UIndy Greyhounds vs. Elmhurst College Bluejays
Tuesay, Nov. 12, 7 p.m. ET, Nicoson Hall, Indianapolis

ON TAP
The UIndy men's basketball team tips off its regular-season home slate on Tuesday, welcoming DIII Elmhurst College for a 7 p.m. contest.

The Greyhounds buried the Bluejays last season at Nicoson Hall, 91-60. Trevor Lakes led all scorers with 27 points, while shooting seven of 11 from the field and five of nine from deep.

ABOUT ELMHURST
Elmhurst return two of its top three scorers from a year ago, including Jake Rhode, who averaged 19.9 points per game.The reigning All-CCIW First-Team selection also led the Bluejays with 4.3 assists per game, while pulling down 3.8 boards each contest. Rhode was the CCIW Freshman of the Year following the 2017-18 season. 

The Bluejays are coming off three straight down years after advancing to the NCAA Second Round in 2015-16. Elmhurst won just 12 games last season, posting an identical 5-7 record at home and on the road. The Bluejays won both of their neutral site contests, pulling out a single-digit victory down in Phoenix to end the 2018 calendar year. 

Elmhurst averaged nearly 77 points per game last season, as Derek Dotlich tallied 12.8 points and 5.2 rebounds each contest. The forward has averaged double figures in each of his first three seasons as a Bluejay. 

Head coach John Baines is in his seventh season at Elmhurst. He has led the Bluejays to a pair of NCAA tournament appearances after leading Saint Francis to NAIA relevance for three seasons.

FLY AWAY CARDINALS
UIndy upped its winning streak over Saginaw Valley State to eight in the season opener last Friday afternoon, downing the Cardinals by a score of 77-73 in Louisville on the campus of GLVC rival Bellarmine University. 

It wasn't without struggle, however, as the Greyhounds received a clutch 3-pointer from senior Jordache Mavunga with under a minute left to grab the lead for good. After Jimmy King failed to clear through the lane for a look at the bucket, the Roncalli product found Mavunga on the baseline for a contested shot. Mavunga, who went to local Brownsburg High School as a prep, finished with 17 points and five rebounds, along with a key block on the defensive end following his 3-ball. 

Trevor Lakes nearly ended his first contest as a junior with a double-double, totaling nine points and nine rebounds. Jacob Polakovich looked to be the star of the show in the first half, heading to the locker room with 13 points and four rebounds. The sophomore ultimately grabbed three more boards after the break.

LAST TIME OUT
The Greyhounds picked up another in-region win last Saturday afternoon, using a big second half to down Northwood by a score of 72-66.

King nailed a deep 3-ball out of the under-8 timeout to give UIndy a 59-57 advantage late in the second half. After Northwood matched the next two possessions, Miller Jr. sunk a pair of free throws to spark a short 6-0 run with three minutes left.
 
The Timberwolves offense went cold, forcing the Greyhounds to the charity stripe. UIndy improved on its effort from the line on Friday night, however, and drilled seven of eight to seal the victory. As a team, the Greyhounds went 22 for 28 from the free-throw line.
 
UIndy came out strong in the first half, with King finding Polakovich for a slam to open the scoring. King was forced to the bench after tallying his second foul of the day with 15:20 left on the clock, but the senior finished with 26 minutes. Northwood led by six at halftime, before UIndy outscored the Timberwolves by 10 after the break.

LIVING LEGACY
UIndy freshman guard Ben Nicoson is a fourth-generation Greyhound, following in the footsteps of Angus (great grandfather), Dan (grandfather) and Brent (father). Nicoson Hall, home of UIndy basketball, is named after Angus, who is the program's all-time wins leader as a coach with 483 victories.

Brent is the head coach for both golf teams at UIndy, and has won two national titles (2015 and 2018) with the women's squad.

SOPHOMORE SURGE
Sophomore Jacob Polakovich did not draw a start during UIndy's exhibition schedule, but earned the nod in the team's first two regular season games. The Grand Rapids, Mich., native is averaging 10 points and 7.5 rebounds in each of the first two contests.

TAKING CHARITY
After struggling from the charity stripe in the season-opening win over Saginaw Valley with a nine-for-18 clip, the Greyhounds sunk 22 of 28 from the free-throw line against Northwood. Marcus Latham was a perfect six for six from the stripe, while Jimmy King sent through five of his six attempts.

NEWCOMER LANE
UIndy boasts a high number of newcomers in 2019-20, with eight of the team's 16 players tabbed as newcomers this season. Of the eight, five are freshmen and three are transfers, with Dee Montgomery (Purdue Fort Wayne) and Trevor Banks (Arkansas Pine Bluff) coming in from NCAA DI programs. Cory Miller Jr. was named an All-America First-Team selection his final season at John Wood CC. 

Jesse Bingham was named an Indiana All-Star after his senior season at Warren Central, the lone NCAA DII commit to earn the distinction. Joining Bingham as rookies for UIndy are fellow all-state players Josh Bryan, Frankie Davidson and Kendrick Tchoua, along with Ben Nicoson. 

HOMEGROWN HOUNDS
UIndy has five players from the Indianapolis area, including Jesse Bingham (Warren Central) and Jimmy King (Roncalli). Overall, head coach Stan Gouard has 10 players from the state of Indiana.

AROUND THE LEAGUE
Six GLVC members kicked off its season with a pair of wins over the weekend, including newcomer Lindenwood. Bellarmine, along with UIndy, knocked off Saginaw Valley and Northwood, while Lindenwood joined Illinois Springfield in defeating Parkside and Ohio Valley. Junior Prairie Star Keymonta Johnson earned the league's first Player of the Week distinction on Monday.

Drury opened its campaign with wins over Lake Superior State and Trevecca, while Southern Indiana downed Hillsdale and Malone over the weekend