GRAND FORKS, N.D. --  North Dakota will open its 111th season of men's basketball on Veteran's Day with a home tilt against Crown College. Tipoff is slated for 1:05 p.m. Friday at the Betty Engelstad Sioux Center.

UND VS. CROWN COLLEGE SERIES
All-time: UND leads 1-0
In Grand Forks: UND leads 1-0
Division I: UND leads 1-0
Last Meeting: UND 87, Crown College 51 (Nov. 14, 2012)
UND Head Coach Brian Jones vs. Crown College: 1-0
Crown College Head Coach Luke Herbert vs. UND: 0-1

WHERE TO WATCH/LISTEN/TRACK
Live Video: www.WatchBigSky.com
Radio: 100.3 FM (Grand Forks) | 104.7 FM (Fargo/Moorhead)
Live Audio Stream: www.UNDSports.com and UND Sports Mobile App
Live Stats: www.UNDSports.com

IN THE PAINT...
• Head coach Brian Jones will begin his second decade at the helm of the program as he embarks on his 11th season at UND. He has led the Fighting Hawks to five postseason appearances in the last six seasons.
• The Fighting Hawks won the only previous matchup against Crown College, blasting the Storm 87-51 in their 2012-13 home opener (Nov. 14).
• UND has won seven straight season openers at home. The Fighting Hawks are 6-4 under Jones in overall season openers, including a 99-69 victory over Minnesota-Morris last season (Nov. 13).
• UND is opening the season with three-consecutive home games for the first time since the 2005-06 season when Rich Glas' squad played five in a row at the Betty EngelStad Sioux Center.

HOME COOKIN'
UND has won seven straight season openers at home. The Fighting Hawks are 6-4 under Jones in overall season openers, including a 99-69 victory over Minnesota-Morris last season (Nov. 13). UND is opening the season with three-consecutive home games for the first time since the 2005-06 season when Rich Glas' squad played five in a row at the Betty EngelStad Sioux Center.

ON THE HORIZON
After the opener on Nov. 11, UND returns to the Betty next Tuesday night to take on Mayville State in a game scheduled to tip off at 7 p.m. The Fighting Hawks wrap up their three-game homestand to open the season on Sunday, Nov. 20 at 4 p.m. against Presentation College.

That contest against the Saints is actually the first of a four-game multi-team event where the remaining three games will be played at Wright State in Dayton, Ohio over Thanksgiving Weekend. The Men Against Breast Cancer Classic will pit UND against North Florida (NIT team), host Wright State and CSU Bakersfield (NCAA Tournament team).

COACHES PICK UND THIRD, MEDIA TABS TEAM FOURTH
The North Dakota men's basketball team was picked third in the Big Sky Coaches' preseason poll and fourth in the Big Sky Media preseason poll that were released by league officials on Friday. The coaches and media both selected Weber State to repeat as league champion.

The Fighting Hawks received three first-place votes and finished with 103 points in the coaches' poll. UND was only one point behind Idaho (104), who received one first place vote among the coaches.

In the media poll, Montana wound up in second behind the Wildcats and picked up three-first place votes. The Griz were fourth in the coaches' poll. Idaho was third (158; two first-place votes), while UND was fourth had 137 points and picked up one first-place vote.

HOOKER NAMED BIG SKY PRESEASON MVP
North Dakota senior Quinton Hooker was named the Big Sky Preseason MVP on Oct. 26 in an announcement made by league officials. Hooker was one of six guards voted to the Big Sky Preseason All-Conference Team by media members after averaging 20.1 ppg and leading the Fighting Hawks to a nine-win improvement as a junior.

The Lou Henson Mid-Major All-American increased his scoring average to 20.6 ppg in Big Sky play and scored 20-plus points in 15 games overall and 30-plus points on four different occasions last season. The first team All-Big Sky performer was also the first Fighting Hawk to average 20-plus points since the program moved to the Division I level (2008-09) and his pair of 38-point performances are also single-game highs at the DI level.

FIVE FOR FIVE
Head coach Brian Jones has all five starters back and seven of his the top eight scorers from last year's 17-win team that hosted the first postseason game in the program's Division I history. Besides preseason Big Sky MVP Quinton Hooker (G, 20.1 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 3.5 apg), the Fighting Hawks also return Corey Baldwin (G, 7.8 ppg, 3.4 rpg), Drick Bernstine (F, 9.7 ppg, 9.1 rpg), Geno Crandall (G, 10.8 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 4.2 apg) and seven-footer Carson Shanks (C, 6.3 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 1.4 bpg). Bernstine is the top returning rebounder in the conference after pulling down 9.1 rpg a season ago. He had nine double-doubles on the campaign, which is the program's DI record for a single season.

