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.