The UW-River Falls men's basketball team opens its 2025-26 season this weekend at the UW-Superior NBC Tip-Off Classic. The Falcons will face Central College (Iowa) on Saturday, Nov. 8 at 7 p.m. inside Mertz Mortorelli Gymnasium.

UW-RIVER FALLS (0-0, 0-0 WIAC) VS. CENTRAL (0-0, 0-0 ARC)
Date: Friday, Nov. 8
Time: 7 p.m.
Site: Superior, Wis. // Mertz Mortorelli Gymnasium

On Sunday, Nov. 9, the Falcons will either play Marian University or UW-Superior at 2 p.m. or 4 p.m., depending on Saturday's results.

THE SERIES

• Saturday's matchup marks the first meeting between UW-River Falls and Central College since 2018. UWRF and Central have only met twice in their history, with UWRF winning both non-conference matchups. The Dutch finished 17-12 overall and 9-7 in the American Rivers Conference last season, averaging just over 77.5 points per game while giving up only 72.7 points per competition (+4.8 scoring margin).
• The Falcons will conclude play at the UW-Superior NBC Tip-Off Classic on Sunday, Nov. 9 against either UW-Superior or Marian before returning home to Don Page Arena for their home opener on Nov. 12 versus Carleton College.

FALCON NOTES

• Head Coach Jeff Berkhof enters his 20th season at the helm of the Falcon program. UWRF finished 9-16 overall in 2024-25, battling through a competitive WIAC slate that featured several narrow results.
• The Falcons return a strong front court presence in Jack Leifker, an All-WIAC Honorable Mention selection last season who averaged 12.4 points and a team-leading 5.3 rebounds per game while shooting over 50 percent from the field. Leifker provides an experienced scoring option and interior anchor for a team blending veteran experience with new contributors. UWRF also brings back key contributors in Micah Thompson, Jeremy Wanguhu, and Gavin Ralph, each of whom played important roles in last year's rotation. Thompson, averaged 6.0 points and 5.0 rebounds per game while shooting over 62 percent from the field. Wanguhu added 4.9 points while Ralph provided steady production with 4.7 points and 4.0 boards per game.