Tipoff Notes
Youngstown State opens the 2023-24 season when it heads to the bayou to take on Louisiana, Monday, Nov. 6. Tipoff is set for 8:30 p.m. Eastern at the Cajundome in Lafayette, La. The game will be broadcast on 570 WKBN and ESPN+.

This is the 94th season in YSU men's basketball history and the Penguins own a 44-49 all-time mark in season openers. Last year, the Penguins defeated Canisius, 92-81, in the season opener. The Penguins have won eight of their last 13 season openers.

Up Next
Youngstown State visits B1G opponent Michigan, Friday, Nov. 10. Tipoff is set for 6:30 p.m. at the Crisler Center and will be broadcast on 570 WKBN and the Big Ten Network.

Series vs. Louisiana
This is the second meeting between Youngstown State and Louisiana in series that dates back to 2019. The Ragin' Cajuns defeated the Penguins, 73-61, in the Cajundome. 

Scouting Louisiana
Louisana posted a 26-8 overall record last season, including a 13-5 Sun Belt Conference mark, and a 14-0 home record. The Ragin' Cajuns won the SBC Tournament Championship and advanced to the NCAA Tournament in 2022-23. Louisiana played lost to No. 4 Tennessee, 58-55, in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

YSU Against the Sun Belt
Youngstown State owns an all-time record of 11-17 against current members of the Sun Belt Conference. Twenty-five of those 28 games were contests prior to the team joining the SBC. The Penguins, however, are 0-3 in games played against Sun Belt Conference opponents. Youngstown State has lost to Louisiana (2019), Southern Miss (2017), and South Alabama (2016). The Penguins have defeated Troy five times between 1994-97, have two wins over Georgia State and James Madison, and wins over Marshall and South Alabama - all prior to joining the SBC.

A Win Would...

• Improve YSU's record to 1-0.
• Give YSU a 1-0 road record.
• Be YSU's first win over Louisiana.
• Be YSU's first win over a Sun Belt Conference foe.
• Be the 221st in Head Coach Jerrod Calhoun's career and his 97th at Youngstown State.
• Make Jerrod Calhoun the third coach in school history to record at least 97 wins.
• Be Jerrod Calhoun's first win over Louisiana.

Reid Named NEC Tourney MVP
Youngstown State newcomer and fifth-year senior Ziggy Reid put on a show in the 2023 Northeast Conference Tournament. Reid, who played four seasons at Merrimack, led the Warriors to the 2023 NEC Tournament Championship and averaged 23.7 points and 4.7 rebounds in the three-game tournament. He scored a career-high 33 points on 11-of-13 shooting and made six 3-pointers in knock off No. 1 seed Long Island, 91-76. Merrimack, however, was ineligible for the NCAA Tournament.

Penguin Portal Success
Over the last two seasons, Youngstown State has flourished during the transfer portal era. The Penguins own a record of 43-25 over the past two campaigns, and produced five all-conference selections. Youngstown State has been tough to beat at home over the last two years posting a 27-10 mark.

Guin Country
Youngstown State has not been shy about mining for talent all across the country and internationally. The Penguins have players on their roster representing 11 different states and one foreign country. Youngstown State is one of nine schools with players from 10 or more states. Credit to Louisville's Dana Brown for this research.

Programs with players from 10 or more states (9) 
• Navy – 13 states (noted that they have 27 players on the roster) 
• Milwaukee – 13 states
• Missouri – 12 states
• Youngstown State – 11 states
• VMI – 11 states 
• Louisville – 10 states
• Boston College – 10 states
• Richmond – 10 states
• TAMUCC – 10 states

Play it DJ
Fifth-year graduate student DJ Burns has had a solid collegiate career. Burns has scored more than 800 points and grabbed more than 600 rebounds prior to coming to Youngstown State. He also owns a career field-goal percentage of .544 and a career free-throw percentage of .770. He needs just 194 more points for 1,000 for his career. 

Rush, Reid Nearing 200 3s
Youngstown State fifth-year seniors Brandon Rush and Ziggy Reid on both approaching the 200 career made 3-pointers plateau. Rush has made 195 3s during his career, including 77 last season with the Penguins. Reid has connected on 146 3-pointers and made 55 in 2022-23 at Merrimack.

200 3's
Youngstown State made 271 3-pointers last season to reach 200 3s made for the 12th consecutive full season. The 271 made 3s rank second on the single-season chart. The Penguins also made 186 in the COVID-shortened 2020-21 season. The streak started in 2010-11 when the Penguins made 235 3-pointers. The school record for 3-pointers ina season is 303 set in 2018-19.

Rush On 3's List
Senior Brandon Rush climbed the Youngstown State single-season 3-pointers made chart. Rush made 77 made 3s last season and ranks seventh on the single-season list. He is also just the sixth player in school history to make at least 70 3s in a season. 

Culture Change
One of the main goals Head Coach Jerrod Calhoun had for the Youngstown State was to improve the culture. Just once in program history had the Penguins had three straight winning seasons (1982-83 to 1984-85). Last season, Calhoun set a YSU Division I mark of four consecutive winning seasons for the first time in program history. Over the last four years, Youngstown State has posted a 76-52 overall record.

2023-24 Horizon League Preseason Poll
The Youngstown State men's basketball team received three first-place votes and was predicted to finish fifth in the 2023-24 Horizon League Preseason Poll. 

Youngstown State received 342 points for its fifth-place seeding while Northern Kentucky was picked as the preseason favorite with 18 first-place votes and 435 points.

Milwaukee was predicted second with 397 points and 10 first-place votes while Wright State was third with 392 points and 12 first-place votes. Cleveland State finished just ahead of the Penguins with 362 points and one first-place vote.

Oakland (280 points), Robert Morris (186), Purdue Fort Wayne (166), Detroit Mercy (132), IUPUI (116), and Green Bay round out places six through 11.