Storylines – vs. Livingstone College
For the fourth consecutive year, the men's basketball season will commence on the road at the 2018 Earl Lloyd Classic hosted by fellow Mountain East Conference members, West Virginia State University. This season, the Cavs will open their 2018-19 campaign against Livingstone College, a member of the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association. Entering his 10th season at the helm of the Livingstone College men's basketball program, Head Coach James Stinson's team finished last year with an overall 12-13 record, 9-7 in the CIAA, as the program advanced to the quarterfinals of last year's CIAA Tournament. Junior guard Roger Ray led the Blue Bears in scoring last season, averaging 16.3 points per game. Ray also recorded 3.6 assists and 1.2 steals per game in his sophomore campaign. Livingstone will also be aided by sophomore forward Lydell Elmore who was the team's top rebounder last year, posting 4.2 rebounds per game. The Blue Bears were selected eighth in this year's CIAA preseason poll and picked fifth in the CIAA southern division while Ray was named to the CIAA preseason team and an All-CIAA first team selection.

About UVa-Wise
UVa-Wise looks to start on a high note as the 2018-19 campaign begins for the Cavalier men on the road at the 2018 Earl Lloyd Classic. The team started play early this year with a pair of road exhibition games against strong opponents in the Virginia Commonwealth University Rams and the University of Pikeville Bears. In his sixth season overseeing the men's basketball program, Head Coach Blake Mellinger's squad will be without Taiwo Badmus who led the team in scoring and rebounding last season. The Cavs will return six letter winners, including three starters in the junior trio of Michal Seals, Chance Sheffey, and Yesid Mosquera-Perea. Seals consistently led the team and Mountain East Conference in steals and assists, averaging 6.9 assists and 2.2 steals per game last year, and was one of the Cavs' top scorers posting 16.6 points per game along. Sheffey and Mosquera-Perea both averaged double-digit points per game during the 2017-18 campaign, registering 12.4 and 10.7 points per game, respectively. UVa-Wise will be assisted on the court by three more returners in junior Tajh Eason, sophomore Jordan Pointer, and lone senior Rahji Langford. The Cavs also introduce a talented group of newcomers including redshirt freshman Briggs Parris, junior Eric Okenchi, and five freshman on this year's squad. UVa-Wise was tabbed 11th in this year's MEC Preseason Poll after finishing last season with a seventh place rank, 14-16 overall and an 11-11 mark in league play. The Cavs closed out last year's campaign in the second round of the MEC Tournament.