SALT LAKE CITY – The 15th-ranked Westminster men's basketball team will spend the weekend in Las Vegas as they play two games at the Concordia Las Vegas Tipoff. Westminster will begin play on Friday against No. 1 Vanguard (Calif.) at 7 p.m. MT. They will then face Concordia (Calif.) on Saturday at 2 p.m.
 
Every game of the Las Vegas Tipoff will be played at Liberty High School in Henderson, Nev.
 
On the Web: There will not be any live coverage of the action on Las Vegas. Updates will be provided on Facebook and Twitter as they become available. Game recaps will be available at WestminsterGriffins.com each night.
 
Griffin Fast Break: Westminster travels to Vegas at 0-2 on the season, losing twice in the Behnken Field House. They are averaging 70.5 points per game while shooting 46.7 percent from the field. The Griffins shoot 40.8 percent from beyond the arc and are averaging 10 made threes per outing.
 
Jordan Pryor currently leads the team in scoring at 19 points per game and he shoots 52.9 percent from beyond the arc. Quincy Bair is adding 13 points per game while making 58.8 percent from the floor. Isaiah Tademy has grabbed a team-best 10 rebounds with Kenny Woodard leading the team with 11 assists and four steals.
 
Looking Back: The Griffins split a pair of home games last weekend at the Westminster Tipoff Classic. They dropped a 91-80 decision to Colorado State-Pueblo before defeating Fort Lewis (Colo.), 86-74, in an exhibition contest. Jordan Pryor and Quincy Bair had 18 points apiece in the loss to CSU-Pueblo. Pryor then scored 28 points to lead the Griffins against Fort Lewis.
 
In the Polls: Westminster will begin the year with a No. 15 national ranking according to the 2014 - 15 NAIA Division I Men's Basketball Coaches' Preseason Top 25 Poll, the national office announced Tuesday. The Griffins received 115 points to sit tied with Dalton State (Ga.).
 
Frontier Favorites: In a poll of the Frontier Conference coaches, Westminster was selected as the favorite to win the conference title this season. They received four first-place votes and finished with 42 total points to take the top spot. Defending regular season and tournament champion Rocky Mountain (Mont.) was picked to finish second after receiving 41 points and two first-place votes. Montana State-Northern and Montana Western each received one first-place vote.
 
Busy Home Slate: Head Coach Adam Hiatt has put together a challenging schedule that features 15 home games and four teams that made the 2014 NAIA National Championships. Eight of those 15 home contests come before the end of 2014, including a span of five straight from Nov. 28 – Dec. 20.
 
Home Dominance: Westminster has been tough to beat in the Behnken Field House since it opened in 2006. While the Griffins have always been good at home, going 164-32 (.837) since the program was reinstated in 1999, they have compiled a 99-17 (.853) mark in their current home.
 
Playing Ranked Opponents: Over the next three weeks, Westminster will face a trio of teams currently ranked in the NAIA Coaches' Top 25 Poll. Friday's game against top-ranked Vanguard will make the first time a Westminster team has played the nation's No. 1 team. The Griffins will then welcome No. 6 St. Gregory's (Okla.) and No. 3 Cal State San Marcos to the Behnken Field House for the Westminster Thanksgiving Classic on Nov. 28-29. Westminster is 45-45 all-time when playing a ranked opponent, including 29-6 at home.
 
Bombs Away: Through the first two games of the season, Westminster has been using the three-point shot as a key part of the offense. They have made 20 threes so far this season and they lead the Frontier Conference by making 10 threes per game. That average is sixth-best in the NAIA and they sit 15th in the country by shooting 40.8 percent from three-point territory.
 
Performance from Pryor: After scoring a career-high 312 points last season, expectations are high this season for Jordan Pryor. The junior was named the preseason all-conference after being selected as the Frontier Sixth-Man of the Year last season. Pryor currently leads the Frontier Conference in scoring at 19 points per game – 27th in the NAIA – and his 4.5 made threes per game also leads the league while placing third in the country. Pryor is third in the Frontier and 40th in the nation by shooting 52.9 percent from beyond the arc.
 
Crashing Jenson: Nick Jenson is averaging 8.5 points per game this season and he is second on the team with nine rebounds. He has pulled in three boards on the offensive end and now ranks 14th in school history with 76 career offensive rebounds. Jenson finished fourth in the Frontier last season by grabbing 2.28 offensive rebounds per game. He scored 13 points on 6-of-6 shooting in the season opener against Colorado Mines.
 
Give and Take: Kenny Woodard has started at point guard in both games this season and he is currently averaging 8.0 points per game. He finished with 16 points with three treys against CSU-Pueblo. Woodard had recorded 11 assists on the year and he leads the conference and ranks 12th in the NAIA with an average of 5.5 assists per contest. The junior ranks 48th in the NAIA at 2.0 steals per game and he shoots 87.5 percent at the foul line which ranks 35th nationally.
 
Bits for Bair: Quincy Bair has been all over the place for the Griffins this season. He is second on the team in scoring at 13 points per game and he is fifth in the conference and 38thnationally by shooting 58.8 percent from the field. Bair has also grabbed seven rebounds, with four assists, two steals and one blocked shot this season. He has gone 2-o-f4 from beyond the arc and made four of his five free throw attempts.
 
Walker Debut: William Walker has scored 12 points and grabbed seven rebounds through the first two games of the season. The sophomore is shooting 50 percent from the floor and has three rebounds on the offensive end. He is averaging just 8.5 minutes per contest while also posting two steals.
 
Shoot the Moon: Colton Moon begins his senior season among the top 10 in school history in six statistical categories. His 113 career made threes are the sixth-most in school history while he sits seventh with 292 attempted triples. He ranks 10th all-time with 175 assists and his 109 career steals ranks fifth in school history. This season, Moon has recorded three assists and two steals.
 
Bamgartner off the Bench: Trevor Bamgartner leads all reserves with an average of 25 minutes per game off the bench. The junior averages 5.5 points per game and is shooting 42.9 percent from beyond the arc. He has pulled in eight rebounds on the season, including two on the offensive end.
 
Follow the Griffins: Fans are encouraged to follow the Westminster men's basketball team on their Instagram and Twitter feeds for fun behind the scenes information from the team. You can also get all of the latest news about the Griffins through the Westminster Athletics social media outlets. You can find all of the social media information at WestminsterGriffins.com.
 
Looking Ahead: Westminster will face a pair of road games in Idaho next week. They play at College of Idaho on Nov. 21 before facing Northwest Nazarene (Idaho) on Nov. 22.