Match Info	Opponent Info
Louisiana Christian vs. UT Tyler LCC: 1-2, 0-0 RRAC | UTT: 0-0, 0-0 LSC Monday, Nov. 13th | 7:00 P.M. Herrington Patriot Center | Tyler, Texas		ROSTER	SCHEDULE	STATS

ANOTHER STEP IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION

The UT Tyler men's basketball program continued their path of improvement in 2021-22, taking advantage of the first season of full-fledged NCAA Division II status with their first appearance in the Lone Star Conference Men's Basketball Championship Tournament. The Patriots went 16-10 on the year, and received their first national ranking at the NCAA Division II level back on Dec. 15th, 2021 after appearing at no. 25 in the D2SIDA Men's Basketball National Media Poll. UT Tyler appeared in all three editions of the NCAA Division II South Central Regional Rankings and earned the no. 11 seed in the LSC Men's Basketball Championship after compiling a record of 7-8 in Lone Star Conference play. The year's firsts for the program fit the mold of a program on the rise entering year four under the direction of head coach Louis Wilson, as the Patriots have improved their win totals and overall quality of play in each of his first three years in Tyler. UT Tyler went 8-19 in 2019-20, 12-10 in 2020-21, and 16-10 in 2021-22, and have all the makings of taking another step forward as the 2022-23 season tips off at home inside the Herrington Patriot Center on Monday evening at 7 p.m.

WHAT COACH WILSON IS SAYING

On the outlook of the 2022-23 season that will feature a host of new faces in the program... "It's quite a chore, obviously, to bring in so many new pieces into a situation and try and get it functioning the way you would hope a college basketball team would function. We have alot of work in front of us, and there's not a ton of time before we're in the mix playing meaningful basketball games."

On the advantage playing at home for the first game of a season... "I think anytime you can play at home, in this environment, with our fans and our community, I think it's always a plus. We have one of the best venues in NCAA Division II college basketball to play in, teams always say they enjoy coming here, and we love our fans and our home. We're looking for an opportunity to have alot of people show up and show out for us. We do have alot of new guys, but we have alot of talented guys. We have alot of guys that can play and proven that they can play at the Division I level. So playing at home is a plus, having talent is a plus, so if I do my job and get those kids acclimated as quickly as possible and ready to play I think wherever we play we will be good."

On what he will be looking for from his team on Monday night against Louisiana Christian... "Just alot of organizational things that you want to make sure initially that you get those things right, because before you can win, you have to not lose. So I'll be looking for alot of things that are very "coach speak". Effort. Teamwork. Intelligence. Trying to do things the right way."

20 YEARS OF PATRIOT BASKETBALL

Monday night will get the 20th year of UT Tyler men's basketball started after the program's inaugural season in 2003-04. The Patriots sport a 224-260 all-time record entering the 2022-23 season, and a 44-56 record since beginning play against NCAA Division II competition back in 2019-20. UT Tyler is 131-97 all-time inside the Herrington Patriot Center, and is 19-35 in Lone Star Conference play since beginning play in the league in 2019-20.

SELECTED NO. 9 IN LSC PRESEASON POLL

The University of Texas at Tyler men's basketball program has been selected ninth in the 2022 Lone Star Conference Men's Basketball Preseason Poll as announced by the conference office. The preseason poll reflects the opinions of LSC head coaches, sports information directors and various media representatives throughout the region. The Patriots received 314 total votes to appear in the no. 9 spot of the preseason poll. West Texas A&M earned 36 of the 39 available first-place votes and 619 total votes to come in as the clear preseason favorite. DBU appeared as the no. 2 ranked team in the preseason poll with 560 votes, while Lubbock Christian received a pair of first-place votes and 489 total votes to come in at no. 3. Midwestern State (no. 4), St. Edward's (no. 5), Texas A&M-Kingsville (no. 6), St. Mary's (no. 7) and Angelo State (no. 8) rounded out the top eight ahead of UT Tyler in the no. 9 spot.
 

2022-23 LSC Men's Basketball Preseason Poll
Rank	School	1st	Total
1	West Texas A&M	36	619
2	DBU		560
3	Lubbock Christian	2	489
4	Midwestern State		460
5	St. Edward's		428
6	Texas A&M-Kingsville		399
7	St. Mary's		380
8	Angelo State		364
9	UT Tyler		314
10	UT Permian Basin	1	310
11	UAFS		293
12	Texas A&M International		246
13	Western New Mexico		145
14	Oklahoma Christian		134
15	Eastern New Mexico		95
16	Cameron		68

SZABO IS ONE TO WATCH

Senior Milan Szabo of UT Tyler men's basketball was named a Preseason Player to Watch by the Lone Star Conference. Szabo was one of 14 players included on the list that includes student-athletes designated for the recognition by their member institution. Szabo was named the 2021-22 Lone Star Conference All-Academic Team for his combined efforts on the court and in the classroom and will return to the floor for the 2022-23 season as one of just four returners to the roster. The Levice, Slovakia native appeared in all 26 games in 2021-22 and made 25 starts while leading the Patriots with an average of 5.6 rebounds per contest. Szabo chipped in an average of 7.5 points per game and posted a double-digit scoring effort in eight contests throughout the season.

13 NEW ADDITIONS TO THE ROSTER

The University of Texas at Tyler men's basketball program welcomed 13 new additions to the 2022-23 roster over a busy offseason of recruiting for head coach Louis Wilson and his staff. The Patriots added six individuals with Division I experience, three junior college transfers, a Division II transfer from within the Lone Star Conference, and three true freshman over the course of the offseason. Coach Wilson and his staff added a variety of players in order to fill needs left by the graduation of key pieces to the program such as Micah Fuller, Da'Zhon Wyche, Soloman Thomas and Eysan Wiley. The new additions will join a core of returners that gained valuable experience last season, headlined by senior Milan Szabo. Joining Szabo with extensive game experience from last season will be sophomore Kyle Frelow, who made appearances in 24 games last year as a true freshman.

COACH WILSON

Head coach Louis Wilson will begin his fourth season at the helm of the UT Tyler men's basketball program in 2022-23, and eighth season overall as a head coach at the Division II level. The 2022-23 season will mark the 31st year of collegiate basketball coaching experience for Wilson, as he accumulated 23 years of experience at the Division I level as an associate or assistant head coach prior to his time in Tyler. He spent five years as head coach at Division II foe Adams State of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) from 2010-15, totaling a 95-46 record as head coach of the Grizzlies, and led the program to three consecutive appearances in the NCAA Division II National Tournament from 2010-13. Coach Wilson enters Monday night with a record of 36-39 in his three years as head coach of the Patriots.