[Men's Basketball] New-look Mustangs open season tonight

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa -- The new-look Mount Mercy men's basketball team opens the season tonight against Benedictine (Kan.) in game two of the Bosch Financial Shootout hosted by the Mustangs at Hennessey Recreation Center.

With only five returning letterwinners, this year's team will look a lot different than the one that finished 19-10 overall and second in the Midwest Collegiate Conference with a 12-4 league mark. But some familiar faces remain, including starters Chad Underwood and David Campbell.

Underwood, a junior forward, was a first-team all-conference and NAIA honorable mention all-American last year. He was fourth in the MCC in scoring at 15.6 points per game while leading the league in field goal percentage (58.7%) and free throw percentage (83.9%). Underwood also ranked third in the conference in blocked shots (1.03 bpg) and 10th in rebounding (5.9 rpg).

Campbell started 20 of Mount Mercy's 29 games, averaging 7.5 points per contest. He also drained a team-high 44 3-point field goals and shot 33.1 percent from beyond the arc. The other returnees include senior forwards Sam Kenyi and Filip Ristic and junior guard Sid Beck. Kenyi started 13 games and averaged 7.1 points and four boards per outing.

Mount Mercy was picked fourth in the 2011-12 MCC Men's Basketball Coaches' Preseason Poll, which selected St. Ambrose as the preason favorite to win the league. Despite being picked fourth in the league, the Mustangs were one of four MCC teams in the NAIA Men's Basketball Coaches' Preseason poll. St. Ambrose came in 13th, Iowa Wesleyan 15th, Ashford 27th and Mount Mercy 34th.

The Bosch Financial Shootout tips of tonight at 6:00 p.m. with Graceland against Iowa Wesleyan. Benedictine and Mount Mercy follow at approximately 8:00 p.m. Tomorrow's action features Benedictine taking on Iowa Wesleyan at 2:00 p.m. and Graceland facing Mount Mercy at 4:00 p.m.