OPENING TIPOFF: The Snow College men’s basketball team will kick off its 2023-24 campaign Wednesday against Utah Prep Academy. The matchup is scheduled to begin at 7:00 p.m. inside the Horne Activity Center in Ephraim.
The Badgers are coming off a 2022-23 season that saw them go 20-12 overall and 10-8 within the Scenic West Athletic Conference. They finished as the Region 18 Tournament runner-up after falling in the SWAC Championship to No. 9 Salt Lake Community College.
The Badgers had a season of highs as they defeated the No. 1, No. 2, and No. 5 teams within the NJCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Poll. They claimed an 84-75 victory over the undefeated and No. 1 College of Southern Idaho in the first round of the Region 18 Tournament.
BADGERS IN THE PRESEASON POLL: Snow College has been ranked 17th in the NJCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Preseason Poll which was announced last week.
The Badgers return two starters from a year ago led by Colin Christensen who played in all 32 games last season. Christensen averaged 23.6 minutes per game last season in 27 starts for the team. Christensen averaged 7.5 points per game last season and scored in double figures in 13 games last season including eight of the last 10 games of the season.
Max Triplett entered the starting lineup towards the end of last season. Triplett played in 30 of the Badgers’ 32 games from the 2022-23 campaign while averaging 14.9 minutes per game. Triplett averaged 5.9 points per game as a freshman and scored in double figures in six games including an 18-point performance in the Badgers 84-83 victory against No. 5 SLCC Feb. 9.
The Badgers will also return three other players from last season including Gaige Savage and Dylan Jones, both of whom played in all 32 games. Savage averaged 6.3 points per game last season and was second on the team in 3-pointers made as he shot 36 percent from beyond the arc.
Jones leads the five returning players in scoring as he averaged 10.6 points per game from a season ago. He also led the team in 3-pointers made with 85. Jones shot nearly 37 percent from 3-point range last season.
Noah Lemke will also return for the Badgers after appearing in 13 games for the team last season. Lemke averaged 2.8 points per game in just under seven minutes per game played during the regular season.
HISTORY WITH UTAH PREP: The Badgers have played Utah Prep Academy, formerly known as Real Salt Lake Prep, twice historically with the Badgers winning both of those games by an average of 53.5 points per game.
Snow College beat Utah Prep 128-71 to open the schedule last season. Jones scored 13 points while Christensen scored 16 points in the victory. Lemke added eight points while Savage and Triplett scored two points each.
BY THE NUMBERS: As a team, the Badgers averaged 84.9 points per game last season. They shot 48 percent from the field and 34 percent from 3-point range as a team throughout the 2022-23 campaign. The Badgers made an average of 9.9 3-pointers per game, which was good enough to finish eighth in the country.
The Badgers scored 100 points or more in eight games last season. Defensively, the Badgers allowed opponents to score 70.3 points per game. They also distributed the ball well as they averaged 19.4 assists per game on 31.8 made field goals per game.
The Badgers were also one of the best offensive-rebounding teams in the nation last season. They grabbed an average of 14.8 offensive rebounds per game, which ranked them 12th in the country.
BREAKING DOWN THE SCHEDULE: Snow College will play a full schedule during the 2023-24 season and play a total of 30 games throughout the winter. Following the matchup with Utah Prep Academy, they will head to Thatcher, Arizona and play three games at the Gila Monster Shootout.
The Badgers will return home and play seven straight home games between three separate tournaments starting with Central Wyoming College Nov. 14. They will host the Snow Classic Nov. 27, the Snow College Thanksgiving Classic Nov. 17, and the Region 1/Region 18 Challenge Nov. 30.
The Badgers won’t play a home game during December and will conclude the calendar at the Aztec Classic in Tucson, Arizona. Their last non-conference matchup will be against Jump Start Academy Jan. 4 before beginning SWAC play against North Idaho College Jan. 10.
Snow College will have a stretch of five straight home contests between Jan. 18 and Feb. 1. They will culminate the home stand against SLCC, who stand at fifth in the preseason poll. They will wrap up their home schedule of games against preseason No. 10 College of Southern Idaho, who finished ninth in the 2022-23 NJCAA National Tournament, Feb. 17.
They will conclude the regular season by playing three games on the road with the final game of the year coming against SLCC Feb. 29.
ROSTER BREAKDOWN: Along with the five sophomores that are returning from last season’s team, the 2023-24 Badgers will consist of six total sophomores. Jake Howe is a sophomore from Woods Cross High School and last played with Everett College in 2021 where he averaged 16.2 points per game on 37.6 percent from the field and 34.8 percent from beyond the arc.
The sophomores will be joined by 10 incoming freshman. Isaac Finlinson, who transferred to Snow following a redshirt season at Utah Tech University, was high school teammates with Lemke at Dixie High School in St. George where the pair helped the Flyers win the 4A State Championship in 2020.
Isaac Garrett, Josh Thalman, Jace Chatman, and Coleman Ford come to Snow College from Utah high schools while Mark Brown Jr., Donaven Davis, Gabriel Almeida, Ben Thornbrue, and Gaius Mewourou represent those joining the Badgers from outside the state.
UP NEXT: The Badgers will head out onto the road for the first time this season and participate in the Gila Monster Shootout Nov. 9-11. They will take on a trio of opponents beginning with Seward County Community College Thursday. They’ll square off with Frank Phillips College Friday and will wrap up the tournament against Cochise College Saturday. For additional information, visit snowbadgers.com.