Although both teams' seasons are officially slated to begin Friday, Nov. 15, the Tigers' men's and women's basketball teams saw division one action this past weekend when they took on Butler in a preseason exhibition game at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Ind.
The men's team started its competition against the Bulldogs on Saturday morning, dropping to a final score of 93-68. The women traveled to Indianapolis Sunday morning, where they, too, surrendered a loss, 63-41.
Though the exhibition games had no implications on the team's official record, it was one of the biggest match ups the school will have. Indianapolis Star sports writer Zak Keefer previewed the men's exhibition game, writing, "The Tigers, 16-10 a year ago, are led by senior guard Michael Wilkison, who hit a team-high 48 3-pointers last season."
Wilkison, the Anderson High School (Cincinnati, Ohio) alum, is coming off his third year under head coach Bill Fenlon. The 5-foot-10-inch guard averaged 9.8 points per game last season, shooting 38 percent from behind the arc. He is one of four seniors returning for Fenlon's program. The Tigers will be without last year's leading scorer and rebounder, Barry Flynn, the 6-foot-5-inch senior who is now Tigers' first-year quarterback Matt Hunt's favorite receiving threat on Saturday afternoons.
In the first half of Saturday's exhibition, the Tigers traded punches with the Indiana powerhouse, heading into the Butler locker room trailing 42-33. Pat Haggin, a 6-foot-6-inch senior forward from Grand Blanc, Mich., finished the contest with 17 points for the Tigers.
Hagan showed he is ready to meet this season's high expectations in the absence of Flynn, who averaged 15 points and seven rebounds in his last year with the Tigers. Hagan was not threatened by the division one competitors, helping his Tigers out-rebound the likes of Butlers' Elijah Brown and Erik Fromm, 32-31. Hagan started out with the program as a forward in 2011 and has noted the changes the team has encountered thus far. He also notes the added expectations for him and other big men on the team.
"You don't know until you get some games under your belt," Hagan said. "I think that Barry [Flynn] was a great player, averaging 15 and 10. That's big shoes to fill, but I think we have players that have experience."
Haggin was joined in the front court by junior forward Bob Dillon, sophomore Mark Johnson and 6-foot-9-inch junior center Tommy Fernitz.
Fernitz had seven rebounds against the Bulldogs, which was a game high. He also added 14 points in the losing effort. Even in the loss, Wilkison sees his men's big play against division one talent as a good sign heading into the season opener.
"I feel like they held their own throughout the game," he said. "Our rebounding margin showed that they were competitive to the caliber of Bulter's big men."
Wilkison, Hagan and sophomore Adam Botts hope to keep their momentum going on Nov. 15th in their season opener against Trinity International.
As for the defending national champion women's team, they found themselves in a similar position to that of the men. The team kept pace at the beginning of the game, only down by three points at the end of the first half. However, the team lost its fuel in the second half, resulting in a 63-41 game. The women also officially start their season Nov. 15th, taking on Otterbein University at the Franklin College Tip Off Classic.