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Schedule:

11/25: @ Ole Miss
11/26: Arkansas State @ Oxford
11/27: Jackson State @ Oxford
12/01: @ Missouri State
12/06: @ UALR
12/08: @ Saint Louis
12/12: @ Arkansas
12/16: @ Mississippi State
12/19: @ Baylor
1/2: @ McNeese State
1/6: New Orleans
1/9: Sam Houston State
1/13: @ SFA
1/16: Nicholls State
1/23: @ Abilene Christian
1/27: @ Southeastern
1/30: Northwestern State
2/6: McNeese State
2/10: @ New Orleans
2/13: @ Sam Houston State
2/17: SFA
2/20: @ Nicholls State
2/27: Abilene Christian
3/3: Southeastern
3/6: @ Northwestern State
3/8-14: SLC Tourney

Below are some stats on returning players and new players at the bottom....will need for everyone to step up but we saw some potential last year that was inconsistent and some injuries.....Samson George, the transfer from Pitt, could add some although in three years at Pitt he only avg about 3 minutes a game with one point and one reb per game....still just practicing as part of an ACC team that plays big boy BB underneath should have been good training.....the true FR all have plenty to play for..........DeAndre is solid at the point when patient but will need some in-game rest that does not take away from scoring by others.....also hoping Munson got to learn from Koval last year as to how to rebound........as I recall Bennett showed good promise as FR but was injured and redshirted last season......

Hope springs eternal.........wishing Coach Boone and and the team all the best......Go Bears!!

Returning Players:

Name/Year/Height/MinPG/PPG/FG%/RebPG

Bergersen, SR, 6'6, 33.6, 15.8, .423, 4.5
Jones, SR, 5'11, 29.6, 12.9, .386, 3.9
Kayouloud, JR, 6'7, 27.8, 12.2, .459, 6.1
Chatham, SR, 6'8, 19.2, 7.1, .483, 4.1
Baker, SO, 6'7, 23.6, 7.1, .396, 3.4
Cooper, SO, 6'2, 13.7, 3.0, .290, 1.2
Shittu, JR, 6'9, 8.0, 3.0, .222, 1.9
McDaniel, SO, 6'3, 9.3, 1.9, .359, .8
Olowokere, SO, 6'5, 5.9, 1.3, .280, .6
Bennett, SO, 6'4 .......no stats reported

Total returning minutes = 171/40=4.27 players
Total returning points = 64
Total returning rebs = 26.5

New players - Name, Year, Height, Last at

Suazell Farmer, FR, 6'0, West Helena Central HS
Kragen Bradley, FR, 6'2, Clinton, Ark HS
Jonas Munson, R-FR, 7'0, Alexandria (VA) West Potomac HS
Trey South, FR, 6'3, Spring (TX) Klein Collins HS
Brendan Simmons, FR, 6'2, El Dorado (AR) HS
Samson George, GR, 6'7, Pitt
Churchill Bounds, FR, 6'10, Cumberland (MD) Bishop Walsh School

Some trivia.......Olowokere is the nephew of Miami Heat stalwart Udonis Haslem......he also scored 7 at Marquette and played 20+ minutes at Duke......

https://ucasports.com/news/2020/11/4/mens-basketball-bergersen-jones-earn-all-slc-honors.aspx

BERGERSEN, JONES EARN ALL-SLC HONORS

CONWAY, Ark. _ The University of Central Arkansas Bears had a pair of players named preseason All-Southland Conference on Wednesday and were picked seventh in the SLC preseason poll, as voted on by the league's coaches and media relations directors.

UCA senior guard Rylan Bergersen was a first-team All-SLC selection, while senior point guard DeAndre Jones was named to the second team.

Bergersen and Jones both hail from Boise, Idaho. Jones is a three-year starter for the Bears after playing at Link Year Prep. Bergersen, who also played at Link Year, transferred to UCA from Brigham Young a year ago.

Bergersen led the Bears in scoring last season at 15.8 points per game, while making 43 three-pointers and pulling down 4.5 rebounds per game. He had season highs of 25 points (vs. Nicholls and Northwestern State), 12 rebounds (vs. Northwestern State) and 6 assists (four times). Bergersen scored in double figures 28 times in 31 games while averaging a team-best 33.6 minutes a game.

Jones, the career assist leader at UCA, was the Bears' second-leading scorer a year ago, averaging 12.9 points per game. He also averaged 6.0 assists per game to lead the SLC. Jones had season highs of 26 points (vs. McNeese and Nicholls), 7 rebounds (three times) and 11 assists (three times) while missing more than a month with an injury. Jones has 452 career assists, shattering the old mark of 341.

The Bears were picked seventh in the poll with 153 total points. Stephen F. Austin was the top choice, followed by Abilene Christian, Sam Houston State and Nicholls. Five different teams received at least one first-place vote.

The Bears open the 2020-21 in 21 days, taking on the Ole Miss Rebels on Nov. 25 in the Justin Reed Ole Miss Classic in Oxford, Miss.

