Schedule
#15/21 Hillsdale (8-1, 2-0 G-MAC) at Walsh (3-3, 1-1 G-MAC) | 3 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 14 | Cecchini Center | North Canton, OH
#15/21 Hillsdale (8-1, 2-0 G-MAC) at Northwood (4-4, 1-1 G-MAC) | 7 p.m. Monday, Dec. 16 | Riepma Arena | Midland, MI
 
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Additional Info
Hillsdale Roster | Walsh Roster | Northwood Roster | Hillsdale Stats | Walsh Stats | Northwood Stats | G-MAC Standings | G-MAC Stats
 
Projected Starters
Hillsdale: #2 Ashton Janowski, Jr, G, Pewaukee, WI/Pewaukee (11.1 ppg, 3.2 apg); #4 Charles Woodhams, Sr., G, Otsego, MI/Otsego (13.3 ppg, 5.9 rpg, 2.8 apg); #30 Logan Beaston, rFr., G, Tiffin, OH/Columbian (9.3 ppg, 2.1 rpg); #33 Joe Reuter, Sr., F, Chippewa Falls, WI/Chippewa Falls (11.3 ppg, 7.4 rpg, 3.4 apg, 1.1 spg 1 bpg); #35 Eric Radisevic, Sr., F, Brookfield, WI/Central (6.3 ppg)
 
Walsh: #1 Kobe Mitchell, Jr., G, Cadiz, OH/Harrison Central/Akron U. (17.5 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 2 apg, 1.7 spg); #2 Quintero Barnett, Fr., G, Brunswick, OH/Brunswick (10.3 ppg, 4 rpg, 2.2 apg, 1 bpg); #11 Aiden Satterfield, Jr., G, Charleston, WV/Charleston Catholic (9.6 ppg, 6.8 rpg, 3 apg, 1.2 spg, 1 bpg); #22 Ayden Carter, Jr.,G/ F, Fremont, OH/Fremont Ross (16.5 ppg, 5.3 rpg); #23 Zack Oddo, Jr., G/F, Green, OH/Green (16 ppg, 10 rpg, 3.3 apg, 1.2 spg)
 
Northwood: #0 Elijah Watson, Sr., F, Chicago Heights, IL/Thornton Fractional South/Wayne St. (NE) (13.6 ppg, 5 rpg, 2.1 apg, 1.5 spg); #1 De'Arrius Ware, Sr., F, Muskegon, MI/Muskegon (6.9 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 1.1 spg); #2 JT Morgan, Sr., F, Detroit, MI/U of D Jesuit/Maryville U. (8.8 ppg, 7.9 rpg, 2.5 apg); #11 Noah Pruitt, Sr., G, Okemos, MI/Okemos/Mid Michigan CC (2.5 ppg); #24 Will Young II, Jr., G, Okemos, MI/Okemos (11.3 ppg, 3.3 rpg)
 
Scouting the Opposition
Walsh: The three-time defending G-MAC champion Cavaliers are off to a slow start in 2024-25 after graduating a significant amount of firepower from last year's squad, but a competitive opening G-MAC weekend showed there's still plenty of gas in the tank to make a run as the Cavaliers look to bring home a fourth-straight crown.

Walsh lost three starters from last year's squad but return two key players in dynamic scoring guard Kobe Mitchell and stretch four Zack Oddo, both of whom were double-digit scorers last year and are leading the way for the Cavaliers so far in 2024-25. Additionally, Ayden Carter and Aiden Satterfield are two bench players from last year who've stepped into important starting roles and are playing well.

Two freshmen, Quintero Barnett and Matthew Biddell, are playing major minutes as well and Kaleb Schaffer completes a tight seven-man rotation.

 Walsh is capable of running a five-out offense with its two nominal post players, Satterfield and Oddo, both comfortable playing on a perimeter, which makes them a dangerous team if shots are falling. That could help the Cavaliers break through once again as the season plays out.
 
