Enjoyable In The Solar: Wildcats Play A Pair In Florida This Weekend

Game #1 – Small College Basketball Hall of Fame Classic
#4 Daemen Wildcats (0-0, 0-0 ECC) vs. #19 Lenoir-Rhyne Bears (0-0, 0-0 SAC)
Saturday, Nov. 1 | 8 PM | Lakeland, Fla. | George W. Jenkins Field House
Links: Gameday Info | Live Stats | Watch Live via SSC Digital Network

Game #2 – Small College Basketball Hall of Fame Classic

#4 Daemen Wildcats (0-0, 0-0 ECC) vs. Alaska Anchorage Seawolves (0-0, 0-0 GNAC)

Sunday, Nov. 2 | 8 PM | Lakeland, Fla. | George W. Jenkins Field House

Links: Live Stats | Watch Live via SSC Digital Network

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FUN IN THE SUN
The Daemen University males’s basketball group formally ideas off its 2025-26 season this weekend with two video games on the Small College Basketball Hall of Fame Classic being hosted by Florida Southern University. This occasion has developed into one of the prestigious on the early season calendar for Division II hoops followers, and options 10 competing groups – seven of which begin the season nationally ranked – with 10 whole video games over two days. Daemen will get the nightcap each days, battling #19 Lenoir-Rhyne at 8 p.m. Saturday, adopted by one other 8 p.m. tip-off Sunday vs. Alaska Anchorage. 

WHAT A RIDE

The Wildcats are coming off essentially the most profitable season in program historical past once they posted a 28-1 general file, received the ECC common season and match championships and certified for the NCAA match for the fifth time. Daemen rattled off 28 straight victories to start out the season, incomes the excellence of being the final remaining unbeaten group throughout all three ranges of NCAA basketball. Along the way in which, they ascended to the No. 1 rating within the National Association of Basketball Coaches Division II ballot for the primary time in program historical past. Their 85-64 win over Roberts Wesleyan on March 1 gave the Wildcats an ideal 16-0 mark in ECC play; they turned simply the fourth ECC group ever and the primary since C.W. Post in 2008-09 to complete the common season undefeated. The Wildcats went on to earn ECC match wins over fifth-seeded Staten Island and second-seeded St. Thomas Aquinas, the latter giving Daemen its first-ever ECC match crown after 5 runner-up finishes. The Wildcats have been awarded internet hosting rights for the NCAA Division II Championship East Regional, getting into the match because the No.1 seed. They promptly knocked off eighth-seeded Bridgeport within the opening spherical, however their bubble burst within the regional semifinals towards St. Thomas Aquinas – the groups’ fourth assembly of the season. 

RETURN OF THE MAC

Mike MacDonald returns for his twelfth season on the Daemen bench – his twenty ninth as a collegiate head coach. MacDonald was named the ECC, NABC District and BCANY Division II Coach of the Year final season after main Daemen to a 28-1 file. He was additionally the recipient of the Clarence “Big House” Gaines Award given to the highest coach in all of Division II basketball by collegeinsiders.com. MacDonald has led Daemen to a 232-84 file over his first 11 seasons, together with eight 20-win seasons and 5 NCAA match berths. He enters the common season simply 11 wins shy of 500 for his profession. 

HIGH PRAISE

With 13 gamers getting back from final season, together with their high 4 scorers (all of whom earned All-ECC honors), Daemen opens the season at No. 4 within the NABC preseason coaches’ ballot. The Wildcats have been considered one of solely two groups to garner first-place consideration, becoming a member of preseason No. 1 and defending nationwide champion Nova Southeastern. The No. 4 rating is Daemen’s highest to start out a season since transitioning to the NCAA Division II degree greater than a decade in the past. Daemen has additionally been chosen first within the ECC preseason coaches’ ballot launched in mid-October. It marks the third time within the final 4 seasons that Daemen has topped the preseason ballot. 

BIG MAN ON CAMPUS

Redshirt junior heart Benjamin Bill headlines the Daemen returners after incomes ECC Player of the Year and consensus All-American honors final season. Bill averaged 16.8 factors and seven.2 rebounds per sport whereas setting a brand new program file for single-season subject purpose share (.708), numbers solely emphasised by the very fact he got here off the bench in all however one sport, and averaged simply 22.7 minutes per sport. Big issues are anticipated once more from the Hamburg, N.Y. native as he was a unanimous choice because the ECC Preseason Player of the Year.

THEY’RE BACK TO??!!

Fellow All-ECC alternatives Justin Hemphill (Buffalo, N.Y.), Justin Glover (Buffalo, N.Y.) and Zach Philipkoski (New Hartford, N.Y.) additionally return to the fold. Hemphill, a redshirt senior ahead who additionally earned All-Region accolades, averaged 11.9 factors and was the primary participant in program historical past to guide the group in whole rebounds (215), assists (116) and steals (43) in the identical season. He already ranks sixth in program historical past for profession rebounds with 641, and enters his last collegiate season simply 55 factors shy of 1,000. Glover and Philipkoski are again to man the backcourt, together with junior Ryan Heath who appeared in all 29 video games off the bench a season in the past. Glover, a 5-foot-9 senior, shot 50% from the sector and 42.7% from three-point vary whereas producing 9.6 factors per sport. The 6-foot-4 Philipkoski, who was named the 2023 New York State Player of the Year in Class A, averaged 10.0 factors, 5.0 rebounds and three.1 assists per sport final season. 

