Season tips off in Minnesota tonight

Mankato, Minnesota. That’s where the Lions will start their regular season play for the 2018-19 season. A season in which the Lions were picked to win the MIAA. 

The Lions received six first place votes in the coaches poll, while receiving 10 in the media polls. 

The Lions will also begin the season ranked inside the top 25. They will be ranked 25th to start the season. 

“Ready to get it going, I think our guys are just excited to play somebody new,” said head coach Jeff Boschee.

Somebody new, but not new to the Lions’ schedule. The Lions will be repeating their first two games of the 2017-18 season, by playing those same opponents to start this season, just in a different location. 

Their first game of the season will feature two ranked teams. The Lions face off against St. Cloud State in the MIAA/NSIC challenge in Minnesota. St. Cloud State was ranked 18th in the preseason polls. That game will tip-off at 3 p.m. today. 

Tomorrow the Lions will face the Mavericks of Minnesota State University. That will also get underway at 3 p.m. 

“We’ve got to improve defensively, we’ve been below average the past couple of years,” said Boschee. “We’ve got to be solid. We don’t have to be great, but we’ve got to be solid defensively. We can’t give up 47, 48 percent field goal percentage like we have the past couple years.”

This makes back to back seasons where the Lions have competed in the MIAA/NSIC challenge and played both St. Cloud State and Minnesota State University in the challenge. Last year the Lions began their season with two losses to these two teams. St. Cloud State defeated them in Pittsburg, Kansas last year 76-70, and Minnesota State came out victorious 91-89 in overtime, behind, ex-Lion, Charlie Brown’s 22-point performance.