Northwood: After two seasons near the bottom of the G-MAC standings, Northwood has turned the program over to Tom Church, the former Tiffin coach who guided the Dragons to back-to-back G-MAC Tournaments. Early returns are encouraging, as the Timberwolves are 4-4 in eight games after going 7-21 in 2023-24.

Church has hit the transfer portal hard looking for a quick rebuild, landing impact players in forward Elijah Watson, who leads the T'Wolves in scoring after transferring in from Wayne State College in Nebraska, Jamison Eklund, a JuCo transfer who's averaging 12 points per game off the bench, and JT Morgan, Northwood's leading rebounder who hails from Maryville University in St. Louis.

Will Young, Noah Pruitt and De'Arrius Ware, all holdovers from the previous regime, also play important roles in the rotation, as does freshman Brayden Szamrej.

With a few wins under their belt already, including the team's first conference victory last weekend, Northwood hopes to challenge for a G-MAC Tourney berth this winter.
 
Scouting the Chargers
A 2-0 start at home has Hillsdale as one of just four teams in the G-MAC without a loss, and the Chargers aim to remain unbeaten in league play heading into the new year with their final conference games of 2024 taking place over the weekend.

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 and Walsh are tied at 11 wins apiece in a competitive series between what is usually two of the top teams in the G-MAC, but Hillsdale is looking to get back on the winning side against the Cavaliers after dropping both meetings to Walsh last year. Northwood is a rivalry contest for the Chargers and it's a long running series dating back to the 70s, with Hillsdale holding a 52-31 lead all time. Hillsdale has won seven straight against Northwood dating back to 2017, and eight of the last nine meetings against the Timberwolves.

 
Other Notes

• This men's basketball meeting between Hillsdale and Northwood will be the first since the return of "The Jack", the traveling all-sports trophy between the Chargers and Timberwolves. Inaugurated in 1996 to honor legendary ADs Jack Finn of Northwood and Jack McAvoy of Hillsdale, the trophy was awarded for 20 years before Hillsdale's departure from the GLIAC in 2017-18 left the two teams in different conferences. With both programs back in the G-MAC, the traveling trophy will return for the 2024-25 season, with results in head-to-head matches and conference finishes factoring into the point total for both teams and the program with the most points at the end of the year receiving the trophy and bragging rights until the subsequent season. Hillsdale has a 5-0 lead entering this weekend thanks to wins in football and volleyball and superior finishes in the G-MAC Men's and Women's Cross Country Championships.
• 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 remains in the national rankings in the D2CSC poll last week, checking in at 15^th in the nation after an 8-1 start, and is back in the NABC Coaches Poll at 21^st. This is the fifth-straight week the Chargers have been nationally ranked. In addition to the D2CSC poll, Hillsdale is one of seven teams in the Midwest Region ranked or receiving in the NABC Coaches Poll, including Ferris St. (5^th), Lake Superior St. (16^th), Upper Iowa (25^th), G-MAC foe Findlay (RV), Missouri S&T (RV), and Grand Valley State (RV)
• 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 has been a key piece for Hillsdale so far, nearly averaging a double-double while also sitting among the league leaders in assists and steals as well. Reuter also is working his way up the all-time lists statistically at Hillsdale, as his 1,128 career points now ranks 30^th all time, and he surpassed the 500-rebound milestone two weeks ago.
• The Chargers are playing at a high level so far at both ends of the floor, averaging 78.1 points per game offensively, and ranking first in the G-MAC and ninth in the nation in scoring defense at 62.1 points per game. Hillsdale's 16-points-per-game scoring margin on opponents currently ranks 16th in NCAA DII.
• 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. So far, through seven games, Hillsdale is conceding just 28.2% from beyond the arc, which leads the G-MAC by a significant margin and is tied for 29^th in NCAA DII so far.
• Hillsdale prioritizes taking care of the basketball and passing to set up quality shots, and that's reflected in the team's stellar assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.67, the third-best mark in the G-MAC and 13^th nationally.