RECORD REWIND
The University of North Dakota men's basketball program holds a 1540-1025 (.600) record all-time since Dr. George Sweetland led the first team onto the court in 1904-05.

All-time, North Dakota is 921-275 (.770) when it comes to defending its own court. The team played at the UND Fieldhouse/Hyslop Sports Center before moving into its current home at the Betty Engelstad Sioux Center in 2004-05.

ROSTER ROUND-UP
• Senior Quinton Hooker returns to the backcourt after racking up Lou Henson Mid-Major All-America honors and All-Big Sky first team accolades. He was also named to the College Sports Report Mid-Major Player of the Year via fan vote.
• Hooker was third in the league in scoring at 20.1 ppg and earned Big Sky All-Tournament honors as well after averaging 27.0 ppg in three games in Reno.
• He reached double figures 30 times, including four 30-plus point scoring outputs. Hooker set UND's DI single-game scoring mark with 38 points in a win vs. Portland State and matched that in the semifinal loss to Weber State in Reno. Hooker's not only adept at scoring as he also ranked second on the team in assists (112/3.5 apg), rebounds (156/4.9 rpg) and steals (60/1.9 spg).
• Junior Drick Bernstine was the only Fighting Hawk to start all 33 games a season ago. The Denver transfer was third on the team in scoring at 9.7 ppg and led the team and ranked third in the Big Sky in rebounding at 9.1 rpg. His 299 total rebounds were a UND Division I single-season record. He recorded his ninth double-double in the win over Idaho State in Reno, setting the Big Sky Tournament single-game record with 21 boards.
• Sophomore Geno Crandall earned 27 starts at point guard in his rookie season and ranked sixth in the Big Sky in assists (129/4.2 apg). He also chipped in with 10.8 ppg (second on the team) and went 6-for-6 from beyond the arc in his collegiate debut at Wisconsin.
• Sophomore Carson Shanks is back after starting 24 games and appearing in 31 during his first full-season at UND. He averaged 5.5 ppg and 3.3 rpg and had a career-high 16 points in the win at Idaho State (Jan. 9). Shanks also had an 11-point, season-high nine rebound effort in the Big Sky Semifinals vs. Weber State.
• Rounding out the five returning starters is guard Corey Baldwin, who averged 7.8 ppg in his first Division I season. He reached double figures 13 times and had 20-plus point performances in road wins at Bradley (20) and Idaho State (22).
• Sophomores Conner Avants (6.8 ppg; 3.2 rpg) and Cortez Seales (7.5 ppg; 2.1 rpg) provided a scoring punch off the bench last season. Both players had 10 double-digit scoring games as true freshmen. Classmate Josh Collins saw spot duty a season ago and had a season-high seven points vs. Minnesota-Morris and chipped in with six points in 20 minutes of action at Kansas State.
• Walk-on Thomas Blake returns for his fifth season. After redshirting during the 2012-13 season, Blake has appeared in 18 total games during his UND career.
• Jones will have five newcomers to potentially mix into his rotation this season, while Creighton transfer Marlon Stewart will have to sit out due to NCAA transfer rules. Stewart and Seales were prep teammates together at North Scott, leading the Lancers to their first state title in 2015.
• Those eligible to play right away include JUCO transfer Jafar Kinsey (Des Moines Area C.C.) and Solomon Rolls-Tyson (Utah State Eastern College). Kinsey is a 6-foot-2 guard that started his collegiate career at Robert Morris before averaging 17.2 ppg and 5.5 rpg at the JUCO level last season. Rolls-Tyson, a Birmingham, England native, averaged 6.5 ppg and 4.6 rpg as a sophomore forward for the Cougars. He'll provide front court depth for the Fighting Hawks with his 6-foot-8 frame. Forward Devon Pekas spent the 2013-14 season playing at Liberty in the Atlantic Sun Conference, but has only been a student at UND for the past two seasons. He was invited to walk-on to the Fighting Hawks' roster and the 6-foot-4 forward will be a senior this season.
• Jones also has a pair of true freshmen on his roster that will be vying for playing time this season. Billy Brown will provide back-court depth after earning Iowa Newspaper Association all-state second team honors as a senior (21.7 ppg, fourth in Iowa Class 3A). Kienan Walter is another 6-foot-8 newcomer that can stretch the floor with his shooting ability. He earned Washington Class 1A all-state honors as a junior and senior. Walter led all Class 1A in scoring as a junior (23.6 ppg) and added 22.0 ppg as a senior en route to Trico League MVP honors.