WHAT’S NEW

The Wildcats’ roster additionally options a number of high-profile newcomers, together with sophomore guard Jaiden Harrison (Buffalo, N.Y.), the all-time main scorer in Western New York highschool basketball historical past. Harrison spent his first collegiate season at Division II Anderson University (S.C.), however headed again to Buffalo the place he joins fellow Bishop Timon-St. Jude High School product Nakyhi Harris (Buffalo, N.Y.) and St. Joseph’s Collegiate Institute graduate Jaymeir Goosby (Buffalo, N.Y.) with the Wildcats. 

DOWNTOWN TUNE UP

Daemen tuned up for the 2025-26 common season by defeating Division III Nazareth 75-48 in exhibition motion on Oct. 25. The sport was performed at KeyBank Center in downtown Buffalo – residence to the NHL’s Buffalo Sabres and the 2026 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament First and Second Rounds – as a part of a doubleheader with the Syracuse Orange and Buffalo Bulls within the nightcap. The Wildcats dominated the glass with a 48-23 rebounding benefit, and went 12-for-30 from three-point vary within the win. Benjamin Bill posted a double-double (17 factors, 11 rebounds) and Zach Philipkoski canned 5 three-pointers as a part of his 16-point outing to cleared the path. It marked Daemen’s third tour to KeyBank Center. The Wildcats earned an exciting 83-81 win over Wilmington (Del.) on Nov. 23, 2019, and suffered a three-point setback (83-80) to Franklin Pierce on Dec. 18, 2021. Daemen head coach Mike MacDonald sports activities a 19-12 lifetime file within the constructing, attaining essentially the most wins of any basketball coach within the venue’s historical past. 

SMALL COLLEGE BASKETBALL HALL OF FAME CLASSIC

This weekend’s video games mark Daemen’s second invitation to the celebrated Small College Basketball Hall of Fame Classic. The Wildcats final participated within the occasion – then held in St. Joseph, Mo. – to open the 2019-20 season, incomes a cut up of their two video games there. Daemen confronted off with preseason No. 1 and defending nationwide champion Northwest Missouri State, falling 85-65 on Nov. 1, 2019, earlier than scoring a 68-64 win over Missouri Western State the next evening. 

IT’S BEEN A WHILE

Daemen is competing within the state of Florida for the primary time in additional than a decade. The Wildcats’ final performed within the Sunshine State in December of 2014 once they earned a cut up of two video games on the Trip Sports Cruzin’ Classic in Miami Shores. The Wildcats downed NAIA foe St. Thomas (91-75), thanks largely to Gerald Beverly’s triple-double (17 factors, 17 rebounds 12 blocks), however fell to #9 Indianapolis (78-51) the next day. 

PRE-TOURNEY PRESSER

All 10 coaches will take part in a pre-tournament press convention at 2:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 31. The press convention, like all sport motion this weekend, is offered freed from cost on the Sunshine State Conference Digital Network. 

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SCOUTING THE BEARS
Lenoir-Rhyne is a member of the South Atlantic Conference and the Bears enter the season at No. 19 within the NABC preseason coaches’ ballot. LRU can be the preseason favourite to win the SAC after posting a 29-6 general file and advancing to the Elite 8 a season in the past. Junior heart Conrad Luczynski, listed at 7-foot-2, headlines the LRU returners after being named the Most Outstanding Player of the NCAA Division II Championship Southeast Regional final March. Luczynski averaged 12.0 factors and seven.3 rebounds in 30 video games final season. Senior guard Julian Dozier additionally returns after contributing 11.7 factors per sport and a team-high 172 assists final season. 

SERIES HISTORY

Sunday’s sport marks the first-ever assembly between Daemen and Alaska Anchorage.

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SCOUTING THE SEAWOLVES
Alaska Anchorage is a member of the Great Northwest Athletic Conference and the Seawolves wish to rebound after going 12-19 final season. The Seawolves have been picked sixth within the GNAC preseason coaches’ ballot. They return seven letterwinners and one veteran redshirt, together with preseason All-GNAC choice Bishop Tosi, a 6-foot-6 senior ahead who averaged 12.0 factors and 5.9 rebounds per sport final season. Six transfers and two true freshmen spherical out the UAA roster. The Seawolves meet #15 Florida Southern of their season opener Saturday earlier than closing out the match vs. Daemen. 

SERIES HISTORY

Saturday’s sport marks the first-ever assembly between Daemen and Lenoir-Rhyne. 

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WHAT’S NEXT
Daemen returns residence to host their conventional season-opening match, the East Region Challenge on Nov. 14-15 at Lumsden Gymnasium. The Wildcats meet the Felician Falcons and St. Anselm Hawks that weekend.