OPENING TIP: The Snow College men's basketball team will begin its West District Championship defense at the Western Nebraska Cougar Classic Friday and Saturday in Scottsbluff, Nebraska. The Badgers will take on Western Nebraska Community College and Casper College during the two-day event.
 
The Badgers will take on the Cougars Friday at 2:00 p.m. before a matchup with the Thunderbirds Saturday at 3:00 p.m. Both games will be played inside the WNCC Cougar Palace.
 
KNOW YOUR FOE: Friday's season opener against WNCC will be just the third time the two teams have met. The Badgers defeated the Cougars 112-67 last season during the Snow College Classic. The only other time the two teams have faced each other was during the 2016-17 season – a 92-78 victory for Snow College.
 
The Cougars finished the 2024-25 season with a 14-17 overall record and a 7-5 mark within conference play. They finished third in the Region 9 South Standings and faced Gillette College in the Region 9 Semi-Finals. WNCC suffered an 87-71 defeat to conclude its season.
 
The Cougars scored an average of 90.3 points per game last season, which was good enough for 12^th in the nation, just behind Snow College's 91.0 average. Defensively, the Cougars struggled as they surrendered over 92 points to opponents, the third worst in the NJCAA.
 
The Badgers are 7-3 all time against Casper. They have won six of their previous eight meetings, including three in a row. Snow College earned an 88-74 victory against the Thunderbirds Nov. 17, 2023.
 
Casper went 25-7 overall and 10-2 within conference play during the 2024-25 campaign. After winning a pair of games in the Region 9 Tournament, the Thunderbirds suffered an 86-77 defeat against Trinidad State College in the semi-final round.
 
As a team, the Thunderbirds averaged 95 points per game last season, which landed them just outside the top five scoring teams in the nation. Defensively, they were amongst the bottom 20 teams overall in points per game allowed at 84.7.
 
A SEASON TO REMEMBER: The 2024-25 season was one the Badgers will not soon forget. They finished with an overall record of 32-2, the most wins in a single season in program history. Snow College was also crowned the West District Champions following a 94-85 victory against Eastern Arizona College, another program first.
 
From Nov. 1 to March 24, the Badgers strung together a program-record 25 consecutive wins. Along the way, they finished with a perfect 15-0 record to win the Scenic West Athletic Conference Championship, the first time the Badgers have gone undefeated in SWAC play.
 
Following the perfect record in conference play, the Badgers earned the right to host the Region 18 Championship. After defeating Salt Lake Community College 87-84 in the first round, the Badgers disposed of the College of Southern Idaho 91-68 to earn their fourth Region 18 Championship.
 
Following their 93-88 road victory against Indian Hills Community College Dec. 13, the Badgers leaped to the top of the NJCAA Division I Men's Basketball Rankings. They never relinquished the top spot throughout the duration of the regular season and were named the No. 1 overall seed in the NJCAA National Tournament. That run came to an end after suffering a 63-62 loss to Connors State College in the second round of the tournament.
 
Following the season, Andrew May was named the SWAC, District 1, and JUCO Jam Coach of the Year. Sophomore Isaac Finlinson, who earlier in the season became just the fifth Snow College player to record 1,000 career points, was named the NJCAA, NABC, and JUCO Jam National Player of the year, the first Badger to ever win the awards.
 
GUESS WHO'S BACK, BACK AGAIN: The Badgers will return a total of nine members from the 2024-25 team, including five redshirts. Two transfer students will join a cast of eight total new faces that will join the team for the 2025-26 season.
 
The Badgers will return three players to anchor the frontcourt. Kyle Lemke and Aaron Bliss, both of whom played in all 34 games for the Badgers, will be joined by Sean Felts, who played in all but two games during the 2024-25 season.
 
Lemke started in 14 games and averaged 8.1 points and 3.1 rebounds per game throughout the season. He recorded a career-high 16 points on two different occasions while shooting 66 percent from the field. He scored in double figures in 11 games during the year.
 
Bliss started in 10 games and averaged 2.3 points and 3.6 rebounds per game. He recorded a career-high 10 points in a 79-60 victory against Eastern Arizona College Nov. 9, 2024.
 
