PRINCESS ANNE, Md. - The University of Maryland Eastern Shore men's basketball team will square off with #12 ranked Villanova Wildcats on Monday night. The Hawks (0-1) are coming off a season-opening 71-46 loss at Virginia Tech, and now UMES faces another major-conference opponent, this time from the Big East. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. at The Pavilion in Villanova, Pa.

On Friday, UMES opened their regular season with a 71-46 loss in Blacksburg, Va. to the Virginia Tech Hokies. The Hawks struggled offensively, shooting just 27.7% from the field and 22.7% on three-point attempts. UMES hung tough with the ACC opponent, trailing by just ten points at halftime. The Hawks also stood tall in the low post, outrebounding the Hokies by a margin of 35-33.

The Hawks will have to keep getting strong performances from their many newcomers on the roster. Freshman Ryan Andino led UMES with 11 points on Friday night, while junior transfer Devin Martin put up nine points. Mike Myers finished just a point shy of a double-double, with nine points and ten rebounds in the losing effort.

The road does not get any easier with a trip to Villanova (1-0). The Wildcats finished last year with a 29-5 record and a 16-2 mark in the BIG EAST, earning a conference regular season championship. Though they lost to Seton Hall in the conference tournament, the Wildcats still earned a two-seed in the NCAA Tournament. Villanova suffered an early exit in the round of 32 to eventual national champions­­­, Connecticut Huskies.

Coming into this season, Villanova returns four of five starters, losing only James Bell to graduation. In his place will be junior guard Dylan Ennis, the brother of Phoenix Suns' guard Tyler Ennis. The Wildcats won their home opener on Friday against in-state opponent, Lehigh, by a final score of 77-66. Ennis led the team with 19 points in the victory. Villanova is currently ranked #12 in the nation in both the AP and Coaches' Poll.

Monday's game will be televised on Fox Sports 1, and Hawks fans can also listen live on the Hawks Radio Network powered by SFMSports.Net and the new flagship station Fox Sports 960 AM WTGM in Salisbury, Md.