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HACKENSACK, N.J. -- The Fairleigh Dickinson men's basketball team begins the 2014-15 season on Friday night at Saint Joseph's, with tipoff slated for 7 p.m. inside Hagan Arena. A free audio broadcast can be heard on FDUKnights.com, while a pay-per-view broadcast will be streamed live on Atlantic10.com

The Knights are set to begin head coach Greg Herenda's second season in Hackensack. His first year got off to flying start with FDU knocking off in-state programs Rutgers and Seton Hall in back-to-back road contests early on in the nonconference slate. The wins put the Knights back on the college basketball map and signaled to the Northeast Conference brethren that FDU would provide a stiff test once NEC play rolled around, which the Knights improved their league win total by four en route to a 10-21 (6-10 NEC) record and their first NEC Tournament berth since 2010.

FDU must replace the trio of Sidney Sanders Jr. (Charleston, S.C./Burke), Mathias Seilund (Dragoer, Denmark/Falkonergaardens Gymnasium) and Scooter Gillette (Philadelphia, Pa./Neumann-Goretti). Sanders Jr. was one of the most improved players in college basketball last season and was named First Team All-NEC after averaging 19.1 points, 3.8 rebounds, 5.8 assists and 2.2 steals per game. Seilund chipped in 9.3 points, a team-high 4.9 rebounds and added over one block per game while shooting 42 percent from behind the arc, and Gillette added 8.0 points, 4.4 rebounds and over 1.0 blocks per game.

Returning for the Knights is senior guard Mustafaa Jones (Philadelphia, Pa./Neumann-Goretti), who is elite outside shooter with an itchy trigger finger. The Philly native came into his own last season and could develop into one of the NEC's top-scoring threats this year, as the Knights attempt to fill the offensive void left by the three graduates. Jones made 74 three-point shot at a 39.6 percent rate last season to rank sixth in the conference in makes (2.39/game) and seventh in accuracy. He needs 71 three-pointers to become the program's all-time leader in makes.

FDU's leading returning scorer (Jones, 9.7 points per game) will be flanked by All-NEC Rookie Matt MacDonald (Buffalo, N.Y./Canisius), who led all NEC freshmen with 53 three-pointers and averaged 8.6 points per game. Sophomore Malachi Nix (Evanston, Ill./Niles North) will have an opportunity to assume the starting point guard role after cracking the rotation as a freshman to average 3.7 points per game off the bench. Junior Xavier Harris (Philadelphia, Pa./Constitution) is a key returnee up front, as the burly 6-6, 230-pound forward shot 55.6 percent from the field and contributed 4.3 points and 3.3 rebounds in a reserve role last season.

Herenda added six freshmen in the offseason along with Iowa transfer Darius Stokes (Marion, Iowa/Linn-Mar), who will compete for frontcourt minutes. The Knights are predicted to finish ninth in the NEC this season.

Last Time Out
FDU played an exhibition game inside Stratis Arena on Nov. 4 and rallied to defeat Felician College, 77-76. Jones' step-back three-point shot with 3.2 seconds left proved to be the difference, as he led all scorers with 23 points on 8-of-13 shooting from the field, including 5-of-8 from behind the arc in just 20 minutes.

Neither side led by more than six in the see-saw battle. The Knights used a variety of different lineups on the night, as only nine players saw action, with five scoring in double-figures, including Jones. MacDonald shrugged off a tough shooting night by going 9-for-9 at the free throw line en route to 14 points, while freshman Darian Anderson (Washington, D.C./St. John's College ) added 12 points and six assists at the point guard position.

Freshman Marques Townes (Edison, N.J./St. Joseph (Metuchen)) narrowly missed a double-double with 10 points and a game-high nine rebounds, which he shared with Stokes, who produced a game-high three blocks. Harris added 10 points and five rebounds for FDU.

Saint Joseph's
2013-14 Season 24-10 (11-5 Atlantic 10)
Where: Philadelphia, Pa. (Hagan Arena)
Series History: Saint Joseph's leads 2-0
First Meeting: Jan. 22, 1998 in Philadelphia (SJU 78 FDU 74)
Last Meeting: Nov. 12, 2007 in Syracuse, N.Y. (SJU 86 FDU 66)
What You Need To Know: The Hawks are coming off of one of the most successful seasons in school history, as they captured the 2014 Atlantic 10 championship and returned to the NCAA Tournament, where they lost to eventual national champion Connecticut in overtime, 89-81. Head Coach Phil Martelli is now entering his 20th season as the leader of the program and must figure out how to replace nearly 60 percent of the Hawks' scoring from a year ago. Point guard Chris Wilson and Atlantic 10 Co-Rookie of the Year DeAndre' Bembry are the lone returning starters, while Evan Maschmeyer, Isaiah Miles, Javon Baumann and Brendan Casper all saw time last season. Saint Joe's is projected to finish eighth in the 14-team league this season.

Next Time Out
FDU will play its home opener on Monday, Nov. 17 when it welcomes FDU-Florham for a 7 p.m. contest inside Stratis Arena. The game will be streamed live on NEC Front Row.