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This Week's Schedule:
Sodexo Tip-Off Classic at Brougham Pavilion (Seattle Pacific University), Seattle, Wash.
Friday, Nov. 15, 3 p.m.: CWU vs. Dixie State
Saturday, Nov. 16: 3 p.m.: CWU vs. Colorado Christian

Last Week's Results:
No games (previous game: Nov. 6: L, 95-65, at Washington -- exhibition)

A second visit to Seattle in a ten-day span for the Central Washington University men's basketball team as the Wildcats open their 2013-14 regular season on Friday at 3 p.m. against Dixie State University at the Sodexo Tip-Off Classic, hosted by Seattle Pacific University. CWU will also face Colorado Christian University at the tournament on Saturday, with tip-off for that contest also slated for 3 p.m.

CWU took on the state's two Pacific-12 Conference members -- Washington State University and the University of Washington -- in exhibition contests on Nov. 1 and Nov. 6, respectively. The Wildcats fell to WSU, 93-56, before showing signs of improvement in many areas during a 95-65 loss to UW at Hec Edmundson Pavilion last Wednesday.

Nineteenth-year head coach Greg Sparling (CWU, 1993; 310-197) and the Wildcats will have a tough opponent in their regular-season opener, as Dixie State is a perennial post-season contender within the NCAA Division II West Region and the Red Storm upset Division I UNLV in an exhibition contest already this winter. Head coach Jon Judkins (Utah State, 1988; 146-87, ninth year) has successfully guided Dixie from the junior college ranks to a Division II success story over the course of the past seven seasons.

CWU returns four lettermen from last season's squad that finished sixth in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference regular season standings and advanced to the semifinals of the GNAC Tournament. Leading the group of returnees are seniors Mark McLaughlin (Bothell/Inglemoor HS) and Kevin Davis (Federal Way/Todd Beamer HS), while fellow senior JB Pillard III (Kirkland/Juanita HS) is coming off a redshirt season after transferring in from Northwest Nazarene University. All three were named to the 2013-14 pre-season all-conference team earlier this fall. Sophomore Joey Roppo (Monroe) also returns after lettering as a redshirt freshman a year ago.

McLaughlin was the leading scorer in the GNAC a year ago, earning conference Newcomer of the Year honors in the process. He scored 30 points (on 11 of 22 shooting) in last week's exhibition contest against Washington, which followed a 15-point outing in the exhibition debut versus WSU five nights earlier.

Joining McLaughlin in the starting backcourt are newcomers Joshua Lord (Jr., Tacoma/Mount Tahoma HS) and Jordan Russell (So., Tacoma/Lincoln HS). Both players teamed at Tacoma Community College last season, and Russell was the Wildcats' second-leading scorer during the exhibition portion of their schedule, reaching double figures against Washington.

Anchoring the Wildcat reserves is senior Jeff Budinich (Maple Valley/Kentlake HS), who played the first three seasons of his collegiate career at Montana State University in the Big Sky Conference. A whole host of guards, including Walla Walla Community College transfer Dylan Radliff (Richland) and Julian Vaughn (Tacoma/Curtis HS) from Tacoma CC, as well as true freshmen Terry Dawn (Arlington), Jalen Peake (Yakima/West Valley HS), and Marc Rodgers (Los Angeles, Calif./Middlebrooks Academy), also saw time in the exhibition games and should come off the bench for CWU during the regular campaign.

The Wildcats are hoping to return to the NCAA Division II playoffs this season for the first time since hosting the West Region Tournament as the top seed in 2011. CWU qualified for the GNAC Tournament each of the past two seasons as the number six seed, both times winning their quarterfinal game before falling in the semifinals.

On Saturday, CWU will face a Colorado Christian squad that competes in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference. The Cougars finished two games below .500 a year ago and have been picked to finish eighth in the 14-team league in 2013-14. Head coach Kevin Lubbers (Trinity Christian, 2001; 19-41) is in his third season at the helm of the CCU program after a successful stint at his alma mater. The Cougars played one exhibition contest this year, losing to Big Sky Conference member Northern Colorado, 98-74.

The all-time series with this weekend's two opponents are both relatively new, as CWU has played Dixie State just twice previously and Colorado Christian just once. The Wildcats are winless in two tries against the Red Storm, falling in St. George in Dec. 2008 and at a neutral-site tournament in Nampa, Idaho, a year later. The only previous match-up between CWU and CCU also took place at Seattle Pacific, with the Wildcats claiming an 84-77 win during the 2009-10 campaign.

Next on the schedule for the Wildcats will be the GNAC/PacWest Challenge at Nicholson Pavilion next weekend. CWU will host Hawaii Pacific University (Nov. 22, 6 p.m.) and Brigham Young University-Hawaii (Nov. 23, 4 p.m.), with Seattle Pacific also participating in the classic tournament.

CWU PROBABLE STARTERS
PG: 5 JOSHUA LORD (5-10, 155, Jr.-JC, Tacoma, Wash.)
SG: 2 JORDAN RUSSELL (5-10, 175, So.-JC, Tacoma, Wash.)
SF: 32 MARK MCLAUGHLIN (6-6, 212, Sr.-1V, Bothell, Mont.)
PF: 1 JB PILLARD III (6-6, 225, Sr.-RS, Kirkland, Wash.)
C: 25 KEVIN DAVIS (6-9, 225, Sr.-2V, Federal Way, Wash.)

CWU RESERVES
0 JULIAN VAUGHN (G, 6-4, 192, Jr.-JC, Davenport, Wash.)
3 JOEY ROPPO (G, 6-2, 172, So.-1V, Monroe, Wash.)
4 TERRY DAWN (G, 6-4, 200, Fr.-HS, Arlington, Wash.)
10 JALEN PEAKE (G, 6-3, 180, Fr.-HS, Yakima, Wash.)
23 MARC RODGERS (G, 6-2, 180, Fr.-HS, Los Angeles, Calif.)
24 DYLAN RADLIFF (G, 6-1, 175, Jr.-JC, Richland, Wash.)
44 JEFF BUDINICH (F/C, 6-10, 235, Sr.-TR, Maple Valley, Wash.)

NOT WITH THE TEAM (PROJECTED REDSHIRTS)
11 A.J. MAXWELL (G, 5-9, 155, Jr.-JC, Spanaway, Wash.)
22 DOMINIQUE WILLIAMS (G, 5-10, 150, Sr.-1V, Tacoma, Wash.)

ALL-TIME SERIES
vs. Dixie State (CWU trails 2-0)
Dec. 16, 2008 at St. George: DSU 74, CWU 64
Nov. 27, 2009 at Nampa, Idaho: DSU 78, CWU 75

vs. Colorado Christian (CWU leads 1-0)
Dec. 29, 2009 at Seattle: CWU 84, CCU 77