After downing Presentation College 71-59 last Friday night while opening the Chicoine Events Center, the Chadron State College men's basketball team is expected to have a much stiffer challenge this Friday night when it hosts the University of Nebraska-Kearney Lopers. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m.
 
This will be the third year in a row that the Eagles and the Lopers have met since UNK withdrew from the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference and joined the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletic Conference based largely in Missouri and Kansas.
 
Kearney has won both of the previous games, defeating the Eagles 96-75 in Armstrong Gymnasium in the season-opener two years ago and winning 88-60 in Kearney last Nov. 24.
 
Kearney is again coached by Tom Kropp and Kevin Lofton. Kropp is in his 35th year as a member of the school's basketball coaching staff. He's been at least a co-head coach since 1990.
 
This is Lofton's 20th year as a UNK basketball coach. He has been the co-coach with Kropp since 2005-06.
 
The Lopers opened their season at home last Saturday night. Colorado Mines, which is  expected to be an RMAC power again this season, led 46-37 at halftime and went on to win 91-82.
 
UNK's big gun was 6-foot-7 junior Ethan Bozak, who scored 30 points and grabbed 11 rebounds. A star at Norfolk Catholic when it won the Class C-1 state tournament championship in 2010-11, Bozak averaged 16.3 points and 7.4 rebounds while playing at Kearney the second semester last winter.
 
Two more Lopers also scored in double figures against Colorado Mines. Freshman Ty Danielson of York had 15 points and 5-11 senior Davion Pearson added 14.
 
In last year's game with the Eagles, Connor Beranek, a Ravenna native and now a 6-6 junior, poured in 24 points. He scored seven points against Colorado Mines.
 
The Eagles also will play at South Dakota State in Brookings on Monday, Nov. 24.  Since the Lady Jackrabbits are hosting Sam Houston State of Texas at 6 p.m. the same date, the men's game isn't scheduled to start until 8:30 Central Time.
 
The Jackrabbits beat South Dakota Mines 76-54 and Dakota Wesleyan 79-72 in exhibition games at home, but lost 69-67 at the University of Buffalo in New York last weekend. They have lots of height with eight players on the roster at least 6-foot-6, including a 6-8, three who are 6-9 and a 6-10 player.
 
Graduation hit last year's 19-13 team hard. The only returning player who averaged more than 3.1 points last season is 6-9 Cody Larson, who averaged 13.1 points and 7.0 rebounds.
 
Michael Daum, the star of last year's Kimball team that finished with a 22-4 record, is a 6-9 freshman on the SDSU roster, but apparently is redshirting this season.
 
The Eagles also will play at South Dakota Mines in Rapid City in a men's and women's double-header on Friday, Nov. 28 before opening RMAC play on Friday and Saturday, Dec. 5 and 6 by hosting Colorado Mesa and Western State.