Tiffin men's basketball will open the 2020-21 campaign this Saturday by hosting Ohio Dominican on Old Fort Bank Court.

Game Information:

Tiffin Dragons (0-0, 0-0 GMAC) vs
Ohio Dominican Panthers (0-1, 0-0 GMAC)
Saturday, Dec. 5 | 3:00 p.m.
Tiffin, Ohio | Gillmor Center
Video | Live Stats | Gameday Program

Series History:

The Dragons and Panthers have met 84 times in history, with Tiffin holding a 51-33 advantage in the all-time series. However, Ohio Dominican has won seven of the last 10 matchups.

The last matchup between the Dragons and Panthers came a season ago on Feb. 1, 2020, as Tiffin recorded a comeback for the ages to win 77-74 in Columbus. TU battled back from an 18-point deficit with six minutes left to stun the Panthers, with Eric Turner drilling a triple with just 13 seconds to play that gave the Dragons their first lead of the game. Turner finished with a season-best 15 points.

Dragon Details:

In the GMAC Preseason Poll, Tiffin was selected to finish 10th after coming in 11th last season. 

Third-year head coach Tom Church's squad returns four members from a year ago that all figure to be significant contributors in 2020-21, led by a pair of sophomores that excelled as freshmen in 2019-20. Wesley Jordan was second on the team with 11.1 ppg and 6.0 rpg while shooting 51.7% from the field and leading TU with 1.1 blocks per contest. Trent Williams was third on the team with 10.5 ppg and led the Dragons with 3.1 apg while converting 85.2% of his free throw attempts.

Other returners include senior Eric Turner (4.3 ppg) and junior Thomas Hickman (7.6 ppg, 2.3 apg, 1.2 spg). Church also brings in an impressive group of transfers and freshmen. Four transfers join the Dragons, including two from Division I programs, while four freshmen will also look to contribute in a big way this season. 

TU is set to play a 20-game conference schedule this year starting in early December, facing each GMAC program twice, while also playing one non-conference matchup against Salem in early February. The GMAC Championships are slated to take place during the first week of March.

Scouting the Panthers:

Ohio Dominican finished sixth in the GMAC a season ago, reaching the conference tournament but falling in the opening round to eventual champion Walsh by a single point, 67-66. The Panthers lost their top three scorers from the 2019-20 squad, including a pair of All-Conference honorees in Hasan Varence (first team, 19.3 ppg, 9.7 rpg) and Sam Hickey (second team, 15.6 ppg). As a result, the coaches dropped the Panthers a couple of spots to eighth in the 2020-21 preseason poll.

Sean Marks is the top returner in terms of scoring output after averaging 7.0 ppg last season and shooting 41.7% from beyond the arc. Alek West (5.8 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 43.6% 3FG), Matt King (5.6 ppg), and Ethan Haynes (5.0 ppg) are other returners that figure to contribute for ODU.

The Panthers opened their season at home on Thursday, falling to non-conference opponent Salem (W.Va.) 59-58. Marks led ODU with 23 points.