MINNEAPOLIS, Minn.-- North Central University Men's Basketball will open their 2012-13 campaign tonight at the ACR Homes Tip-Off Tournament hosted by Northwestern College in St. Paul, Minnesota. When the Rams tip-off verses the University of Wisconsin-River Falls this afternoon at 4 p.m. NCU will open up a 25 game schedule that includes their first conference slate in the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference. 

North Central will begin the year at the ACR Homes-Tip Off Tournament hosted by Northwester College on Friday afternoon. NCU opens with UW-River Falls on Friday before taking on St. Mary's University (Winona, Minn.) of the NCAA Division III Minnesota Intercolligiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) at 3 p.m. on Saturday. NCU was defeated 98-65 by UW-River Falls on December 17 in River Falls last season. The Falcons were the NCAA Division III Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) champions last year. They were then upset in the first round of the 2012 Division III National Tournament by Edgewood College. The Rams did not play St. Mary's last year.

The Rams home opener will take place on Monday, November 19 when NCU hosts Crossroads College (Rochester, Minn.) at 7:30 p.m. NCU defeated the Knights 91-76 in Rochester in their only match up last season.

NCU will then open their NCCAA Division II schedule with a road trip to Trinity Bible College (Ellendale, N.D.) on November 30-December 1. Friday the Rams will take on Providence College (Otterburne, Manitoba) at 4 p.m. at Trinity Bible's Ray Ulmer Field House. Saturday NCU will match up with the defending NCCAA region champion Trinity Bible College at 4 p.m. NCU defeated Providence 93-62 in Minneapolis on January 21 before knocking them off once again in the NCCAA regional tournament by a 102-80 score on February 24 in Ellendale last season. The Rams defeated Trinity 101-73 in Minneapolis on January 12 before losing to the Lions 83-78 in the NCCAA regional championship on February 25 last season.

Tuesday, January 8, the Rams will open up their 2013 Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) schedule with a road trip to Northwestern College (St. Paul, Minn.). That game is set to tip at 7:30 p.m. NCU will then embark on a home and away round robin schedule with the seven teams of the UMAC that will wrap up with a road trip north to The College St. Scholastica (Duluth, Minn.) and Northland College (Ashland, Wis.) on February 15-16. All week day UMAC games will tip off at 7:30 p.m. with Saturday conference games beginning at 5 p.m.

North Central returns the core from its team that earned a 13-12 mark last season. They return three of their top four scorers and both of their leading rebounders from 2011-12. Senior Nathan Roeder (Hudson, Wis.) led the Rams with 22.1 points per contest while also dishing out a team best 4.5 assists per game. Junior Jordan Harrell (Maple Grove, Minn./Maple Grove) was the team's best rebounder last year with 7.8 boards per game and a 13.0 points per game scoring average. 

Junior Bryce Burkman (Winsted, Minn./Maple Grove) also returns after averaging 10.6 points and 7.7 rebounds per game last season. Senior point guard Dylan McKneely (Baton Rogue, La./Broadmoor) also returns after averaging 6.9 points, 3.1 assists and 4.0 rebounds a game.