Schedule
Walsh (6-7, 2-5 G-MAC) at #20/23 Hillsdale (14-2, 8-0 G-MAC) | 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 16 | Dawn Tibbetts Potter Arena | Hillsdale, MI
#20/23 Hillsdale (14-2, 8-0 G-MAC) at Lake Erie (10-5, 3-4 G-MAC) | 3 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 18 | Jerome T. Osborne Center | Painesville, OH
 
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Additional Info
Hillsdale Roster | Walsh Roster | Lake Erie Roster | Hillsdale Stats | Walsh Stats | Lake Erie Stats | G-MAC Standings | G-MAC Stats
 
Projected Starters
Hillsdale: #2 Ashton Janowski, Jr, G, Pewaukee, WI/Pewaukee (10.8 ppg, 2.6 apg); #4 Charles Woodhams, Sr., G, Otsego, MI/Otsego (13.9 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 2.3 apg); #30 Logan Beaston, rFr., G, Tiffin, OH/Columbian (7.7 ppg, 2 rpg); #33 Joe Reuter, Sr., F, Chippewa Falls, WI/Chippewa Falls (12.4 ppg, 7 rpg, 3.1 apg, 1.5 spg); #35 Eric Radisevic, Sr., F, Brookfield, WI/Central (7.9 ppg, 2.4 rpg)
 
Walsh: #1 Kobe Mitchell, Jr., G, Cadiz, OH/Harrison Central/Akron U. (16 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 1.1 spg); #11 Aiden Satterfield, Jr., G, Charleston, WV/Charleston Catholic (8.1 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 2 apg, 1.4 spg); #21 Brandon Ford, So., G, Ashtabula, OH/Lakeside/Akron U. (2.6 ppg, 3.8 rpg); #22 Ayden Carter, Jr.,G/ F, Fremont, OH/Fremont Ross (19.4 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 1 spg); #23 Zack Oddo, Jr., G/F, Green, OH/Green (12.9 ppg, 9 rpg, 2.5 apg)
 
Lake Erie: #0 Micah Bays, Fr., G, Sylvania, OH/Southview (8.1 ppg, 1.3 spg); #2 Derrick Anderson, Sr., G, Youngstown, OH/Gannon (14.1 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 3.7 apg, 1.2 spg); #12 Caleb Piks, Sr., F,  Mentor, OH/Mentor (7.1 ppg, 3.9 rpg); #20 Cameron Johnson, So., F, Shepherdstown, WV/NDC (14.9 ppg, 4.2 rpg); #23 Jake Leibacher, Jr., G, Castalia, OH/Margaretta (6.1 ppg, 3 rpg, 1.5 spg)
 
Scouting the Opposition

Walsh: A 2-5 mark in G-MAC play entering this Thursday's contest is well below Walsh's traditional men's basketball standard, but the Cavaliers are more dangerous than that record shows. Walsh enters the weekend coming off a massive upset of G-MAC preseason favorite Kentucky Wesleyan and have hung tough in many of their losses.

Walsh lost three starters from last year's G-MAC Championship 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 two freshmen, Quintero Barnett and Matthew Biddell, are playing major minutes as well and Kaleb Schaffer and Akron transfer Brandon Ford complete 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.
 
Lake Erie: The Storm have already put a scare into Hillsdale once, with the Chargers surviving an upset bid at home in a narrow 75-72 win earlier in January. Now, Lake Erie looks to jump-start their fading G-MAC title hopes by taking a win over the Chargers at home.

Lake Erie reloaded heavily in the portal this offseason, grabbing 10 players, including seven from now-closed Notre Dame College. With the added depth, head coach Kyle Conley has embraced an up-tempo attack with pressure and quick shots that has the Storm leading the G-MAC in scoring with 91.6 points per game. 14 players average at least eight minutes a game for the Storm, and none more than 22.

Two transfers -- Derrick Anderson from Elite Eight qualifier Gannon and Cameron Johnson from Notre Dame College -- lead the way for the Storm, but this is a team effort with home-grown talent like Caleb Piks, Jake Leibacher, and freshman Micah Bays providing meaningful contributions as well.
 
