The Ashland University men’s basketball team has a completely new look for the Great Midwest Athletic Conference (GMAC) to take in.

After a year that saw the Eagles go 18-10 and fall in the opening round of the GMAC postseason tournament last season, they only returned two previous players within the 10-man rotation. Those two players would be dominant guard Brandon Haraway and slashing forward Ethan Conley. Outside of those two, the Eagles look to utilize a plethora of new talent.

In their opening five nonconference matches, the Eagles won two and lost three. Their two wins came in dominating fashion, 80-54 against Gannon University and 108-56 over East-West University. Throughout those two wins, the Eagles were led by newcomers Simon Wheeler and Maceo Williams who posted big performances in their respective contests.

In their three losses, the Eagles struggled to find much momentum in those contests. For the majority of their contests, the Eagles were behind, attempting to claw their way back.

They fell 80-67 to Illinois-Springfield, 74-66 to Wisconsin-Parkside and 75-69 to the Ferris State Bulldogs.

After five contests, the Eagles are led by senior Brandon Haraway who is averaging 15 points per contest, center Victor Seals who leads the way in rebounds with eight per contest, freshman guard Derrick James who leads the team with four assists per contest and defensively, the Eagles are led by James who has recorded nine steals through the first five games.

With depth in each crack and crevice of this squad, they gear up to start conference play against a tough GMAC foe, the Findlay Oilers.

The Oilers sit 3-2 coming out of nonconference play and look to continue their physical scheme as the regular season continues on.

Expect a slugfest between these two opponents as they take on one another on Thursday, Dec. 1, at Niekamp Arena on the campus of Findlay University. Tipoff is set for 7:30 pm.