FORT SMITH, Ark. – University of Arkansas – Fort Smith Men's Basketball tips off the 2021-22 season this weekend in Denver, Colorado, as part of the Lone Star/Rocky Mountain Challenge.
The Lions will open the season with a neutral site matchup against Black Hills State University at 7 p.m. central time Saturday before taking on the hosts Metropolitan State University of Denver at 3 p.m. central time Sunday.
The games will be available to view on Roadrunners All-Access with live stats also available at uafortsmithlions.com.
NOTES:
LAST SEASON: UAFS finished the shortened 2020-21 season with a 5-11 record, playing all 16 games against Lone Star Conference opponents.
SEASON OPENER: UAFS is 8-4 in season openers since becoming an NCAA II member for the 2009-10 season.
KEY RETURNERS: The Lions will rely on All-LSC returners in senior forward Chris Rollins and senior guard Matthew Wilson. Rollins averaged 14.1 points and 8.3 rebounds per game last season while Wilson averaged 14.9 points and shot 42.7 percent from beyond the arc.
KEY LOSSES: UAFS lost three players to the transfer portal for this season, including last season's leading scorer, guard Payton Brown. However, it was announced during the early signing period that Brown had re-signed with the Lions for the 2022-23 season.
NEW FACES: The Lions have five newcomers this season with three freshmen (Andrew Iyamah, Drew Irby and Lukas Reichle) and two transfers (Courtney Murrell and Cameron Bush).
MR. EFFICIENCY: Senior forward broke the single-season program record for field goal percentage last season by shooting 62.5 percent from the floor. He shot 85-for-136 and broke Bo Franklin's record of 62.0 percent in 2013-14.
RECORD WATCH: Senior guard Matthew Wilson sits 11th with 718 points at UAFS, five shy of moving into the top 10. Wilson also is 10th in field goals made (255) and sixth in three-pointers made (116).
HEAD COACH JIM BOONE: Head Coach Jim Boone enters his third season in charge of the Lions and has posted an 18-27 mark in his first two years. This is 36th season as a head coach with a career record of 576-440.
PRESEASON POLL: UAFS was picked to finish 11th in this season's LSC Preseason Poll.
THE SERIES: UAFS won its only meeting with Black Hills State in 2019, defeating the Yellow Jackets, 79-76. UAFS is 3-1 against MSU-Denver, having won the previous three meetings after dropping the first contest back in 2014.
SCOUTING BHSU: The Yellow Jackets finished 11-7 last season and are led by junior forward Joel Scott, who averaged 20.7 points and 7.1 rebounds last season. They were picked third in the RMAC Preseason Poll.
SCOUTING MSU-D: The Roadrunners went 9-8 in 2020-21, and are led this season by Tyrei Randall, who averaged 12.2 points per game last season. MSU-Denver lost its top two scorers from a year ago. The Roadrunners were picked seventh in the RMAC Preseason Poll.
