Picked to win league title again, Transylvania set to open conference play Thursday
In a college basketball landscape that’s presented new challenges for programs across the country, the Transylvania University men’s team has likely had one of the most unusual experiences of all this season.
But the Pioneers will finally get back to some semblance of normalcy Thursday when they open play in the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference at Anderson University in Indiana. Transylvania this week was picked by HCAC coaches to repeat as league champions.
The Pioneers earned 80 points to top the HCAC preseason poll. Rose-Hulman was picked to finish second with 71 points. Franklin College (64), Hanover College (62) and Anderson (54) round out the top five.
After a slow start last season, the Pioneers won 12 of 13 games to earn the No. 1 seed and the right to host the HCAC Tournament. The Pioneers edged Rose-Hulman in the league championship game to earn a berth in the Division III NCAA Tournament. They lost in the first round to defending national champion Wisconsin-Oshkosh, 74-58. The tournament was canceled after the second round because of the pandemic.
“I think that run and that championship win is definitely something we will be able to build upon and the fact that we lost to the defending NCAA champions in the first round of the national tournament, it should give our guys even more motivation to get back to that level,” Transylvania Coach Brian Lane said before this season began.
This season, the Pioneers have weathered COVID cancellations, schedule shuffling and even an impromptu scrimmage against cross-town neighbor Kentucky. After that workout against the Wildcats, Transylvania’s Lane told the Herald-Leader that the team’s experienced roster — which includes six seniors — has been crucial in adapting to ever-shifting circumstances this year.
“In our first practice, I called out 10 plays,” Lane said. “And all our guys knew every single one of them.”
The Pioneers were originally scheduled to open the season with two games at Piedmont College in Georgia then a trip to Northern Kentucky University. All three games were canceled because of COVID-19 protocols.
Transy finally got the season underway at Morehead State, falling to the Eagles in back-to-back games on Dec. 9 and Dec. 10. They also lost at Eastern Kentucky and Murray State, then were beaten by Bellarmine on Jan. 1.
For the Division III Pioneers, five games on the road against Division I opponents (not to mention the UK scrimmage) was quite a challenge to start the season. But Lane was encouraged by much of what he saw; In Transy’s second game against Morehead, the Pioneers got out to a 12-2 lead. They trailed Murray by just nine points at halftime and were within 15 points of a dangerous-looking EKU squad with eight minutes to go.
Transy’s early gauntlet should give the Pioneers a distinct advantage Thursday against Anderson, which will be playing its first game of the season. Anderson will travel to Lexington for a rematch on Saturday, when Transylvania will finally play its first home game of the season in the Beck Center.
Transylvania finished 19-9 overall and 13-5 in the HCAC last season. Senior guard Michael Jefferson was the team’s second-leading scorer (15.4 points per game) and top rebounder (6.7) and was voted to the All-HCAC First Team. He’s averaging 6.3 points and 5.0 rebounds this season.
Senior forward Lucas Gentry, who averaged 11.8 points and 5.2 rebounds and earned an All-HCAC honorable-mention nod, is averaging 9.2 points and 4.6 rebounds. Junior Zach Larimore, an Oldham County graduate, is the Pioneers’ leading scorer (14.6). The 6-foot-4 forward scored 24 points against EKU, hitting 10 of 20 shots from the field.
Thursday
Transylvania at Anderson
When: 6:15 p.m.
Records: Transylvania 0-5, Anderson 0-0
Series: Transylvania leads 23-17
Last meeting: Transylvania won 92-84 on Feb. 29, 2020, in Lexington.
This story was originally published January 13, 2021 at 6:02 PM.