The contrast in pace between the high-octane Storm and methodical Hillsdale will present challenges for both teams, if the first meeting was any indication, and whichever team can enforce their pace on the contest with more success should have the edge.
 
Scouting the Chargers
Two more blowout victories last week have Hillsdale gaining separation on the rest of the G-MAC, as the Chargers, along with fellow conference unbeaten Findlay, now have a two-game edge on the other 10 teams in the standings.

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 took a 12-11 lead in a tight series with the Cavaliers, thanks to a 79-55 victory on the road on Dec. 14. Many of those 23 meetings since the beginning of the series in 2013 have been hard fought between two programs that are perennially at or near the top of the G-MAC standings.
• The Chargers have been dominant for the most part against Lake Erie since their first meeting in 2010, with a 25-3 all-time record that includes a 75-72 victory at home on Jan. 4. All three Hillsdale losses, however, have come on the road, most recently a Dec. 31, 2022 Storm victory that came when the Chargers were nationally ranked and unbeaten in G-MAC play.

 
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. Currently, the Chargers are tied with Findlay atop the G-MAC standings.
• Hillsdale remains in the national rankings in both the coaches and media polls this week, sitting at 20^th in the nation in the coaches poll and receiving votes in the nation in the media poll after a 14-2 start. This is the eighth-straight week the Chargers have been nationally ranked. Hillsdale is one of seven teams in the Midwest Region ranked or receiving in the NABC Coaches Poll, including Ferris St. (4^th), Lake Superior St. (6^th), G-MAC foe Findlay (9^th), Missouri S&T (15th), Northern Michigan (RV) and Lewis (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, averaging 12.4 points per game while ranking sixth in the G-MAC in rebounds per game (7), ninth in assists per game (3.1), sixth in blocked shots per game (0.9) seventh in steals per game (1.5) and fifth in free throw percentage (.836). Reuter also is working his way up the all-time lists statistically at Hillsdale, as his 1,225 career points rank 25^th all time, and he surpassed the 500-rebound milestone earlier this season.
• Charles Woodhams has been Hillsdale's leading scorer in 2024-25, and a consistent source of production for the Chargers. He has double-figure scoring in 14 of Hillsdale's 16 games, including a 26-point outing that proved critical in a win at Ashland on Jan. 2. His efficiency for a guard offensively has been off the charts, coming close to the 50-40-90 bar that represents the peak of shooting brilliance with 51.5% on field goals, 43.8% on 3-pointers, and 80% on free throws.
• Sophomore Mikey McCollum has been a huge asset for the Chargers off the bench, keeping Hillsdale's second unit humming at a high level offensively even without the starters on the floor. McCollum is averaging 11.8 points per game, third most on the team, thanks to 29 made 3-pointers and a strong performance at the foul line. 
• The Chargers are playing at a high level so far at both ends of the floor, averaging 78.4 points per game offensively, and ranking first in the G-MAC and ninth in the nation in scoring defense at 63 points per game. Hillsdale's 15-points-per-game scoring margin on opponents currently ranks 13th 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 16 games, Hillsdale has gone even lower, conceding just 28% from beyond the arc, which ranks first in the G-MAC by a significant margin and ninth in NCAA DII so far.
• Another facet of Hillsdale's excellent defense is its ability to control the defensive glass. The Chargers concede a G-MAC best 29.3 rebounds per game to opponents, sixth fewest at the NCAA DII level, and are third in the G-MAC in defensive rebounds per game with 26.4. The Chargers are also among league leaders in blocked shots this year, averaging 3.19 per game with 11 of 13 players who've seen the court recording at least one block for the Chargers.
• Hillsdale prioritizes taking care of the basketball and passing to set up quality shots, and that's reflected in the team's strong assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.57, the 14^th best mark nationally. That emphasis has helped the Chargers become one of the more efficient offensive teams in conference play, ranking third in the G-MAC in field goal percentage (48.7%), second in 3-point percentage (37.1%), and second in free throw percentage (76.8%).