MOUNT VERNON – Cornell's men's basketball team showed significant progress throughout the 2025-26 campaign with the youngest squad Dave Schlabaugh has fielded on the Hilltop.
 
The 10th-year head coach takes another young team into this season, although he believes the Rams are further along this time around, buoyed by the return of four sophomore starters.  
 
"We were a different team at the end of last season. We are a completely different than we were last October," Schlabaugh said. "We're still very young and trying to sort out what we're good at along with lineup combinations. It will take time, but I'm anxious to see our growth."
 
Cornell's first step is an exhibition game against defending Missouri Valley Conference Tournament champion Northern Iowa Tuesday night in Cedar Falls. Tipoff is 7 p.m. inside the McLeod Center.
 
Tuesday marks a string of eight road games to start the season before Cornell's home opener Dec. 5 against Knox.
 
The Rams won three of their final five games last season to finish 6-19. They placed seventh in the Midwest Conference with a 5-11 mark.
 
Cornell will build around the sophomore quartet of Kylen Bonner, Wayne Jurica, Luke Hellige and Cristian Acevedo, which combined for 63 starts a season ago. Bonner flourished in his first collegiate season and was named Second Team All-Midwest Conference. The 6-foot-2 guard led the team in points (10.9 ppg), rebounds (4.1 rpg), assists (55) and steals (53).
 
Jurica averaged 9.2 points, 1.4 assists and drained 27 3-point goals, while shooting 75.8 percent from the foul line. The 6-6 Hellige is the team's top returning 3-point shooter, making 32 threes at a 36.0-percent clip. Acevedo, a 6-7 forward, shot 56.2 percent from the field.
 
"They all played heavy minutes last year and gained valuable experience," Schlabaugh said.
 
The Rams return an inside presence with senior forwards Noah Williams and Max Markgraf. The team also welcomes back senior guard Arnav Jain, a key contributor in 2024-25 who was sidelined last season to injury.   
 
Cornell has eight promising newcomers joining the fold, including junior guard Lucus Brown who played at Division II D'Youville University last season. The Rams added seven first-year players to the roster.
 
"I really like our freshman class," Schlabaugh said. "It's an athletic group. They'll add depth to our team. They all have a chance to contribute.
 
"We want to take another step as a team and develop more consistency. We're a more complete team this year. We'll see how we can all blend together. We have a chance to have a nice team."