Grand Canyon guard Darion Clark (23) shoots over Louisville guard Quentin Snider during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game, Saturday, Dec. 3, 2016, in Phoenix. Louisville defeated Grand Canyon 79-70. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)

 Rick Scuteri

Injuries and a challenging nonconference schedule have tested the Lopes in their final season before full Division I membership. They are without second-leading scorer Joshua Braun, a preseason all-WAC pick, but high-powered point guard DeWayne Russell has scored more than a third of the Lopes’ points, hitting 3-pointers at a 46.4-percent rate, possessing a 2-1 assist-turnover ratio and grabbing 10 steals. The Lopes average 73 points with a mix of transfers and players they recruited out of high school, including onetime Pac-12 target Oscar Frayer. Forward Darion Clark arrived via the grad transfer route from USC after averaging 11 minutes last season for the Trojans.Β 

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