CHADRON – The Chadron State College men's basketball team, which is off to a 3-0 start for the first time in nine years, will meet an old rival, Nebraska-Kearney, in a non-conference game at 1 p.m. (MST) Sunday, Nov. 24 in Kearney.
 
The Eagles are averaging 83 points a game and have gotten strong contributions from an assortment of players. Four are averaging at least 10.3 points a game and two more have 8.7-point averages.
 
Although the Lopers left the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference at the end of the 2011-12 school year, the coaches at both schools see the value of continuing the rivalry that for years was among the hottest in Nebraska. Last year, Kearney came to Chadron for the Eagles' season-opener and won, 96-75.
 
The men's basketball teams CSC and UNK have met at least once and often twice nearly every year since 1921-22. Sunday's game will be the 180^th in the series.
 
The Lopers split their first two games and will play at South Dakota Mines in Rapid City on Friday night before returning home to host the Eagles. They defeated Wayne State 75-69 at home on Nov. 10, but lost 104-69 at Colorado Mines last Saturday.
 
After taking a 44-17 halftime lead, the Nebraska Cornhuskers also downed UNK 91-60 in an exhibition game earlier this month.
 
Three Lopers have scored in double figures in both of the official games. They are Conner Beranek, a 6-6 sophomore who had tallied 38 points; Tyler Shields, a 6-4 junior who has 30; and Kendal Glidden, a 6-7 senior who has 24.
 
Shields also grabbed 13 rebounds against Wayne State and has 18 altogether.
 
Aside from the trip to Kearney, neither of the CSC teams was scheduled to play again until traveling to Colorado Mesa and Western State for RMAC openers on Friday and Saturday, Dec. 6 and 7. However, the CSC men have added an exhibition game at Hastings College on Saturday, Nov. 30, coach Brent Bargen said Monday.