MORROW, Ga. -- The Clayton State men's basketball team will open its season on Friday against No. 17 Lincoln Memorial as the Lakers are set to host the PBC / SAC Conference Challenge. The weekend's games mark the first non-conference opponents Clayton State basketball will play since the 2019-20 season. 

USC Aiken and the Lakers will represent the Peach Belt Conference while Lincoln Memorial and Tusculum make their way to Morrow and are representing the South Atlantic Conference. 

Aiken and Tusculum will play at 4 p.m. on Friday before Clayton State and the Railsplitters play at 6 p.m. On Saturday, the Pacers and LMU play at 2 p.m. as Clayton State and the Pioneers close the weekend at 4 p.m. Fans are welcome to The Loch for all four games and can view ticket information here. All games will be streamed through the PBC Digital Network and will offer live stats. 

Last season, Clayton State only played conference opponents as the season was shortened due to COVID-19. The Lakers managed to play nine of the 16 scheduled games.

The Lakers and Railsplitters have played only three times with LMU winning all three. This will be the first time the two teams play in Morrow. 

Vince Alexander enters his first season leading the men's program and returns to the Peach Belt Conference for the first time since leaving USC Aiken in 2015. For his career, he boasts a 341-250 record and is a three-time Regional Coach of the Year. During the summer of 2021, he added Jason Roscoe and Andre Anthony to his coaching staff. 

Four players return from last season's roster. Alexander added 12 players, 10 of which are transfers. 

The Lakers open with back-to-back home tournaments with a road trip to Valdosta State sandwiched in between the two tournaments. On Nov. 19 and 20, Clayton State welcomes Georgia College, Clark Atlanta and Tuskegee for the Clayton State Classic. 

A pair of road games follows the Classic before Valdosta makes the trip up to Morrow. The Lakers close the year with a trip to Florida Southern and a home meeting against Savannah State. 

After the New Year, Clayton State enters conference play and hosts North Georgia (1/12), Lander (1/24), Flagler (1/26), Young Harris (2/4), USC Aiken (2/7), Columbus State (2/12), Georgia College (2/19), Ga. Southwestern (2/23) and Augusta University (2/26).