2020-21 Southland Conference Men's Basketball Preseason All-Conference Teams

First Team School Pos. Class Hometown
Joe Pleasant* Abilene ChristianF Jr. Overland Park, Kan.
Rylan Bergersen*Central ArkansasG Sr. Boise, Idaho
Dru Kuxhausen*McNeese G Sr. Scottsbluff, Neb.
Zach Nutall* Sam Houston St G Jr. Bryan, Texas
Gavin Kensmil* Stephen F. AustinF Sr. Paramaribo, Suriname

Second Team School Pos. Class Hometown
DeAndre Jones Central Arkansas PG Sr. Boise, Idaho
Davion Buster Lamar G Jr. Austin, Texas
A.J. Lawson McNeese G Sr. Bryan, Texas
Troy Green New Orleans G Sr. St. Rose, La.
Kevin Johnson Nicholls G Sr. Thibodaux, La.
Roti Ware Stephen F. Austin G Sr. Morton, Miss.
* Automatic Selection, 2019-20 All-Conference Team Member

2020-21 Southland Men's Basketball Preseason Poll

School (First-place votes) Total
1. Stephen F. Austin (17)278
2. Abilene Christian (3) 254
3. Sam Houston State 216
4. Nicholls (1) 209
5. Lamar (3) 199
6. McNeese (2) 177
7. Central Arkansas 153
8. New Orleans 132
9. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 131
10. Northwestern State 123
11. Southeastern Louisiana 68
12. UIW 64
13. Houston Baptist 24

Going to be a rough year, especially non-conference. Who knows where UCA will fall in conference play though.

As much as I would like to see the Bears have an overall winning record, the priority of almost every mid-major is to win your conference and get a seed into NCAAs...and that means the immediate priority is to make your conference.....coaches have to keep that the main thing and keep the players laser focused....I can sympathize with basketball teams playing really rugged OOC schedules as I was a distance runner and we would run meets against some very good teams who we were not going to beat but helped us prepare ourselves for the AIC and NAIA meets......we would go to Knoxville and run in races that had US Olympians and NCAA champions....I learned more how to run my event from that meet than anything else although it was VERY humbling (ie, run a personal best and get beat like a yard dog).......Go Bears!!

Agree with the previous poster. Southland Pre-Season 7th, of the six (6) below them _ three (3) teams they will not play at ALL and New Orleans has reloaded.

I only see a potential win vs. Arkansas St or Jackoson St. before conference. Which adding the math up ___ 1-9 before conference play, a rerun of 2019 and will the players turn the coaches or each other? That is the true question.

Looking at it truthfully __ UCA lost 5-7 games 2020, recruiting has brought in stiffs and majority of last years roster is poor and way over matched. I cannot see them winning over 6/7 games.... Splits with SELA, NW State and maybe Nicholls.

Next season and post Covid would would also have ALL these players back for another year + who wants to enter and transfer to a poor 29% winning program, poor facilities, play games for athletic department and lose every night.

In the days of the Harlem Globetrotter's ___ their arch rivals were the WASHINGTON GENERALS. That is UCA Basketball show-up to lose over and over again.

I agree with both of the posts above....there is just not alot of hope for mens basketball this year.

I have posted this many times...I understand the need for money games for a school our size. I contend, however, we are scheduling WAY to many of these games.

Finally, there is not a commitment from the athletic administration to have a successful mens basketball program. They are just trying to raise money for the non-revenue producing programs.

Jackson St., Arkansas St. and Missouri St. are winnable games. UALR will be tough, and I don't expect to be competitive against the SEC/Big 12 games.

There's a path to 10 wins. The team improved over the last 2 months of the year last season although the last three games were less than ideal. There is some experience and a little talent to supplement coming in. Maybe we get a surprise from an unexpected source

After leading at the half, the Bears fell to the Memphis Tigers tonight at the FedEx Forum 85-68.

The Bears lose a close one this afternoon.

Little Rock 86
Central Arkansas 83

FINAL!!!!

Encouraged by what I've seen so far, competing at least with pretty good teams. Excited to see how conference play shakes out.

UCA@UAF

UCA 35-40-75
UAF 41-59-100

UCA/UAF

FGs: 42% vs 53%
3s: 35% vs 40%
FTs: 10-12 vs 8-9
Rebs: 8/29/37 vs 7/8/35
TOs: 14 v 8

Very competitive until mid H2....trailed 60-69 with 8:29 to go.....UAF was +22 on PIP.....+12 in assists....+7 blocks....9 Bears scored.....Bergerson and Jones (who also had 7As) each had 13........Shittu had a solid 11/8 (in 11 minutes!!) and Chatham had a very good 10/10....basically UAF shot better from field....+12 made....I could only follow the stats so maybe someone who watched can add more....Go Bears!!

It was about what I expected to see.
Hogs not near as good as their fans think they are.
Bears were a little better than I expected.

Afraid today’s game between the women’s teams will be a lot worse.

At least we didn’t get hammered by 49

Despite being 0-4, for the first time in a LONG time we are competing....I don't like losing anymore than anyone else does, but at least now it looks like we are up for a fight.

Tough week with Ole Miss and Mississippi State.

Go Bears!!!!

https://ucasports.com/news/2020/12/12/mens-basketball-bears-battle-tough-against-razorbacks.aspx

"We did rebound well and I was proud of the guys for that. But we had some guys step up off the bench and play well. SK had a great game, he was very focused on what he needed to be doing. Defensively, he rebounded well, he made some good shots around the basket. He just played really well."

Now on to Hot Toddy Town and The Pavilion then Stark Vegas and Humphrey Coliseum....

Ole Miss is 2-0 with wins over Jackson State (80-45) and UNC -Wilmington (78-58)...they probably got a good dose today of the first 30 minutes of the Bears at Fayetteville.....

Hail State is 3-3 with three home wins over Texas State (68-51), North Texas (69-63) and Jackson State (82-59)....they opened with two losses at a tourney in Florida....Clemson (42-53), Liberty 73-84) and then lost Sat in Atlanta to Dayton in double OT 82-85.....

Go Bears!