Game #1
Lindenwood (0-0, 0-0 OVC)
at Nebraska (0-0, 0-0 Big Ten)
Match Information:
Date: Monday, Nov. 6, 2023
Location: Lincoln, Neb.
Venue: Pinnacle Bank Arena
Tip-Off: 7:00 p.m. CT
All-Time Series: First Meeting
Live Stats: Stats
Live Video: Big Ten+
Lindenwood Game Notes: Notes

Matchup
The Lindenwood men's basketball team opens up their 2023-24 season on Monday, Nov. 6 at Big 10 opponent Nebraska. Lindenwood is competing in their second season in the Ohio Valley Conference and their second Division I season.

The Lions finished last season with a 11-21 record and a 6-12 conference record. After a wild conclusion to conference play, Lindenwood made the OVC tournament in their first Division I season.

To close out the 2022-23 regular season, the Lions defeated OVC Champions Southeast Missouri State in double overtime by a final score of 105-102 and Little Rock 97-96 in overtime. It marked the first time with back-to-back overtime wins since the 2005-06 season.

Player to Watch
Keenon Cole returns to the Lions after being named Second Team All-OVC last season in his first season at LU. He was also named to the Preseason All-OVC team at media day in Evansville, Ind.

Cole ended last season with an average of 12.9 points per game while picking up 5.7 rebounds and shooting 52.4 from the field. He had six 20+ scoring outings including a season high 23 at Tennessee Tech.

OVC Preseason Rankings
In a vote of Ohio Valley Conference head men's basketball coaches and communication directors, Morehead State has been picked the preseason favorites for the 2023-24 season. It marks the second-straight year the Eagles have been tabbed the favorites.
 
The Eagles picked up 20 of 22 first-place votes (teams could not vote for themselves); Tennessee State picked up the other votes.  MSU tallied 200 points and was followed by SIUE (162), who was picked second. Tennessee State (153) was picked third and followed by UT Martin (149), Southeast Missouri (124), Tennessee Tech (120), Little Rock (85), Western Illinois (80), Southern Indiana (63), Lindenwood (40) and Eastern Illinois (34).

Scouting Nebraska
The Cornhuskers finished with a 16-16 record last season and a 9-11 Big Ten conference record. Nebraska is coached by fifth year head coach Fred Hoiberg. Their nine wins last season in conference were their most since the 2017-18 season.

Keisei Tominaga is Nebraska's leading scorer returning last season. He averaged 13.1 points last season which was second on the team, and shot .503 from the field and .400 from three-point range.

Head Coach: Kyle Gerdeman
Kyle Gerdeman enters his fifth year at the helm of the Lindenwood men's basketball program in the 2023-24 season. The Lions concluded their inaugural Division I season in 2022-23 where Gerdeman led the Lions to an appearances in the OVC Tournament after a wild finish to the season.

The Lions took down in-state rival Southeast Missouri State in double-overtime to keep their postseason hopes alive.  In the final game of the regular season, Lindenwood needed a win to move on, and Kevin Caldwell Jr. answered the call with a game-winning bucket in overtime.

Lindenwood led the OVC in free-throw percentage (75.6), and was second in the OVC in three-point percentage (39.1).  Chris Childs held the top spot in the league with a free-throw percentage of 92.7, while Keenon Cole was atop the OVC with a three-point percentage of 51.0 percent.  The Lions clawed their way to three overtime wins on the season.  Lindenwood also posted two comeback victories from 20 points down, and another 17-point comeback during OVC play.

Up Next
The Lions continue their two-game road trip to begin the season as they head to Ames, Iowa to take on the Cyclones of Iowa State. Lindenwood begins their season starting off with two Power Five schools. Tip-off is set for 7:00 p.m. CT and will be streamed on ESPN+. For more information go to lindenwoodlions.com.