Men's Basketball Preview: Red Devils Open Lopata Classic Against No. 5 WashU

ST. LOUIS, Mo. – The Eureka men's basketball team heads to St. Louis on Friday for the opening round of the 41st Annual Lopata Classic, facing No. 5 WashU. Tip-off is set for 5 p.m. at the Washington University Field House, as the Red Devils look to rebound from Tuesday's home opener.

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LAST TIME OUT:

Eureka enters the weekend at 1-1 following a 90-72 loss at home against Monmouth. Junior guard Jaxson Provost continued his early-season surge with a team-high 26 points, making him 14th in the nation at 28.0 points per game. Andrew Coker added 11 points and seven rebounds, while Micah Bruer scored 16 points and dished four assists.

ABOUT THE BEARS:

Eureka now turns its focus to a WashU squad that opened its season with a 90-78 win over Carroll and enters the weekend as the D3hoops.com No. 5 team in the nation. The Bears went 23-7 last year and advanced to the NCAA Final Four before falling to NYU in the national semifinals. They will be seeking their third straight Lopata Classic title.

WashU returns standout sophomore Connor May, the reigning UAA Rookie of the Year and a D3hoops.com Preseason All-America Fourth Team selection. May averaged 11.9 points and 5.8 rebounds last season and opened this year with an 18-point, nine-rebound, four-assist performance. He is the highest-scoring returner for the Bears from last year's Final Four team.

The Bears also lean on experience throughout their lineup. Senior Will Grudzinski (7.4 ppg, 52 assists last season) and junior Ryan Cohen (5.8 ppg, 12 steals) both started in last week's opener. Senior center Calvin Kapral, who started 28 games last year, posted a double double (13 points, 12 rebounds) in the opener against Carroll, while junior's Jake Davis and George Gale supply depth in the frontcourt. Veteran's Yogi Oliff and Kyle Beedon return from injury this season after missing significant time last year but did not appear in the opener.

Entering the tournament, WashU ranks third nationally in rebounding margin (+25.0) and fourth in total rebounds per game (54.0), bolstered by May (9.0 rpg) and Kapral (12.0 rpg).

LATE TIME AT LOPATA:

Eureka is making its first appearance at the Lopata Classic since the 38th edition in 2022-23, when the Red Devils fell to WashU (87–70) and Olivet (75-71). Friday night's matchup marks the sixth meeting all-time between the programs, with the Bears holding a 5-1 advantage overall.

Provost enters as one of the nation's hottest offensive threats, while Carter continues to dominate the glass for Eureka at 9.0 rebounds per game. Eureka ranks 34th in Division III in defensive rebounding per game (32.0), a category that will be essential for the Red Devils against one of the top rebounding teams in the country on Friday night.

LOOKING AHEAD:

Eureka will face either UW-Whitewater or St. Thomas (Texas) on Saturday in the championship or consolation game of the Lopata Classic.