After relatively long layoffs, DePauw's men's and women's basketball teams will be back in action this weekend.
The women head to Kentucky for the Centre College Classic where they'll take on Milikin University and the host squad, Centre College. The men will take on Oberlin College in their home opener.
The men will look to improve to 3-0 on the season and avenge last year's difficult home loss to the Yeomen.
Last February, the Tigers suffered a two-point loss to Oberlin in a home game. With 49 seconds left, Barry Flynn tied the game at 49. However, half a minute later, a Randy Ollie field goal handed DePauw a difficult 51-49 loss.
The painful defeat is the reason DePauw is not overlooking the 0-2 Yeomen. Before going into the matchup last season, Oberlin had a poor record of 5-17.
"This is sort of a trap game for us," said junior center, Tommy Fernitz. "We've been known to not take them as serious as we should have like in last year's game."
The home opener will be a welcome event for the Tigers, as they have played well at DePauw in recent history. Last season they went 9-4 when playing at home and averaged over 67 points per game.
When on the road last season, the Tigers were only 7-6 and averaged less than 65 points per game.
The Tigers will try to feed off of some of the energy from last year's Women's National Championship.
"We see them working hard and to be honest, we want that kind of success for ourselves," said Fernitz. "It has definitely motivated us."
As for the women, they will take on Milikin this Friday and then battle Centre the following day.
DePauw has history with both of these teams.
In 2011 the Tigers defeated Milikin 64-41 at home. In 2010, the eighth ranked Tigers were upset 65-59 by the Big Blue.
The Tigers' only meeting with the Colonels in recent history occurred in January of the 2010-2011 season. After a tight first half, DePauw flexed its muscles in the second frame and knocked off Centre by a score of 77-57.
It hasn't mattered who the Tigers have played over the last year, however. DePauw comes in on an incredible 36 game winning streak and as the defending National Champions.
After a solid 80-46 win over Otterbein University in the season opener, DePauw was given a scare by Franklin College in their second game. The Tigers trailed by seven at halftime to the Grizzlies, but eventually came back, winning 65-54.
"There really wasn't any concern at halftime," said freshman Alexa Gaumer. "The seniors just kept telling us that eventually our shots would start to fall."
This season, Coach Huffman has brought in six freshmen to fill holes left by graduating seniors. These girls are poised to play an instrumental role in the Tigers' season. Already, forward Taylor Howard has seen big minutes on the floor. The freshman played 19 minutes and recorded four points and four rebounds to go along with two steals in the win against Otterbein.
The experience of the upperclassmen has made a large impact on the freshmen's ability to get acclimated to college athletics.
"Not many freshman get the opportunity to play with girls like this," said Gaumer about her upperclassmen teammates. "We talk to them as much as possible and hearing how their hard work paid off really helps us buy into the system."
The action for the women tips off at 5 p.m. on Friday, as the Tigers open up their weekend against Milikin.