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By David Boyce  |  Bearcats vs. Upper Iowa  |  Friday, Nov. 13, 2015  -  5:30 p.m.  |  MWSU Fieldhouse -  St. Joseph, Mo.
Bearcats vs. Wayne State  |  Saturday, Nov. 14, 2015  -  5:30 p.m.  |  MWSU Fieldhouse - St. Joseph, Mo.
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MARYVILLE, Mo. - A rematch of the 2015 Central Regional semifinals that Northwest Missouri State won 66-65 over Augustana is slated for Thursday, Nov. 19 at Augustana.
 
Adding intrigue to this early-season showdown is Augustana comes in ranked No. 1 in the NABC pre-season coaches poll and Northwest is 14^th.
 
However, there is a major issue about looking ahead to this tasty non-conference game. Northwest opens the season 5:30 p.m. Friday (Nov. 13) against Upper Iowa at the Missouri Western Fieldhouse in St. Joseph.
 
The Bearcats return to action the next evening and play Wayne State at 5:30 p.m.
 
"We are definitely focused on Upper Iowa first and then Wayne State," Northwest junior Zach Schneider said. "We know they are both very good teams. I looked up Upper Iowa's schedule from last year and they played Augustana to within five points. They beat Mankato one time at their place. We know they are a real good team in the last two or three years. We are ready for them."
 
Northwest understands it has to be ready for everybody. The Bearcats are picked to finish first in the MIAA. Last year, Northwest surprised a few people by winning the conference outright.
 
Some thought the Bearcats might slide because of the departure of point guard DeShaun Cooper and center Dillon Starzl. It didn't happen. Freshman point guard Justin Pitts and senior Grant Cozad stepped in admirably.
 
Pitts is back for his sophomore season and now it is up to sophomore forward Brett Dougherty and a few newcomers to replace Cozad's production.
 
With Schneider, Pitts and senior Conner Crooker back as starters, the Bearcats have the experience to have another great season.
 
"I am definitely looking forward to it," Crooker said. "It is my last year. I don't plan on going to the league (NBA). Having three starters back, a lot of talent and preseason No. 1 in the MIAA, there is a lot of expectations. It is going to be a fun year."
 
Northwest coach Ben McCollum doesn't believe teams will come at the Bearcats any harder because they are picked to win conference. But he wants his players to understand the preseason pick doesn't mean anything.
 
"Being from Northwest, regardless of preseason rankings, we know teams gear up for us," McCollum said. "I think we faced it some last year, maybe not to this extent. The poll is not a result of anything. It is just a prediction on what could happen."
 
Crooker and Schneider welcome everybody's best shot at them. It will only make them better as the season progresses.
 
"In the end, when we are in the tournament, that is really going to pay off," Crooker said. "We will have to play at a high level for every game. That is only going to prepare us at the end of the season."
 
The last two seasons Northwest has lost in the regional championship game. A year ago, after beating Augustana, the No. 1 seed at the Central Regional, the Bearcats lost 47-42 to Minnesota State-Moorhead.
 
"It definitely stung us for a while," Schneider said. "We had a banquet two weeks after the end of the season. We looked back and watched the Augustana game and part of the Central Missouri game, and they were two of the coolest games I have been a part of.
 
"We did accomplish some things and did some things people didn't think we were able to do. But it was disappointing we didn't end with a win."
 
March is a long ways off. The only thing that is important to the Bearcats on Friday is how they play against Upper Iowa.
 
"We are excited. With this team, I am excited to see what we are going to be," McCollum said. "Right now, we have no idea who we are offensively. I think we have a lot of talent at each position. We are trying to find a natural rhythm in our offense that we had last year. It is going to take some time to fit the pieces together.
 
"Defensively, I think we are better as a whole than in the past. I think the only issue we have is that lockdown defender. We are still searching for that defensively."