FORT WAYNE, Ind. – The Indiana Tech men's basketball begins a five-game homestand this week as they welcome in Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference (WHAC) rivals Marygrove and Michigan-Dearborn on Wednesday and Saturday, respectively. Both games will be doubleheaders with the women's team.
 
Indiana Tech (2-2, 0-1 WHAC)
 
Wednesday, Nov. 18, 8 p.m. vs. Marygrove (1-5, 1-2 WHAC) – Fort Wayne, Indiana (Schaefer Center)
Saturday, Nov. 21, 3 p.m. vs. Michigan-Dearborn (4-2, 1-0 WHAC) – Fort Wayne, Indiana (Schaefer Center)
 
Following the Warriors: Links to live stats and video will be available at IndianaTechWarriors.com. You can also follow the action on Twitter by following @INTechMBB and @INTechWarriors.
 
Last Time Out: The Warriors dropped their conference opener to third ranked Davenport, 83-63. Miles Robinson played all 40 minutes and led the Orange and Black with 25 points. Tanner Watkins added 12 points while Dominque Walls and Scott Schwieterman chipped in nine points each. Walls also pulled down eight rebounds.
 
Head Coach John Peckinpaugh: Now in his second season at the helm for the Orange and Black, as well as his second stint with the program, head coach John Peckinpaugh went 11-19 in his first season as the head man for the Warriors. Peckinpaugh returned to Indiana Tech after serving as an assistant for the Warriors during the 2012-2013 season, where he served as the recruiting coordinator He was instrumental in recruiting all of the returning Tech players for the 2014-2015 season during this time. In between stints with Tech, the Muncie, Indiana, native served as a graduate assistant for his alma mater, Indiana-Purdue Fort Wayne (IPFW) during the 2013-14 year. While with the Mastodons, he was part of a coaching staff that helped the team achieve the most successful season in program history with a 25-11 record and being ranked No. 19 in the NCAA Division I Mid-Major poll. IPFW made it all the way to the Summit League Tournament Championship game, losing to North Dakota State, who would go on to upset fifth-seeded Oklahoma in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The Mastodons would make the postseason for the first-time ever as a Division I program that season as well when they hosted Akron in the College Insider.com Tournament, defeating the Zips, 97-91.
 
Scouting the Opposition: Marygrove – The Mustangs have dropped four of five to open the 2015-16 campaign, most recently losing to Michigan-Dearborn on Monday, 101-88. Ta'Kein Dixson is one of four players to average double figures in scoring with 12.5 points per game. Diante Taylor leads the team in rebounding with 6.5 boards a game and is second in scoring with 11.7.
 
Michigan-Dearborn – The Wolverines host No. 3 Davenport on Wednesday before facing off with the Warriors, but opened the season on a three-game winning streak before dropping two of their next three. Xavier Crofford leads the team in scoring (17.3 ppg), assists (2.8 apg) and steals (1.50 spg). Paul Standtke pulls down over eight rebounds a game while Jason Penn is among the nation's leaders in blocks, averaging two a game (16^th national) and has 12 in all (fifth).
 
Series History: Marygrove – Tech is 7-1 against the Mustangs since 2011 and has won the last seven in the series. The Warriors swept the season series last year, winning 103-81 in Fort Wayne and 93-73 in Detroit.
 
Michigan-Dearborn – The Warriors are 18-2 against the Wolverines since 2005, most recently splitting the season series a year ago. Tech won 67-64 at home on Jan. 14 before falling in Dearborn on Feb. 18, 71-53.
 
Making a Good First Impression: Senior transfer Dominique Walls has made an immediate impact for the Warriors. Walls has recorded double-doubles in three of the team's four games and is averaging over 17 points a game and shooting 65 percent from the field while pulling down over 10 rebounds per contest. He also leads the team in blocks with nine and averages just over two a game.
 
Block Party: Dominique Walls has been a shot-blocking presence in the paint for the Orange and Black. His nine blocks are 19^th in the nation while his 2.25 blocks per game ranks 12^th. Junior Lavonte Davis is also among the top 50 in blocking shots, averaging just over a block and half per game, good for 37^th in the nation. As a team, the Warriors rank eighth in blocks per game (5.5) and 18^th in total blocks (22).
 
Home Cooking: The Warriors next five game all come at home, with three of those games coming against WHAC opponents. After that, Tech will hit the road for a three-game trip. The Orange and Black won't have more than two games at home or away after that until the end of the year.
 
Tough Sledding: The Warriors will face off with six teams that were ranked in the NAIA Preseason Coaches' Top 25 Poll. Topping the list is three teams within the conference, including defending champion and preseason No. 1 Cornerstone. Davenport comes in at No. 3, while Northwestern Ohio sits at No. 17. Crosstown rival Saint Francis is fourth in the inaugural rankings, while the Orange and Black will also square off No. 10 IU East and No. 14 Grace.
 
Poll Thoughts: Indiana Tech was picked to finish in a tie for seventh the WHAC Coaches' Preseason Poll. Tech picked up 62 votes to tie with Michigan-Dearborn. The Warriors finished 11-19 last year with an 8-14 mark in conference play.
 
Lots of New Faces: While the Warriors returned eight players from last year's team, that didn't stop Peckinpaugh from hitting the recruiting trail hard. He added five freshman and four transfers to the mix to go along with an upper-classmen laden team. Junior Jantzen Goodwin (Vincennes University), senior Jaelen Manson (Vincennes University) and senior Dominique Walls (Ashford) will all look to make an immediate impact for Tech, while junior Edmond Early, Jr. (Owens Community College) will redshirt this season.
 
In the Trees: Tech has seven players who stand 6'5" or taller, including five that are 6'7" or taller. Starting forward Lavonte Davis (6'8") will be a matchup problem for opposing teams, while junior center Laurence Mifsud (7'0"), senior forward Milos Milidragovic (6'11"), sophomore forward Scott Schwieterman (6'7") and freshman forward JeQuante Davis (6'8") give the Warriors plenty of depth in the paint.