GAME NOTES: The River Hawks of UMass Lowell have the unenviable task of opening the 2014-15 season against the 20th-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes.

This is just the second season for the River Hawks competing at the Division I level, and their first, while sub par on the whole (10-18), wound up showing that the team belonged with the rest of the schools calling the America East Conference home as it split its 16 league tests. The former D-III school is ineligible for the postseason for a few more years under NCAA transition rules, but another successful AEC campaign could be on the horizon.

Ohio State enjoyed another successful run in 2013-14, going 25-10 overall, although eight of their losses came against conference foes. The Buckeyes lost some quality players from that squad, but coach Thad Matta has done a nice job replenishing the roster, giving OSU a puncher's chance this season in what should be a pretty wide-open league.

This bout marks the first-ever meeting between these two schools in men's basketball.

If coach Pat Duquette's UMass Lowell squad is going to have another decent showing, production will have to come from some unlikely sources. Chad Holley (10.3 ppg, 3.4 apg) is now the go-to scorer after the departure of Akeem Williams (15.8 ppg, 3.4 apg). Clearly Holley has a tough task ahead of him, especially if he continues to shoot at the 34.4 percent rate he did last season.

Others will need to step up as well because the River Hawks struggled on offense for long stretches in 2013-14, averaging a mere 61.4 ppg in hitting just 39.4 percent of their field goal attempts. DJ Mlachnik (7.8 ppg) and Tyler Livingston (6.9 ppg) each converted fewer than 40 percent from the floor, and they will be joined in the starting lineup by Mark Cornelius (5.2 ppg), who gets his chance to shine after serving as a key reserve last season.

Ohio State struggled at times at the offensive end last season (69.5 ppg), but certainly excelled on defense (59.8 ppg). The loss of three solid players in LaQuinton Ross (15.2 ppg, 5.9 rpg), Lenzelle Smith, Jr. (11.0 ppg, 5.1 rpg) and Aaron Craft (9.8 ppg, 4.7 apg, 2.5 spg) hurts, but the cupboard isn't completely bare, as Sam Thompson and Amir Williams are set to elevate their respective games after both averaged less than eight points per tilt last season.

Shannon Scott is also back after handing out 119 assists in 2013-14, and he will serve as the team's primary point guard. Some fresh faces could make their presence felt right from the beginning, as there is a ton of hype surrounding redshirt freshman Kam Williams and newcomer D'Angelo Russell.

The Buckeyes open the season with 13 of their first 15 games at home, setting them up for success prior to the start of Big Ten play. There will be tougher bouts for sure, but an opening victory against the overmatched River Hawks is a certainty.