ARDEN HILLS, Minn. – Bethel University men's basketball has its long-awaited return to the hardwood 340 days since its last contest. The Royals open up its 10-game 2021 campaign with Hamline at home on Saturday, Jan. 30. Tip-off is set for 1 p.m in the Robertson Center.
A reminder that no fans are allowed to attend winter indoor sports this season. Fans can watch all home games live on the BU Royal Sports Network by clicking
here. For rosters, stats and more game day coverage visit Bethel's Game Day Central page by clicking
here.
1) Veteran leadership highlights the 2021 roster with eight seniors and two juniors listed. Of that senior class, BU's leading scorer returns from last season in
Isaiah Carver-Bagley where he averaged 14.0 points a game shooting 49.4 percent from the field and 41 percent from behind the arc.
Chandler Wellman,
Noah Whalen,
Jake Van Wyk and
Isaiah Rollins will all bring valuable playing time from last year onto the court.
2) There's no breathing room with the 2021 schedule. Going along with the seven-game round-robin conference slate, Bethel will play Hamline, St. Thomas and Saint Mary's in non-conference matchups. With no postseason MIAC tournament, this year's league winner will be based on the team achieving the best winning percentage while completing at least 51 percent of the schedule.
3) It won't be the same without fans inside the Robertson Center. Those fans have played a key role in helping BU go 37-16 (.698) at home over the last four seasons.
4) Today's meeting will be the 99th in the all-time series between Bethel and Hamline. The Royals hold the edge 55-43 with a current 10-game winning streak. In Arden Hills against the Pipers, BU is 28-20.
5) Head Coach
Doug Novak enters his eighth season at the helm of the Royals program and 15th overall. He holds a 128-63 (.670) record at Bethel and a 208-175 (.543) overall record in his coaching career. Novak has led Bethel to three MIAC Playoff championship games including winning the title in 2017 at home against Saint John's.
