RICHARDSON, Texas - The UT Dallas men's basketball team will begin its NCAA Division II and Lone Star Conference journey Wednesday night when they face East Texas A&M in an exhibition game in Commerce at 6:30 p.m.




The Comets return eight players, including three starters, with three redshirts from last season's 15-10 team. Third-year head coach Jared Fleming will have one senior, five juniors, two sophomores and three redshirt freshmen along with two sophomore transfers and four freshmen.

Junior forward Zach Spitzer was on the Lone Star Conference Preseason Players to Watch List. He averaged 5.8 points and 4.6 rebounds per game with 41 assists, 24 steals and 20 blocked shots while shooting 49 percent.

Sophomore point guard Peyton Dulin returns after averaging 10.9 points, 4.7 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.7 steals per game. He also made 39 three-pointers and shot 83.3 percent at the free throw line. Junior forward Jordan Balderaz returns after averaging 7.6 points and 4.9 rebounds with 49 assists, 21 steals and eight blocked shots.

Also returning are senior guard Everett Bates, juniors Jaelyn Rivera, Matthew Soto and Franklin Onyeme, sophomore Bryce Potts and redshirt freshmen Tristan Strength, Kris White and Christian O'Connor. Newcomers include sophomores Jaden Jefferson and Jared Robins and freshmen Will Warren, KJ Williams, Hudson Goellner and Jacob Smithey.

UTD will compete in the Lone Star Conference for the first time and will be eligible for the regular season title and awards, but not for the conference or NCAA tournament.

The Comets open the regular season with two games in Salt Lake City, Utah at Westminster on November 14 and 15, then will travel to #10 Colorado School or Mines and Regis (Colo.) the next weekend.
 
UTD will return home for three games over Thanksgiving week, taking on East Central, Southern Arkansas and Adams State. The LSC schedule starts at the UTD Activity Center with Eastern New Mexico and West Texas A&M in mid-December. The final non-conference game will take play at home against Dallas Christian.

Other key conference games include February 5 at home against #25 Lubbock Christian, February 19 versus old rival UT Tyler and February 21 against #3 DBU.