CHADRON, Neb. -- November 17, 2015 -- The Chadron State College men's basketball team will renew its long-standing rivalry with the Nebraska-Kearney Lopers on Wednesday night in Kearney. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. Mountain time.

The game will officially be the Eagles' season-opener, although they played at South Dakota State in an exhibition game last Friday night.  The Jackrabbits won 82-57.

Kearney opened its season last weekend by splitting a pair of games at the Southwest Oklahoma State Classic in Weatherford.  The Lopers defeated Southern Nazarene 95-80 in the first game behind senior Connor Beranek's 39 points on 14 of 23 shooting from the field and 11 of 13 from the free throw line.

Host Southwest Oklahoma won the second game 79-72. Forward Trey Lansman led the Lopers with 20 points and Beranek scored 17.  Kearney was five of 31 from 3-point range in the game.

CSC coach Brent Bargen said his players worked hard at South Dakota State, but had difficulty executing the offense against the bigger and stronger Jackrabbits, who are the preseason favorites in the Division I Summit Conference. 

The Eagles' rivalry with Kearney dates back to 1921-22, the first year that Chadron State officially had a men's basketball team.  Although Kearney left the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference at the end of the 2011-12 season, the men's teams from the two schools have continued to play an early-season game.

The Lopers have won each of the three non-conference contests. Last year's score was 78-62 in Chadron.   
 
The CSC men will be at home Sunday afternoon and Monday night to host Dickinson State of North Dakota and Montana State-Northern.