'Roos Open the Regular Season Friday vs. Hornets in Televised Contest
11/7/2013 9:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Date / Time: November 8, 2013 - 3:05 p.m. CST
Site: Kansas City, Mo. / Municipal Auditorium (9,827)
TV: KSMO-Kansas City / ESPN Full Court and ESPN3
Talent: Neil Harwell (p-b-p), J.C. Pearson (analyst)
Radio: 1510 AM
Talent: Steven Davis (p-b-p), Steven St. John (analyst)
Webcast: UMKCKangaroos.com (Subscribers only)
Live Stats: UMKCKangaroos.com
Twitter: @TheUMKCRoos #HoopsHookie #WACHoops
Series: 0-0 as a D-I school, UMKC leads 8-5 as NAIA.
Home: 0-0
Away: 0-0
Neutral: 0-0
Last Meeting: ESU won 81-79 in OT on 1/7/1984
Richardson vs. Opponent: 0-0
THE GAME
Notables: The 'Roos open the 2013-14 regular season with a new coach, new arena, and new conference on Friday afternoon at Municipal Auditorium. UMKC is playing the Hornets for the first time in the Division I era in a rare 3:05 p.m. tipoff. It will be UMKC Downtown Day, with the UMKC Conservatory hosting its annual Crescendo fundraising event at the Kauffman Performing Arts Center later that evening. Lower level reserved tickets are buy-one-get-one free for the game.
QUICK NOTES
- This game will be an exhibition for Emporia State, as they are an NCAA Division II school.
- Kansas City announced February 7, 2013 that it would be going to the WAC. This will be the first regular season game as a member of the new conference after 19 years in the Summit League.
- UMKC hired new head coach Kareem Richardson on March 19, 2013. He helped Louisville win the National Championship last season as an assistant under Rick Pitino.
- This is the first regular season game at Municipal Auditorium since the $5 million renovation. It includes new video boards, LED scorer's table, sound system, lighting, seating in the lower level and electrical upgrades.
- Municipal Auditorium has been the site of more NCAA Final Fours than any other arena, and is once again the home of UMKC men's basketball. The 'Roos will be playing the bulk of their home games at the historic venue in 2013-14.
- The 'Roos return four players that started a large amount of games last season, with eight letterwinners coming back as well.
- The eight returnees make up 47 percent of the scoring from last season's team.
- There are seven players on the roster from the Kansas City area, more than any UMKC team in the Division I era.
- This year's roster also feature nine newcomers, six of which are freshmen. There are three transfers, two of which have to sit out this season due to Division I transfer rules.
- Kansas City's roster may feature a large amount of young players, but it also has six seniors.
SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION
Emporia State will be playing its second exhibition game on Friday after falling 87-51 last Friday at Oklahoma State. The Hornets return three starters to a team that went 13-14 a year ago, while bringing in six newcomers. They turn around and face Wichita State Saturday afternoon in their final exhibition.
They are led by senior guard Kaleb Wright, who averaged 14.1 points and 4.3 rebounds per game last year, while 6-11 center Paul Bunch put up 12.1 points and 7.8 boards a contest.
As a team they averaged 67 points per game while allowing 66 per contest. They also out-rebounded their competition by four per game while turning it over 14.3 times per outing.
THE COACHES
Kareem Richardson is in his first season as the head coach at UMKC, posting a 0-0 record. He was named the sixth coach in the Division I era on March 19, 2013 after helping Louisville to a National Championship last season as an assistant under Hall of Fame coach Rick Pitino.
He brings 13 years of Division I coaching experience to the fold, as well as four years playing at the Division I level, graduating from Evansville in 1997.
Shaun Vandiver is in his third season at the helm of the Hornets, posting a 22-32 overall record. He was a first round NBA draft pick of the Golden State Warriors in 1991 after playing at Colorado.
THE SERIES
The 'Roos and Hornets have never played a regular season meeting during the Division I era for UMKC, but the two faced several times during the NAIA era, with UMKC taking an 8-5 series lead. The last meeting came on 1/7/84 with ESU winning 81-79 in overtime.
This will be the first time the two have played at Municipal Auditorium, but the Hornets are no stranger to the facility, playing their conference tournament there.
A WIN WOULD MEAN...
- Kansas City would snapped a two-game skid in season openers.
- The 'Roos will have started the Kareem Richardson era with a win, something that only one other coach in UMKC Division I history has done (Rich Zvosec in 2001).
UP NEXT
The 'Roos will head to Creighton on Monday night for a nationally televised battle on Fox Sports 1 at 7:00 p.m. The contest is the first nationally televised game UMKC has played since facing Louisville on and Ohio State last season.
The 'Roos are 3-7 against the Bluejays all-time, with a 0-5 mark in Omaha and a 3-2 record in Kansas City. The last meeting came on 11/18/98 in Kansas City, with CU winning by a 79-58 margin.
KANSAS CITY CONNECTION
The 'Roos roster this season is loaded with local players. In fact, the seven players from the Kansas City area on the roster are the most ever on a UMKC roster in the Division I era (1987).
The local players include Trinity Hall, Martez Harrison, Reese Holliday, Isaac Kreuer, Aaron Washington, Mason Wedel and Frank Williams.
FRESHMAN STARTS
If freshman Martez Harrison gets the start on Friday, it will be the first freshman to start on opening day for UMKC since 2008 when Trey McKinney-Jones and Dustin Dibble opened the season on the court against North Dakota (11/14/08).
The previous year, Reggie Hamilton started against Kansas to open the season (11/11/07). Hamilton and McKinney-Jones were both recruited by Kareem Richardson.
FOR OPENERS
The 'Roos are 8-18 in season openers in the Division I era (1987), and have lost their last two overall. Their last season-opening win came against Truman State on 11/12/10.
In home openers, UMKC has a 16-10 overall record, including a win last season against Lincoln.
Against Division II teams, UMKC is 7-1, falling only to Northwest Missouri St. in 2011.
