GREENWOOD, S.C. — The Catawba College men's basketball team kicks off its season on the road against Lander on Friday before playing host to USC Aiken, who eliminated Catawba from the NCAA Tournament last season, in the home opener on Sunday.

The Meeting with Mason
- Catawba faced defending Atlantic 10 regular-season champion George Mason in a cross-divisional exhibition on Tuesday, hanging with the Patriots early before surrendering an 86-62 result
- The game was shown live on ESPN+, the streaming-only side of ESPN, to mark the team's first broadcast competition of the season
- The Catawba Indians pocketed 15 steals to tie the EagleBank Arena record for takeaways by a Patriot opponent
- Jordan Simpson scored in double figures with 10 points while adding three steals in his informal Catawba debut

Returning Pieces
- Nine student-athletes return to suit up for the Catawba Indians
- Catawba is loaded in the frontcourt with All-SAC pick Nick Walker, Ibra Athie, Justin Banks, Jashaun Hawkins, Jalen Hilliard, Zion McDuffie and Solomon Tucker coming back after getting big minutes
- The "Daniel Duo", twin guards Carson and Chase, brings a year of experience to a position with multiple new faces

Meet the Brand New Guys
- Eight members of the program are in their first season at Catawba
- Four are true freshmen, including Jacob Bryant who stood out during a prep year at Middle Georgia Prep
- Another four are transfers (two from four-years, two from two-years), highlighted by Simpson whose previous stops are South Carolina State and Francis Marion

Year 12 under Perron
- This season is Rob Perron's 12th at Catawba and the 15th of his head coaching career (includes three years at St. Andrews)
- Perron has helped Catawba to three NCAA trips in the last four campaigns

All-Time Series
- The Catawba Indians are 2-4 against Lander all-time, taking both wins in consecutive fashion; however, the blue and white are winless (0-1) against the Bearcats in Greenwood
- Last year's season-opening meeting between the teams was at Goodman Arena, going down to the wire as Catawba erased a nine-point deficit in the game's last 40 seconds
- Banks' put-back dunk in the final seconds was the exclamation point on the victory and caught national media attention highlighted by being the No. 1 play on the SportsCenter Top 10
- When facing USC Aiken, Catawba holds a 4-7 record with a 1-2 record at Goodman Arena
- The foes met twice last season, first in Game 2 (just like this time around) and in the quarterfinal round of the NCAA Southeast Regional as the Pacers claimed wins in both tilts

Scouting the Bearcats
- Lander was voted to finish fifth in the 11-team Peach Belt Conference after going 15-14 with an even 9-9 ledger in conference play
- The Bearcats were much better on home court, winning five of their first six matchups at Finis Horne Arena for a total home record of 10-4
- Among the Bearcats' key returners is Terry Leonard Jr., who scorched the Catawba Indians from long range with a 6-for-9 clip and 20 points in his first collegiate game last fall
- Newer players expected to make an impact include Georgia Southwestern transfer Antewan Webber Jr. and former Division I hooper Dylan Canoville, who spent time at Jackson State and Southeastern Louisiana

Scouting the Pacers
- USC Aiken is coming off winning the PBC Tournament Championship and an appearance in the semifinal round of the NCAA Southeast Regional during a 24-9 campaign in 2024-25
- USCA was selected third in the PBC Preseason Coaches' Poll while earning a pair of first-place nods
- The Pacers have six additions via transfer including two Division I arrivals from Clemson and Elon as well as Montraivis White, who joined the USCA program following two seasons as a Catawba Indian
- However, the Pacers had to go through a full starting lineup overhaul due to departures as Caleb Byrd is the lone returner with multiple starts (2)

Follow Along
- Friday's game will be broadcast live on the PBC Sports Network with live statistics on landerbearcats.com
- The home opener on Saturday will be streamed on FloCollege with live stats on CatawbaAthletics.com