SPEARFISH, S.D. – The No. 17 Black Hills State University men's basketball team will tip-off the 2025-26 season on Sunday afternoon with a neutral site battle against the first of two Lone Star Conference foes this weekend, playing Sul Ross State at the Auraria Event Center in Denver. The Yellow Jackets enter the year as the RMAC favorites and look to continue their dominance against LSC regional foes, seeking their 13^th win in 14 tries against the league since 2019-20.
 
KNOW BEFORE YOU GO
Date/Time/Location: Sunday, November 16 / 1 p.m. / Denver, Colo.  / Auraria Event Center
 
RMAC Network: Beginning in the 2025-26 season the RMAC Network will now move to Pay-Per-View. Fans can purchase a single game pass ($10), monthly ($25) or annual subscription ($130). Individuals with bhsu.edu or yellowjackets.bhsu.edu email address can still take advantage of the Peak Pricing Promotion by using the code Y26-RMACEDU.

KDSJ Radio: Black Hills State women's basketball continues to air live on KDSJ Radio with the voice of the Yellow Jackets, Steve Ammerman, giving the play-by-play for all the action.
 
#17 BLACK HILLS STATE STORYLINES

• Black Hills State enters the 2025-26 season off an 18-12 (13-7 RMAC) where they finished in a tie for third in the league standings, their seventh consecutive top-4 finish in the conference.
• In the 2025 RMAC Tournament the Yellow Jackets advanced to the semifinals for the fifth consecutive season where they ultimately fell to No. 9/9 Colorado School of Mines 77-64.
• The Yellow Jackets ended the 2024-25 season by winning eight of their last 11 contests.
• BHSU joins only Colorado School of Mines and Colorado Mesa as the only three schools to win 13 or more conference games in each of the last four seasons.
• BHSU was the only RMAC school to have both their men's and women's basketball programs in the semifinals of the RMAC Tournament a year ago.
• The Yellow Jackets enter the 2025-26 season as the preseason favorites in the RMAC and are ranked No. 17 in the NABC Preseason Coaches' Poll.
• Black Hills State returns three all-conference players from a year ago, as Cam Lowe was named First Team All-RMAC and RMAC Freshman of the Year, while Jaeton Hackley and Tristan Hurdle were named Honorable Mention All-RMAC. All three of those student-athletes were named to the 2025-26 Preseason All-RMAC team.
• The Yellow Jackets return seven players who started a game last season, and they return ten players in total from last season.
• The Green & Gold bring back a wealth of talent as they return their leading scorer (Lowe) and four of their top-5 scorers, they return their leading rebounder (Lowe) and four of their top-5 rebounders, they return their leading assister (Hackley) and four of their top-5 assist leaders, they return their leader in steals (Hackley) and four of their top-5 steals leaders, and lastly they return four of their top-6 block leaders from last season.
• BHSU knocked down at least six or more 3-pointers in each RMAC contest last season and on 13 occasions connected on ten or more made shots from beyond the arc in a league game this year, including five of the last six games to end the regular season.
• The returning scorer and rebounder for the Yellow Jackets, Lowe, returns for his redshirt sophomore season following a campaign in which he earned First Team All-RMAC, RMAC Freshman of the Year, and Second Team All-South Central Region honors. He averaged 15.7 points and 7.9 rebounds per game in his first season with the Green & Gold, posting eight double-doubles on the year. He scored in double figures 24 times and reached the 20-point mark ten times. He poured in a career-best 28 points in an overtime comeback win at UCCS, shooting 7-of-9 from the field and 6-of-7 from 3-point range. He also posted one of the best 3-point shooting performances in school history against Adams State, going a perfect 7-of-7 from beyond the arc. He enters the season as the active leading career scorer in the RMAC, tied for active lead in career rebounds, and is the leagues' top free throw shooter as he is 83.7 percent from the charity stripe in his career.
• A Preseason All-RMAC selection, Hackley is the facilitator of the offense, returning as the team leader in assists with 3.7 per game a year ago. Defensively he also led the team with 1.3 steals per game. He added 11.8 points per game as he scored in double figures 20 times, notching a career-best 24 points in a regular season conference game at Colorado School of Mines as he went 7-of-13 from the floor, 3-of-3 from deep, and 7-of-7 at the charity stripe. He dished out five or more assists on 11 occasions.
• A Preseason All-RMAC selection, Hurdle has emerged as one of the top sharpshooters in the nation as he led NCAA Division II with a 3-point percentage of 47.6 on 70-of-143 shooting from beyond the arc on the year. He scored in double figures in 13 games, including a career-best 27 points on 8-of-12 shooting from deep against Regis at home. In total he connected on four or more 3-pointers eight times in 2024-25.
• Ryan Thompson enters his eighth season as the head coach at Black Hills State, guiding the Yellow Jackets to a record of 139-66 during his career. 

SUL ROSS STATE STORYLINES

• In their first season in the Lone Star Conference, Sul Ross State posted a 3-24 (2-20 LSC) record in 2024-25.
• The Lobos were picked to finish 17^th in the Lone Star Conference Preseason Coaches' Poll.
• SRSU loses their top-9 scorers from a year ago who all averaged in double figures, with their top returner being Manny Flores who played in 26 games a year ago and averaged 2.8 points and 1.3 rebounds.
• Antwonne Holmes, the Lobos player to watch in the LSC this upcoming season arrives in Alpine after transferring from UTEP. In 2024-25 for the Miners he appeared in seven contests, averaging 0.4 points and 0.3 rebounds.
• Holmes is one two NCAA Division I transfers for the Lobos, joined by Chianti Clay from Arizona State who played in five games for the Sun Devils.
• Sul Ross State is led by Xavier Webb who is in his fifth season as the head coach for the Lobos, guiding the team to a 41-83 record in his tenure.

SERIES HISTORY

• Sunday marks the second all-time meeting between Black Hills State and Sul Ross State, with the Yellow Jackets holding a 1-0 advantage in the series.
• The Yellow Jackets won the lone previous meeting in an 82-60 victory in Alpine, Texas, on November 10, 2024, as Cam Lowe poured in 16 points and grabbed nine boards while Joel Speckman added 15 points and another nine boards.