player freshman class.

SVSU is coached by Randy Baruth, now in his 13th season leading the Cardinals, with a 104-158 record. Baruth graduated from Dakota Wesleyan University and played for the Tigers for four years before coaching at North Dakota State, Northern State and Utah as an assistant.

Scouting the Chargers
Despite a young squad with only one returning starter in 2023-24, the Hillsdale College men's basketball team put together a solid campaign, winning 18 games and keeping a streak of seven straight top four G-MAC finishes intact.

Now, as the calendar turns from the 2024-25 season, last year's young squad at Hillsdale becomes one of the most veteran teams in the G-MAC, and a serious contender for the G-MAC crown and a potential return trip to the NCAA Tournament after a year's absence.

Entering this winter, the Chargers go from returning only one starter to returning four of five starters, and 11 of 13 players that appeared in at least one game in the 2023-24 season. Leading the way is senior forward Joe Reuter, a two-time All-G-MAC selection who's entering his third year as a starter and one of just three first-team All-G-MAC players from a year ago who are back for the 2024-25 season.

Reuter led Hillsdale in scoring, rebounding, assists, steals and blocks last season and should be one of the top players in the conference. He'll be flanked by two more returning double-digit scorers in guards Charles Woodhams, a fifth-year senior, and Ashton Janowski, a junior. Both players came into their own last season as starters and scoring threats and give Hillsdale great toughness and continuity up front.

An area where the Chargers are hoping for major improvement is in the paint. Starting center CJ Yarian returns after a solid first season on the court for Hillsdale, while fellow sophomores Caleb Glaser and Garrett Bolte gained great experience off the bench and will look to continue growing as sophomores. The unit will get a big boost from a healthy Eric Radisevic, who contributed last year but was limited for much of the season by injuries. Now entering 2024-25 fully recovered, Radisevic could make a big impact for the Chargers, who lacked offensive punch from the center position at points in 2023-24 and could jump to another level as a team with better production down low.

Two players who could see their role grow as Hillsdale looks to replace the graduated Samuel Vasiu are sharpshooting sophomore Mikey McCollum and junior point guard Cole McWhinnie, both of whom excelled in substitute roles in 2023-24 and who will compete for more minutes this season.

Additionally, don't count out two players coming off their redshirt years this season. Guard Logan Beaston and post Connor Stonebraker are both skilled offensive players and have the talent to carve out roles of their own on an experienced squad, while further bolstering the Chargers' depth.

Head coach Keven Bradley returns for his second season at the helm after a solid first season, and brings back assistant Evan Morrissey for a second year, while adding Michigan native Travis Schuba to the coaching staff for this campaign as well.


Matchup History:

• Hillsdale is 43-39 all time in a long-running series with Saginaw Valley State, who shared a conference with the Chargers from the mid-70s to 2017, and has been a frequent non-conference opponent since then. The Chargers and Cardinals split last year's two meetings with each squad winning at home, and Hillsdale is 7-5 in the series against SVSU in the last decade, including 4-2 in since joining the G-MAC.

 
Other Notes:

• The Chargers were picked to finish second in the G-MAC Preseason Poll released in late October, with four first place votes. Defending champion Kentucky Wesleyan was picked to repeat, while defending G-MAC Tournament champion Walsh was picked to finish third. Since joining the league in 2017-18, Hillsdale has never finished lower than third in the final standings.
• Hillsdale was one of three G-MAC teams receiving votes in the NABC Preseason Top 25 poll, along with the Wildcats and Cavaliers. 10 Midwest Region teams were mentioned in the preseason poll, with nine listed in the others receiving votes category. Defending regional champion Ferris State was the only Midwest Region team in the top 25, ranked 25^th overall.
• Hillsdale returns four starters from last year's squad, headlined by returning All-G-MAC honoree Joe Reuter. The senior forward is a third-year starter and a two-time All-Conference player who also was named G-MAC Freshman of the Year for the 2021-22 season. Along with high scoring guards Ashton Janowski and Charles Woodhams, Reuter figures to be a key building block for the Chargers on both ends of the floor this season.
• Hillsdale is known for its excellent 3-point defense, and last year's team was the best the Chargers have had at it since the 3-point line was introduced. Teams shot just 29.3% from deep on Hillsdale last season, the lowest among G-MAC squads and in the top 10 nationally. With almost every player returning from last season's team, Hillsdale will look to that foundation to build another top-notch defense in 2024-25.