Felts also started in 10 games during the 2024-25 season and put up 5.1 points per game on 61 percent shooting from the field. He also averaged 3.6 rebounds per game and recorded one double-double during the season – a 14-point, 10-rebound game in a 100-50 victory against Central Wyoming College Nov. 30, 2024.
 
McCaden Adams will return to anchor the Badgers' backcourt after appearing in all 34 for games for the Badgers a season ago. Adams leads the group of returners in scoring after averaging 11.5 points per game. He did so on 48 percent from the field and 39 percent from deep, which was third best on the team. He also started in 19 games last year which was fourth-most on the team.
 
11 of the 17 players on the Badgers' roster come from the state of Utah. They will have two players suit up from Texas and one player each from New Mexico, California, France, and New Zealand.
 
SCHEDULE BREAKDOWN: A home matchup with national power Indian Hills Community College is one of 13 home matches that highlight the 2025-2026 Snow College men's basketball schedule, which was unveiled Tuesday.
 
The Badgers will kick off their 2025-26 West District Title defense beginning Oct. 31 at the Cougar Classic Tournament hosted by Western Nebraska Community College. Snow College will face the Cougars on opening night before meeting Casper College the following day.
 
The Badgers will take on a pair of Arizona schools at the Region 1/Region 18 Challenge Nov. 7-8 hosted by Utah State University Eastern. The first meeting of the tournament will be a rematch of the 2024-25 West District Championship as the Badgers face Eastern Arizona College. They'll wrap up the tournament against Arizona Western College Saturday, Nov. 8.
 
Snow College's home opener will take place Monday, Nov. 10, against Yavapai College. The Badgers will then host the Snow College Classic and welcome Central Arizona College and IHCC to town Nov. 14-15.
 
Snow College defeated IHCC in Ottumwa, Iowa, last season in a top-5 matchup. The Warriors finished the regular season ranked third in the NJCAA Division I Men's Basketball Rankings. This will be the Warriors' first-ever matchup with the Badgers in Ephraim.
 
A standalone game with Northwest College precedes a three-day tournament hosted by South Plains College Dec. 4-6 in Levelland, Texas. The Badgers will play the host school to kick off the Texan Classic before meetings with Lamar Community College and Hill College.
 
The Badgers will host the Snow College Holiday Invitational Dec. 12-13 and welcome WNCC and Casper to Ephraim. Snow College will wrap up its non-conference schedule against McCook Community College and Gillette College, Dec 18-19 in Paradise, Nevada, as part of the Las Vegas Tarkanian Classic.
 
Scenic West Athletic Conference play begins Jan. 3 in Ephraim as the Badgers look to defend their SWAC title against Colorado Northwestern Community College. They'll face Salt Lake Community College Jan. 6 and Utah State University Eastern Jan. 8.
 
The Badgers will take one of two trips to Idaho and take on the College of Southern Idaho Jan. 15 and North Idaho College Jan. 17. After a road matchup with USUE Jan. 22, Snow College will play five of its next seven games in Ephraim. The Badgers will wrap up the regular season against NIC and CSI Feb. 26 and 28.
 
The Region 18 Tournament, should the Badgers qualify, will begin Friday, March 6, and will be hosted by the SWAC winner. The Badgers hosted and won the 2024-25 Region 18 Tournament after going a perfect 15-0 within conference play a season ago.
 
During the 2025-26 season, the Badgers will face a total of 10 opponents who were ranked within the NJCAA Division I Men's Basketball Top 25 at any point last year. The Badgers were 6-0 against ranked opponents during the 2024-25 season.
 
PRESEASON POLL: The Snow College men's basketball team will begin the 2025-26 regular season ranked 10^th in the NJCAA Division I Men's Basketball Preseason Poll, which was released last Monday.
 
The Badgers enter the 2025-26 regular season following the most successful year in program history. They finished with a 32-2 overall record and a 15-0 mark in Scenic West Athletic Conference play – both of which were program records for wins in a season.
 
In addition to winning the SWAC regular season title, the Badgers were crowned Region 18 Champions and West District Champions and were the number 1 overall seed in the NJCAA National Tournament. They recorded a program-record 25-game winning streak during the season, led by NJCAA National Player of the Year Isaac Finlinson.
 
