The Wilmington College men's basketball team opens Ohio Athletic Conference 7:30 p.m. Wednesday against an unbeaten Muskingum team, which was picked to finish last by the conference coaches. (Game Notes)

The Muskies could be exhibit A as to preseason polls meaning nothing in the grand scheme of the season.

"They are a much improved basketball team, very dangerous," said Wilmington head coach K.C. Hunt. "They have very, very good guard play. It's a group of guys we better be ready to guard. They are shooting almost 57 percent from three-point range, so we better have a sense of urgency to guard their shooters. They are just playing better together, and they are definitely playing faster. As a group, they are all taking advantage of the rules and attacking the basket. They are really aggressive straight-line drivers, so we are going to have to do a great job of closing out and containing the basketball."

Muskingum features four players averaging double figures, including a pair of 20-point scorers.

Guard Dave Brown leads the way with 21.7 points. He is making most of his scoring contributions from the free throw line, scoring nearly of his 65 points from the charity stripe - where he is a perfect 30-for-30.

"He has always been an aggressive player," said Hunt. "He is the type of guy that likes to create contact and get into you. We have to be smart, and do a great job of squaring him up, keep him in front and contest every shot without fouling."

The other 20-point scorer, Christian Keller, is "playing with a lot of confidence". He is shown tremendous growth from last season and is shooting 71 percent (12-of-17) from the three-point line. While he is extremely proficient from beyond the arc, he is only making 30 percent (6-of-20) from inside the arc.

Starters Logan Kimble and Clay Owings are averaging 15.7 and 10.3 points, respectively, with Kimble leading the team with 6.7 boards per contest. Muskingum has three other players averaging at least five rebounds per game.

As a team they have dished out 31 assists on 79 baskets (41 percent) and have a positive assist-to-turnover margin.

Wilmington knows they difference in the game could come down to the team in the home whites.

"The key for us is between our ears," said Hunt. "Are we gonna come out ready to play and compete for 40 minutes? The problem we've had this year is being consistent from play to play, not just game-to-game. We've had stretches where we have been really good in every game we've played. We just haven't sustained it. Our room for growth is definitely on the mental side as well as us sustaining effort for a 40-minute period."