The Muskies and Pointers get together in men's basketball for the first time in 17 years, since UWSP dominated in a 76-38 win over Lakeland up in Stevens Point Nov. 24, 2007. The teams met four straight years from 2004-07 with the Pointers winning three, though the Muskies won the last meeting at home, taking a 63-58 victory Nov. 26, 2005. The programs first met in 1947, a 61-58 win for Lakeland when it was known as Mission House College, and the two have played periodically but saw a seven-decade streak ended when the teams did not meet in the 2010s, after meeting every decade from the 1940s through the 2000s.

Lakeland last time out: Lost to Carroll 90-69 Friday
The Muskies opened their campaign Friday night and fell to the Pioneers at home. Lakeland never led in the game but hung with their opponent from the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin into the second half, but Carroll broke open what was a six-point game at halftime, shooting 61.3% in the final 20 minutes. Tim Ward scored a career-high 21 points, making 8 of 16 shots. Isaiah Hammond added 16 points and seven rebounds, Asanjai Hunter finished with 14 points and Keimar Parchman-Marable added 12 points, all in the first half.

With three returning starters from a year ago, the Muskies started one newcomer (Peyton Mrotek, a transfer from Wisconsin Lutheran) and had two newcomers in the rotation, including Parchman-Marable and freshman Emmitt Konieczny. Lakeland's four double-figure scorers against Carroll combined for all but six of the Muskies' points in the game.

About UW-Stevens Point: The Pointers are playing for the first time this season, and for Lakeland will be the second straight very experienced team that it faces. Like Carroll, UWSP brings back all five starters from a team that was on the upswing within its conference a year ago. Stevens Point finished 14-13 overall last year and tied for fourth in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference with a 7-7 mark. The Pointers advanced to the semifinals of the WIAC Tournament, a big improvement after posting a 10-15 record the year before and a 3-11 record in the WIAC.

UW-Stevens Point is led by Kent Dernbach, a native of Almond in the central Wisconsin who is in his second year at Point after coming from UW-La Crosse, where his Eagles were regularly in the NCAA Division III top 25. His coaching staff includes Eddie Goldston, who was an assistant at Lakeland for two years from 2021-23, as well as Paul Combs, a former head coach recently at Carroll and also at Lakeland from 1999-2003.