Raiders to Travel to Indiana for Opening Weekend

Northwestern begins season ranked No. 21 in NAIA

ORANGE CITY, Iowa – The No. 21-ranked Northwestern men's basketball team will embark on a road trip to begin the 2023-24 campaign, heading to the IU East Classic to face Indiana University East and Oakland City (Ind.) on Friday and Saturday, respectively.

Live stats and a live stream will be available for both games, linked at the top of the story.

GAME INFORMATION
Northwestern (0-0, 0-0 GPAC) at IU East (0-0, 0-0 RSC)
Date: Fri., November 3 // Time: 12:00 p.m.
Location: Richmond, Ind. (Lingle Court)
Watch: iueredwolves.com

Northwestern (0-0, 0-0 GPAC) vs. Oakland City (Ind.) (0-0, 0-0 RSC)
Date: Sat., November 4 // Time: 12:00 p.m.
Location: Richmond, Ind. (Lingle Court)
Watch: iueredwolves.com

NORTHWESTERN NOTES

Head coach Kris Korver begins his 24th season at the helm of the Red Raider men's basketball program.
Northwestern returns three starters along with four key reserves.
Two-time NAIA All-American Alex Van Kalsbeek returns to the fold after missing most of 2022-23 to injury.
The Raiders will also welcome Marcus Kelderman, a transfer from Truman State University (Mo.).

THE SERIES
IU East

Northwestern and IU East met for the first time in last year's Pizza Ranch Classic.
The Raiders were victorious, 101-73 in the Bultman Center.
Craig Sterk led all scorers with 25 points, also pulling down seven rebounds.
Conner Geddes and Dillon Carlson both scored 22 points.

Oakland City

The Raiders and Mighty Oaks meet for the first time on Saturday.

LEADERS OF THE 'PAC

The 2023-24 edition of the GPAC preseason poll slated the Raiders in second place, just one vote behind first-place Morningside.
A top-four finish in last year's conference standings, along with the returning talent from last year, once again primes the Raiders for a successful year.
Northwestern has finished in the top-four of the GPAC standings in each of the last four seasons.

MILESTONE WATCH

Craig Sterk is just 12 points away from becoming the 18th Raider all-time to score 1,600 points.
Alex Van Kalsbeek is also approaching the 1,500-point mark, currently at 1,414.

RANKED RAIDERS

Northwestern received a No. 21 ranking in the preseason NAIA top-25.
The Raiders are in the poll for the first time since February 22, 2021, when they were ranked No. 23.

SCOUTING THE RED WOLVES

IU East held a record of 16-14 (9-9 RSC) last season, falling in the quarterfinal round of the River States Conference (RSC) conference tournament.
The Red Wolves return three all-conference selections in Jake Johnson (First Team), Colt Meyer (Second Team), and Tobey Billups (Honorable Mention).
Meyer led the team in scoring with his 18.9 points per game, while Johnson averaged 18.4 points with 5.1 rebounds per game.

SCOUTING THE MIGHTY OAKS

Oakland City failed to make the RSC conference tournament after going 9-19 (3-14 RSC).
Drake Moore led the way with 12.8 points per game.
Ken French enters his third season as the head coach for the Mighty Oaks.

Don't forget to follow Northwestern College Athletics on Facebook @nwcraiders, Twitter @nwcraiders, and Instagram @nwcraiders! #RaidersStandOut

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Players Mentioned

#3 Conner Geddes: G; 6' 2"; Junior

#4 Dillon Carlson: G; 6' 2"; Senior

#24 Craig Sterk: F; 6' 7"; Senior

#33 Alex Van Kalsbeek: F; 6' 6"; Sophomore

#1 Marcus Kelderman: G; 6' 2"; Redshirt Sophomore

Players Mentioned

#3 Conner Geddes
: 6' 2"; Junior
: G

#4 Dillon Carlson
: 6' 2"; Senior
: G

#24 Craig Sterk
: 6' 7"; Senior
: F

#33 Alex Van Kalsbeek
: 6' 6"; Sophomore
: F

#1 Marcus Kelderman
: 6' 2"; Redshirt Sophomore
: G