DETROIT (11/6/2017) -- The University of Detroit Mercy men's basketball team will kick off the new season on Friday, Nov. 10, as the Titans head to Blacksburg, Virginia, to battle the Hokies of Virginia Tech in the 2K Sports Classic Benefitting the Wounded Warrior Project.

The game is the first of 13 non-conference contests of the season for the Titans before they open the Horizon League campaign in late December.

Here are a few thoughts on the Titans non-conference opponent.

Virginia Tech (22-11, 10-8 ACC, NCAA Tournament First Round)

• Virginia Tech was picked seventh in the 2017-18 ACC preseason media poll. 
• The Hokies are receiving votes in both the preseason AP and coaches poll.
• Virginia Tech lost its top two scorers from a year ago, but still bring back junior Chris Clarke (11.4 ppg.), redshirt junior Ahmed Hill (11.4 ppg.) and junior Justin Robinson (10.4 ppg.).
• It will be the first-ever meeting between the two schools.

UM-Dearborn (20-12, 13-9 WHAC, WHAC Semifinals)

• UM-Dearborn will have played seven games before arriving at Calihan Hall.
• UM-Dearborn won a program record 20 games last year and was picked to place third in the WHAC preseason poll.
• Back to lead the team is senior Marcus Williams, who led the squad with 16.5 points, while sophomore Xavier Crofford tallied 10.5 points.
• The Titans are 2-0 all-time against the Wolverines.

Seattle (13-17, 5-9 WAC, WAC Championship First Round)

• Will match-up in the first game of the 2K Sports Belmont subregional and the winner will face either host Belmont or Houston Baptist. 
• Seattle returns six letter winners and two starters from last year. 
• Aaron Menzies is the top returning scorer and rebounder at 12.3 points per game and 6.1 rebounds per contest. 
• A fellow Jesuit school that the Titans have never played before.

Saint Louis (12-21, 6-12 A-10, A-10 Tournament Second Round)

• Picked to finish seventh in the Atlantic 10 Conference preseason poll.
• SLU features five returning players on its roster, but two incoming freshmen (Hasahn French and Jordan Goodwin) were ranked as top 100 recruits by ESPN.
• Senior guard Davell Roby is the Billikens' leading returning scorer after averaging 11.7 points a season ago. 
• Detroit Mercy and Saint Louis are old MCC foes as the Billikens leads the all-time series, 29-15.

Siena Heights (16-15, 10-12 WHAC, WHAC Tournament Quarterfinal)

• Picked to finish eighth in the WHAC preseason poll.
• Siena Heights lost three of its top four scorers, but returns senior Tony Jackson and his 10.3 points per game. 
• Titans won the only other match-up, 80-71, in 2000. 

Fort Wayne (20-13, 8-8 Summit League, CollegeInsider.com Quarterfinals)

• Tabbed fourth in the Summit League preseason poll.
• The Mastodons lost their top scorer Mo Evans, but return 
• Junior John Konchar and senior Bryson Scott earned All-Preseason honors as Konchar averaged 14.9 points, 8.7 rebounds and 3.8 assists last year and Scott posted 16.1 points, 5.0 rebounds and 2.3 assists. 
• Detroit Mercy and Fort Wayne met for the first time last season, a 93-86 win for the Mastodons. 

UCLA (31-5, 15-3 PAC-12, NCAA Sweet 16)

• The Bruins are nationally ranked in both the AP and coaches poll.
• UCLA lost their top three scorers in TJ Leaf, Bryce Alford, Isaac Hamilton and Lonzo Ball, but return Aaron Holiday's 12.3 points per game and some highly-recruited players. 
• The last time the Titans met the Bruins was in the 1999 NCAA Tournament with Detroit Mercy – led by current head coach Bacari Alexander '99 and assistant coach Jermaine Jackson '99 - knocking off the nationally-ranked squad, 55-53, in the classic 12-5 match-up. 
• Coach Alexander played all 40 minutes and tallied six points, six rebounds and three steals, while coach Jackson scored 17 points with seven rebounds in the 56-53 NCAA Tournament win over UCLA in 1999.

Toledo (17-17, 9-9 MAC West, CBI First Round)

• Toledo was picked to finish third in the West Division Mid-American Conference preseason poll. 
• Five letter winners and two starters are back for the Rockets, led by junior Jaelan Sanford's 13.6 points per game. 
• The match-up between the Titans and Rockets is the 58th in this rivalry that dates back to 1920 as Toledo leads the all-time series, 32-25.

Western Michigan (16-16, 11-7 MAC West, MAC Basketball Tournament Quarterfinal)

• Picked to win the MAC West Division.
• Return 10 players from last year, including four starters, led by senior Thomas Wilder who ranks 10th at WMU in career scoring with 1,437 points.
• Titan head coach Bacari Alexander '99 was an assistant for two years at WMU under longtime Broncos' head coach Steve Hawkins.
• The Titans lead the all-time match-up 26-16, but the two programs have not met since 2011.

Michigan (26-12, 10-8 Big Ten, NCAA Sweet 16)

• The Wolverines are receiving votes in both the preseason AP and coaches poll.
• Junior Moritz Wagner was selected to the Big Ten preseason team after averaging 12.1 points and shooting 39.5 percent from long range (45-for-114) last year.
• The game against Michigan will be the first college basketball game at Little Caesars Arena – paying homage to the first event at Joe Louis Arena on Dec. 12, 1979 – and renews an in-state rivalry that was last played in 2014.
• Another school where coach Alexander served as an assistant, this time for six seasons under current Michigan head coach John Beilein. 
• The Titans trail the all-time series, 24-4. 

East Tennessee State (27-8, 14-4 SoCon, NCAA Tournament First Round)

• ETSU was selected fourth in the Southern Conference. 
• The Buccaneers posted a 27-win season a year ago claiming both a Southern Conference regular season and tournament title. 
• ETSU did lose six players and four starters, but has nine newcomers as well as senior guard Desonta Bradford, who tallied 10.4 points, 4.4 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game last year. 
• The first-ever meeting between the two schools was last season, a 107-78, win by the Buccaneers.

Murray State (16-17, 8-8 Ohio Valley, Ohio Valley Conference Semifinals)

• The Racers return five letter winners and three starters and were selected third in the OVC preseason poll, totaling three first-place votes. 
• Back to lead the team is senior Jonathan Stark, the team's leading scorer at 21.9 points, while senior Terrell Miller, topped the team in rebounds at 8.2 board and also scoring 16.0 points per game. 
• Murray State leads the all-time series, 2-1.

 

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