STORM LAKE, Iowa – After a 14-hour and 17-minute bus ride up north, the Howard Payne University men's basketball team (0-0) pulls up to Storm Lake, Iowa to take part in the Central Bank Classic, hosted by Buena Vista University. Friday night will tip-off the regular season for the Yellow Jackets, and the season could not start much tougher than Howard Payne's date with No. 5 Gustavus Adolphus College (1-1) at 5:00 P.M. Central Time.



WHAT TO KNOW
WHO: Howard Payne University Yellow Jackets (0-0) @ Gustavus Adolphus College Golden Gusties (1-1)
WHEN: Friday, November 13 | 5:00 P.M.
WHERE: The Saggau Family Court at Siebens Fieldhouse | Storm Lake, Iowa

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ABOUT THE JACKETS

• Howard Payne comes in shaken, but not stirred after two exhibition games against Division I opponents.
  • The prep work began last Thursday night after a 135-66 loss to Texas State, one of the newest members of the revived Pac-12 Conference.
  • Howard Payne continued their preseason schedule this past Saturday, playing a competitive first half against Sam Houston State before falling 102-59.
• This year, the Jackets are projected to finish third in the American Southwest Conference behind Hardin-Simmons University and the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor after a 13-13 campaign one season ago.
• Nadir Dalleh is back for a sixth season at the helm of the Yellow Jackets, bringing with him an exciting, offense-focused playstyle that has shocked early opponents this season.
• The Yellow Jackets were the top scoring offense in the ASC last year, averaging 93.9 points per contest. On the national stage, the offense was sixth in Division III.
• Defensively, Howard Payne led the conference in steals, averaging nearly 11 takeaways per game.
  • That trend flowed into this year's two preseason games, forcing two Division I programs to turn the ball over a combined 18 times in the first half of play.
• Jordan McClendon, Carter May, and Keegan Rowell were named Players to Watch within the conference this year. McClendon and May bring a veteran presence to an otherwise young roster. Rowell transfers in from Louisiana Tech, bringing a bonafide scorer into an offensive-friendly system.
• Freshmen Jace Reed and Braylon McGee turned heads last week off the bench for the Yellow Jackets. Both will be players to watch wherever they land in Coach Dalleh's 12-man rotation.
  • Reed, a freshman from Cedar Park, Texas, put together 10 points in the Texas State opener.
  • McGee, a guard from Mesquite, Texas, scored a team-high 10 points against Sam Houston State.

ABOUT THE NO. 5 GOLDEN GUSTIES

• Gustavus Adolphus has earned every bit of their high ranking from d3hoops.com over the years. After a 27-3 campaign last season, paired with a trip to the Division III Sweet Sixteen, the Gusties return four regular rotational pieces.
• The most prominent returning piece, without a doubt, is Myles Barnette.
  • The senior guard from Maple Grove, Minnesota is a First Team Preseason All-American after averaging 19.7 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 2.5 steals per game last season.
• As a team, the Gusties left no crumbs all season long, beating opponents by an average of 17.6 points per game, good for third in all of Division III.
• Gustavus Adolphus shot the lights out from deep, ranking fourth in the country in three-point percentage (38.3%).
  • This season, the Gusties opened the year shooting 12-30 (40%) from deep in an 87-59 win over Transylvania University.
• The Gusties are coming off of a tight 77-76 overtime loss to No. 10 WashU in Saint Louis.
  • The game saw six ties and six lead changes between top ten Division III programs.
• Gustavus Adolphus saw the most success away from home last year, going a perfect 11-0 before their inevitable exit from the NCAA Tournament at UChicago.

AFTER TONIGHT: The Yellow Jackets will get one sleep before turning around to face the hosts of the Central Bank Classic—the Buena Vista University Beavers (0-2). Tip-off is Saturday at 3:00 p.m. Central Time.