Here’s a look at South Alabama men’s basketball as the Jaguars prepare to open the 2024-25 season at home Monday vs. Central Michigan in the MAC/Sun Belt Challenge:

Head coach: Richie Riley (seventh year)

Last season’s record: 16-16 (8-10 Sun Belt)

Postseason: None (lost in first round of Sun Belt tournament)

Top returning players: F Julian Margrave (6-10, Jr., 7.0 ppg, 43% 3pt); F Elijah Ormiston (6-8, Sr., 6.2 ppg, 3.2 rpg); F Judah Brown (6-6, Sr., 5.6 ppg, 3.0 rpg); G Maxwell Land (6-4, Jr., 10.1 ppg, 3.1 rpg in 9 games)

Key losses: G Tyrell Jones (12.7 ppg, 2.0 apg, 1.5 spg); G Isiah Gaiter (12.5 ppg); F/G Samuel Tabe (11.9 ppg, 3.8 rpg); G Marcus Millender (9.7 ppg, 3.3 apg); F Thomas Howell (5.6 ppg, 6.1 rpg)

Key newcomers: G Jayden Cooper (6-1, Soph., Faulkner U.); F/G Barry Dunning (6-6, Jr., UAB); G Dylan Fasoyiro (6-1, Sr., Daemen); G JJ Wheat (6-6, Jr., Freed-Hardeman); G Myles Corey (6-0, Sr., Jessup); G John Broom (6-5, Fr., redshirted)

Season opener: Monday vs. Central Michigan (7 p.m.)

Sun Belt opener: Dec. 21 vs. James Madison (1 p.m.)

Notable: The Jaguars were picked by coaches to finish 11th in the 14-team Sun Belt Conference in the preseason. They finished tied for seventh a year ago. … South Alabama has not reached the NCAA tournament since 2008, but did reach the finals of the Sun Belt tournament in 2023. … The Jaguars lost four of their top five scorers and their top five in minutes played and rebounds from last season. Jones, Gaiter and Tabe were all seniors, while Howell elected to end his career with one year of eligibility remaining and Millender transferred to Texas-San Antonio after his freshman season. … Land is still recovering from a serious knee injury suffered in late November a year ago and might not be ready to play to start the season, Riley said. … Dunning, a Mobile native, was Alabama’s Mr. Basketball at McGill-Toolen Catholic School in 2022. He played in the NCAA tournament with the Blazers last season. … Cooper, a former Pike Road High School star, was Southern States Athletic Conference freshman of the year and a first-team all-conference pick last season at NAIA Faulkner, where he averaged 20.7 points, 5.6 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game.

Riley says: “We went out and got guys that have a chip on their shoulder. They’re tougher. Their maturity level’s good. A lot of these guys have won where they were at, so they do have more of an urgency than what we had a year ago, I feel like right now.”

South Alabama 2024-25 men’s basketball schedule

(Home games in ALL CAPS)

Nov. 4, CENTRAL MICHIGAN#, 7 p.m.

Nov. 8, at Nicholls, 6:30 p.m.

Nov. 12, at Ole Miss, 7 p.m.

Nov. 16, MERCER, 3 p.m.

Nov. 18, SPRING HILL, 7 p.m.

Nov. 25, INCARNATE WORD^, 7 p.m.

Nov. 26, WESTERN ILLINOIS^, 7 p.m.

Nov. 29, ALCORN STATE, 10 a.m.

Dec. 8, JACKSONVILLE STATE, 3 p.m.

Dec. 15, at Texas A&M Commerce, 11 a.m.

Dec.16, at TCU, 7 p.m.

Dec. 21, JAMES MADISON*, 1 p.m.

Dec. 30, MOBILE, 7 p.m.

Jan. 2, at Georgia State*, 7 p.m.

Jan. 4, at Georgia Southern*, 3 p.m.

Jan. 9, ARKANSAS STATE*, 7 p.m.

Jan. 11, OLD DOMINION*, 3 p.m.

Jan. 15, SOUTHERN MISS*, 7 p.m.

Jan. 18, TROY*, 3 p.m.

Jan. 23, at Louisiana-Monroe*, 6:30 p.m.

Jan. 25, at Troy*, 3:33 p.m.

Jan. 30, LOUISIANA-MONROE*, 7 p.m.

Feb. 1, at Louisiana*, 7 p.m.

Feb. 5, at Coastal Carolina*, 7 p.m.

Feb. 8, at MAC-Sun Belt Challenge (opponent & time TBD) #

Feb. 13, MARSHALL*, 7 p.m.

Feb. 15, TEXAS STATE*, 3 p.m.

Feb. 19, at Arkansas State*, 7 p.m.

Feb. 22, at Texas State*, 3 p.m.

Feb. 26, at Southern Miss*, 7:30 p.m.

Feb. 28, LOUISIANA*, 7 p.m.

Mar. 4-10, Sun Belt Conference Tournament (at Pensacola, Fla.)

*— Sun Belt Conference game

^— Jaguar Classic, presented by Holiday Inn Express

# — MAC-Sun Belt Challenge