TERRE HAUTE, Ind. -- The Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology men's basketball team will begin HCAC play with their home opener against Manchester University on Wednesday, December 3, at 7:30 PM. 

ROSE-HULMAN NOTES:
* Rose-Hulman stands at 2-2 overall this season with wins over Illinois Tech and St. Scholastica. 
* The team comes off a 1-1 weekend at the Wheaton Tournament, where they fell to #7 UW-La Crosse, 84-73, and defeated St. Scholastica, 64-53.
* Joey Schmitz currently leads the team with 20.0 points per game, shooting 55.8% from the floor and 53.6% from beyond the arc.
* Schmitz also leads the team in steals with seven and minutes, averaging 32.5 minutes per game. 
* Christian Torres is another standout, averaging 8.8 points per game and a team-high 7.0 rebounds per game.
* Cole Pride has been a defensive standout with a team-high nine blocked shots, while also averaging 5.8 rebounds per game.
* Nate Smith is another difference-maker with 12 assists and seven steals on the year. 
* The Fightin' Engineers are currently shooting 44.6 % as a team and 35.4 % from beyond the arc. 
* Rose-Hulman has been selected to finish second in the HCAC Preseason Poll, earning 72 points and three first-place votes. 
* The team returns Second Team All-HCAC and HCAC Newcomer of the Year honoree Joey Schmitz for his sophomore season.
* Schmitz led the team last year with 13.8 points per game and 48 steals.
* Schmitz also broke a 34-year-old Rose-Hulman single-season record for three-pointers made with 81.
* Cole Pride, Daniel Savovic, and Kobe Stoudemire have also been named players to watch by the HCAC. 
* The team is led by Head Coach Nick Sales in his fourth season with the Fightin' Engineers. 
* After hosting Manchester, Rose-Hulman will continue conference play, hosting Bluffton on Saturday, December 6, for Greek Day, at 4 PM. 

MANCHESTER NOTES:
* Manchester currently stands at 0-6 overall this season. 
* The team comes off a narrow loss to Wheaton College with a final score of 95-88. 
* Ty Lynas leads the team with 21.2 points and 7.0 rebounds per game this season.
* The team has three other players averaging double figures, including Max Robertson with 14.5, Clay McCorkle with 13.3, and Ladarius Wallace with 11.2.
* The team is currently shooting 44.2 % from the field and 31.3 % from beyond the arc. 
* Manchester has been picked to finish ninth in the HCAC Preseason Poll, earning 20 points. 
* The team is led by Head Coach Ryan Nowicki in his first year with the Manchester Spartans. 
* After facing Rose-Hulman, Manchester will travel to face Earlham on Saturday, December 6, at 3 PM. 

MANCHESTER SERIES HISTORY:
* Rose-Hulman leads the all-time series between both teams with a record of 41-28 against the Spartans. 
* The Fightin' Engineers have won their past two games, defeating Manchester in 2024, 84-74, and in 2025, 95-71.
* The last time Manchester defeated Rose-Hulman was during the 2023-24 season with a final score of 67-52.
* Rose-Hulman has an all-time home record of 21-10 when hosting the Spartans.