Down by 17 points in last year's SCAC championship game to Centre College, the Tigers cut down the lead to three only to see their hopes of their first post-season appearance since 2007 dashed.
Led by then-junior Sean Hasely's 20 points and 10 rebounds, the Tigers leaned heavily on hitting shots beyond the arc, going 8-19 from that range.
This year the team will look to continue hitting from deep range as Hasely, who led the team in points per game with 14, will lead a talented guard court that can light it up from beyond the arc.
"Hasely was our leading scorer last year, and he will be playing the three or four for us," said assistant coach Brian Oilar. "He's very versatile, and his athleticism lets him play inside and out."
The Tigers will look to distribute the ball to Hasely and the other returning guards on the team.
Senior Tommy Weakley, who was second on the team with 48 three-pointers last season, will be leaned upon to hold up that scoring category in the absence of then-senior guard, Steve Lemasters. But the bigger questions lie in the front court under the basket.
"We lost six from our senior class and they all played a lot of minutes and their experience will be missed," Oilar said. "Seaver was our leading rebounder and one of our best post scorers."
Filling in as center, Oilar has high hopes for sophomore Camron Burns to produce for the Tigers below the basket. Also, sophomore Michael Wilkison at the point guard position will be expected to continue his development.
"He played a lot as a freshman last year, and we are hoping he can use his experience from last year to help grow as a leader for the team," Oilar said.
The Tigers are faced with a daunting challenge in the new NCAC conference. The College of Wooster held a record of 31-3 and went 14-2 in the NCAC. Wooster advanced all the way to the NCAA Div. III national championship game losing to the University of St. Thomas.
"We have high expectations every year, and we believe we can compete for a conference championship," Oilar said. "It's a tough conference, and we definitely have our work cut out for us with three teams in our conference in the top 25."
Hasely has his eyes set on taking down the defending conference champion and making it to the Div. III national tournament.
"I want to make it to the NCAA tournament," Hasely said. "In three years, we've been one game away, twice. We have a long way to go, but I think if we keep working and keep improving, there's no reason why we can't get there."
The Tigers will get a preseason test of that excellent competition tomorrow when the team travels down to the University of Evansville. Last year in the same exhibition game, the Tigers defeated the Div. I school by a score of 66-62. In the new $127 million Ford Center, the Tigers hope to shock the home crowd and team in the first ever game to be played there.
Listen to the broadcast live starting at 5 p.m. on 91.5 WGRE.
—Cole Hanson and Ryan Foutty contributed to this article