Live video: http://www.lakelandmuskies.com/muskieslive. Andy Damp is again serving as the Voice of the Muskies calling the play-by-play for Lakeland home basketball games this year.

Live statistics: https://static.lakelandmuskies.com/custompages/stats/mbb/LS/xlive.htm

The Muskies and Pioneers meet for the second straight year and the fourth time in the last seven years. Carroll has won the last four meetings, including an 87-66 win on its homecourt last year on Dec. 20, 2023. The teams also met in a home-and-home series in the 2018-19 and 2019-20 seasons, including their last meeting at the Moose & Dona Woltzen Gymnasium on Dec. 18, 2018, a 74-59 Pioneers victory. Lakeland's last win in the series was a 77-61 victory on the road in Waukesha on Nov. 17, 2001. The teams first met all the way back on Dec. 6, 1956, with the Muskies hosting but falling 72-62.

About Lakeland: The Muskies enter this season looking to rebound after a 6-19 record in 2023-24 that included a 4-14 mark in the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference. Lakeland returns three starters from last year's team: senior Isaiah Hammond, junior Asanjai Hunter and sophomore Brayden Kennedy. The Muskies do have to replace two starters including 1,000-point scorer Cam Jaeger, a three-time all-NACC pick, plus Kai Buliox.

Lakeland alum Sam Schroeder is in his eighth year as head coach and has won 77 games, fourth-most of 17 coaches in the program's 92-year history. This year's squad includes five freshmen but also four new transfers, including a pair from NAIA program Governors State (Keimar Parchman-Marable and Delon Zollicofer-White), a transfer from UW-Whitewater (Cliff McCray) plus Peyton Mrotek from Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference rival and defending conference champion Wisconsin Lutheran.

About Carroll: The Pioneers are looking to build off a 14-12 record last season that included a 7-9 mark in the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin. Carroll doubled its win total from seven wins the season before and moved up from the basement to a tie for fourth in league play. The season ended with a narrow loss to North Central (Ill.) in the CCIW Tournament quarterfinals, but all five starters return for coach Taylor Jannsen, in his third year as coach after serving as interim head coach in 2021-22 and taking over full-time last year.

Looking for big senior finish: Lakeland's Isaiah Hammond enters this season already ranking among the program's career leaders in blocked shots, with his 51 blocks entering this season sixth-best in Muskies history. He also has a chance to leave his mark in other categories, including rebounds, where he enters the season with 467 career caroms, leaving him 72 boards from tying Ray Heck (1969-73) and his 549 career rebounds for 20th all-time. Hammond also is just outside the top 20 in program history in career assists. He enters the season with 203 assists through three years, and is 23 from tying Kevin Fix (1996-2000) for 20th all-time for Lakeland men's basketball.