Basketball makes its return to the Pete P. Gallego Center this weekend for the Far West Texas Showdown.

The Lobo men's basketball program hosts the regional crossover with the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference on Saturday and Sunday.

Black Hills State, Metropolitan State University of Denver and UT Tyler will be making the trip to Alpine, Texas.

>> PREVIEWING SUL ROSS STATE:

• The Lobos went 12-13 overall during the 2023-2024 campaign, the final season as a Division III program.
• Sul Ross State took on UTEP for its season-opening exhibition contest on Monday, Nov. 4
• The Lobos have seven new players on the roster. Six of the seven are transfers.
• Nine players return from last year's team.
• Ethan Yancy was named a Lone Star Conference Preseason Player to Watch. Yancy is a transfer from Southern Illinois-Edwardsville.
• Notable returners include Christian Nevarez, Myles Amason and Tyler Jackson.
• Nevarez and Amason were named to the American Southwest Conference All-Freshman team in 2023 and 2024, respectively.
• Jackson earned ASC honorable mention honors last season after leading the Lobos in scoring (369 points), rebounding (152) and made free throws (102).
• Xavier Webb begins his fifth season as head coach.

>> PREVIEWING BLACK HILLS STATE:

• The Yellow Jackets are located in Spearfish, S.D.
• Black Hills State tipped off its season with an exhibition game against South Dakota State on Oct. 30.
• Last season, Black Hills State finished 17-13 overall and 14-8 in RMAC play.
• The Yellow Jackets landed in the RMAC tournament semifinals.
• Black Hills State was picked to finish fourth in the RMAC preseason coaches' poll.
• Senior guard Caelin Hearne was made the RMAC preseason watch list. Hearne earned honorable mention All-RMAC recognition last season.
• Hearne averaged 12.9 points per game as he shot 45.2 percent from the field. He had 18 double-figure games, which included five games with 20 or more points.
• Black Hills State has six upperclassmen and six freshmen.
• Head coach Ryan Thompson enters his seventh season as head coach since taking over the helm in July 2018. Thompson is a two-time RMAC Coach of the Year in 2020 and 2022.

>> PREVIEWING MSU DENVER:

• The Roadrunners are coming off a 19-10 overall record and 13-9 conference mark last season after being ousted in the RMAC tournament quarterfinal round.
• MSU Denver is picked to finish second in the RMAC preseason coaches' poll.
• Senior forward Brayden Carter, a transfer from Fort Lewis, along with senior forward Caleb McGill, a transfer from UC Davis, made the RMAC preseason watch list.
• Carter was named to the All-RMAC second team last season with Fort Lewis after averaging 10.2 points and nearly five rebounds a game.
• McGill earned first team All-RMAC last season. He is ranked ninth in program history in scoring, averaging 14.8 points per game. He was fourth in the conference last season with a 53.3% field goal percentage.
• Head coach Dan Ficke took over the helm on April 21, 2022.

>> PREVIEWING UT TYLER:

• The Patriots had a season-opening exhibition match against Tarleton State on Oct. 28.
• UT Tyler went 3-25 overall and 2-20 in LSC play last season.
• The Patriots were picked to finish 14th out of 16 programs in the LSC preseason poll.
• Senior forward Juan Pablo Camargo, a 6-foot-9 native of Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, made a spot on the LSC Players to Watch list.
• Camargo grabbed 82 rebounds and averaged 5.8 points a game last season after starting all 28 games.
• Head coach Tim Moser enters his second season. Moser was an associate head coach for UT Tyler's women's basketball program, helping them to a 27-8 record and a spot in the elite eight of the Division II national tourney during the 2022-2023 season.

>> TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE:

Saturday, Nov. 9

• Black Hills State vs. UT Tyler (6 p.m. CT)
• MSU Denver vs. Sul Ross State (8 p.m. CT)

Sunday, Nov. 10

• MSU Denver vs. UT Tyler (3 p.m. CT)
• Black Hills State vs. Sul Ross State (5 p.m. CT)

>> All games will be streamed through FloCollege, which offers subscriptions starting at $19.99 per month or $107.88 per year.

>> Visit the tournament central page for more info.

>> T-SHIRTS FOR SALE:

• The men's basketball program is selling t-shirts for $20.