The Lakeland University men's and women's basketball teams start off their 2017-18 seasons in joint manner when both host Finlandia (Mich.) University Wednesday evening at the Moose & Dona Woltzen Gymnasium, with the men's teams playing at 5 p.m. and the women's game to follow at 7:30 p.m.

The men's game will be the debut as head coach for Sam Schroeder, a former Lakeland player who moves up after being an assistant coach the past six years. He takes over a Muskies team that went 8-17 overall last year and 6-14 in the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference, but returns three starters-Pat McDonald, Joshuan McNeal and Eric Nygaard who all averaged double figures scoring last year.

The Lakeland women's team opens its season after a successful 2016-17 campaign that included a 20-8 record, an NACC Tournament championship and the program's first trip to the NCAA Division III tourney in seven years. Three starters return from that team, including seniors Maddy Doll and Rachel Stankevich, plus junior Miranda Jacobson.

Finlandia comes down from Hancock in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Its men's team finished 7-18 overall last year but gave the Muskies a push before Lakeland prevailed 90-78 in their most recent meeting on Jan. 14 of this calendar year. The Lions women's team went 8-15 last year and returns its top two scorers-Julia Daavettila and Kelcie Richards-and also has a new coach in John Motherwell, who was an assistant at NCAA Division I Valparaiso last year and has a number of years experience as an assistant at the Division I level.

Live audio, video and statistics for tonight's game will be available at http://portal.stretchinternet.com/lakeland/.

For the rest of tonight's game notes please click below:
Lakeland/Finlandia MBB notes
Lakeland/Finlandia WBB notes