SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS – The long anticipated return of the University of the Incarnate Word men's basketball team to the hard court is here with the Cardinals' season opener on Friday against UT-Tyler at the McDermott Center. Tip-off is slated for 8 p.m. or 30 minutes following the women's basketball game.
The Cardinals were one of the big surprises of the 2013-14 college men's basketball season as the team went 21-6 in their first year as a member of NCAA Division I and they were 9-5 in Southland Conference action. This year, the team is predicted to finish sixth in the Southland Conference preseason polls.
The Cardinals were one of the top scoring teams in the nation last year at over 80 points per game and expectations are for a similar style in 2014-15. UIW is led by senior guard
Denzel Livingston (Houston/Waltrip HS) who averaged 20.3 points, 6.4 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 2.5 steals and 1.4 blocks per game last year and was a first team all-SLC preseason pick. Junior
Kyle Hittle (New Braunfels/New Braunfels HS) was one of the top scorers in the conference last year with 16.3 points per game while knocking down 59 three-pointers on 40.7 percent shooting from beyond the arc.
The Cardinals are led by head coach
Ken Burmeister who is entering his ninth year with the program and 18
th year as a collegiate head coach. He has a 148-76 record with the Cardinals and is 274-202 overall.
The Patriots are an NCAA Division III program from the American Southwest Conference. They went 15-12 last year and are under the direction of second-year head coach Jamon Copeland.
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