OPENING TIP
• The Maroon and White travel to Saint Joseph's for the second straight season. The Leopards, having dropped the most recent chapter in the series, look to rebound and win their third contest in four tries.

• Head coach Mike McGarvey welcomes seven newcomers to don the Maroon and White alongside nine returning players. Shareef Jackson is set to reprise his role in the starting lineup, with Misha Bednostin, KaiMani Murdock, and Malik Rasul expected to play a significant part in the upcoming campaign. 

• Cooper Kesler had a tremendous first impression on the Leopard faithful, dropping 25 points in Lafayette's home-opening win over King's. The Idaho Falls, Idaho native  shot 9-for-13 from the field while knocking down six of his nine attempts from downtown.

 • Freshman Owen Kelly earned a spot in the starting lineup against King's. The Economics major added on 12 points alongside three rebounds and three assists.

 • In the annual Preseason Patriot League Men's Basketball Poll, the Maroon and White were tabbed to finish seventh, with 29 points. Lafayette finished ahead of Holy Cross (28), Loyola (26) and Army (11).

SCOUTING SAINT JOSEPH'S
Saint Joseph's had a sensational season in 2025-26. Last year, the Hawks finished third in the Atlantic 10 (A10) conference with a 13-5 mark in conference games and a 24-12 overall record.  Steve Donahue enters his second year along the sidelines for Saint Joseph's. In Donahue's first campaign, the Hawks averaged 73.1 points per game. Junior guard Jaiden Glover-Toscano projects to be the team's leading scorer after a sophomore season where he averaged 15.7 points in 34 starts.

LAST TIME OUT
Lafayette returned to Kirby Sports Center on Nov. 5, where they defeated King's, 104-67. Kesler collected a game-high 25 points, while collecting six threes in the process.  Jasraj Gill stuffed the stat sheet with 14 points, seven rebounds and seven assists. The Leopards shot 58.0% from the field as they held the Monarchs to a 40.4% shooting percentage.

COOPER'S SHARP
Leopard guard Cooper Kesler made his first career start for Lafayette against Butler, leading the squad in minutes played (32). The Idaho Falls, Idaho native added on nine points from the field, including a triple from downtown and knocked down both his attempts at the free throw line.

RAINING BUCKETS
Four different Leopards recorded double-digit outings against King's. Kesler's 25 points led all players, while Beckett Currie (15), Gill (14) and Kelly (12) combined for 41.

FROM ONE HILL TO ANOTHER
Lafayette and Saint Joseph's are meeting for the 47th time in series history. The two schools first battled in 1930 and have continued to meet intermittently throughout the years. With a win, the Leopards would claim three of the last four games.

DEJA VU
The Maroon and White's 104-67 win over King's is the first time since December 2016 that Lafayette has scored 100 points in a game. The December 2016 matchup happened to come in a home contest against Moravian, where Lafayette won, 104-67. 

UP NEXT
Lafayette returns home to College Hill on Tuesday at 7 p.m. to host Penn State Lehigh Valley.  Coverage for the non-conference meeting can be viewed on ESPN+.