Trinity Valley Community College – the 2024-25 national title winner – claimed the top spot following its run in the national tournament last season. South Plains College, Daytona State College, Vincennes University, and Connors State College, which defeated Snow College in the second round of the national tournament last year, rounded out the top five.
 
The Badgers are slotted 10^th in the preseason poll ahead of fellow Scenic West Athletic Conference foe College of Southern Idaho, which came in at 17^th. Snow College swept the season series against the Golden Eagles last year for the first time since the 2016-17 season.
 
Snow College will play six games against opponents listed in the top 25, including three conference matchups against the Golden Eagles. The Badgers will face No. 15 Eastern Arizona College Friday, Nov. 7, in Price as part of the Region 1/Region 18 Challenge. Snow College defeated the Gila Monsters 94-85 in the West District Championship last season.
 
The Badgers will then play host to No. 13 Indian Hills College Saturday, Nov. 15, at the Snow College Classic. One of the Badgers' biggest wins during the 2024-25 season was a 93-88 victory against the Warriors, who were ranked 5^th at the time.
 
Snow College will also take on No. 2 South Plains College Thursday, Dec. 4, in Levelland, Texas, as part of the Texan Classic. The Badgers are 1-2 all-time against the Texans and last met during the 2022-23 season.
 
The Badgers were a perfect 6-0, including four road victories, against teams ranked inside the NJCAA Division I Men's Basketball Rankings during the 2024-25 season. That record extends to 8-0 when including teams ranked in the JUCO Advocate Media Rankings. The Badgers are 9-9 against ranked teams since Head Coach Andrew May took over the program in 2022.
 
ON THE SIDELINE: Andrew May will return to the sideline for his fourth season at the head of the program.
 
During his first three seasons, May has compiled a 73-21(.776) overall record and a 31-14(.660) mark within SWAC play, including a perfect 15-0 mark last season for the first time in program history. As a result of the Badgers' 2024-25 season, May was named the SWAC, District 1, and JUCO Jam Coach of the Year.
 
May's teams have recorded 20 or more victories in each of his first three seasons with the team, including a program record 32 wins last year. Under his leadership, the Badgers qualified for the NJCAA National Tournament last season for just the fourth time in program history.
 
Over the past three seasons under May, the Badgers have made the Region 18 Championship game twice. During his first year at the head of the bench, the Badgers defeated No. 1 CSI, which was undefeated at the time, in the first round of the tournament. The victory over the Golden Eagles was the first time the Badgers have beaten the No. 1 team in the NJCAA Division I Men's Basketball Poll in program history.
 
May, a native of Mount Pleasant, Utah, will be joined on the sideline by assistant coaches Josh Perkins and Ethan Kahn. Perkins is entering his second season with the team, while Kahn begins his first year with the program.
 
BADGERS ON THE AIR: All Snow College home games this season will be broadcast by SnowTV. They will air on the Scenic West Digital Network. All home games and select road games will also be simulcast on the radio on KMTI 650 AM.
 
Tanner Wilkinson will be providing the play-by-play for all games broadcast by SnowTV this season. He is entering his first year as the 'Voice of the Badgers' after taking over for Gary Chidester, who retired over the summer.
 
All broadcasts will begin with a pregame show approximately 20 minutes before tipoff and will include exclusive coverage of the game and an interview with head coach Andrew May. Post-game shows will begin immediately following the conclusion of the game and will last approximately 10 minutes.
 
Live stats will be provided for all home games as well as a number of road games during the season. The link to the video and audio streams, as well as live stats, will always be provided at snowbadgers.com.
 
UP NEXT: The Badgers will head to Price Nov. 7 and 8 to participate in the Region 1/Region 18 Challenge, where they will take on a pair of opponents, including a rematch of last season's West District Championship.
 
Snow College will take on No. 15 Eastern Arizona College Friday at 5:00 p.m. before a matchup with Arizona Western College Saturday at 1:00 p.m. The Gila Monsters finished last season with a 29-4 overall record after being defeated by the Badgers in the West District Championship Game. Two of their four losses came against the Badgers.
 
The Matadors went 23-8 last season, including a 13-5 mark within Region 1 play. The Badgers earned a 94-70 victory against AWC last season in Thatcher, Arizona. Both matchups will take place inside the Bunnell-Dmitrich Athletic Center. For video streaming and live stats information, visit snowbadgers.com.