Raleigh, NC -- William Peace University men's basketball will open conference play on Friday, January 22nd as they host Methodist University before traveling to Fayetteville on the 24th. The Pacers are currently 1-1 after they split the series with Ferrum College, while the Monarchs are 0-1 after dropping a 78-65 contest to University of Lynchburg. 
 
The Monarchs head into 2021 after a very successful 2019-20 season which saw them go 18-11 overall and 11-6 in the conference, eventually claiming the USA South Tournament Championship over Huntingdon College. Returner Dante Burden will be a huge key for the team as he led them with a notable 508 points and was named the USA South All-Tournament MVP. Burden and returner Garren Dearman bolstered the team in the loss to Lynchburg as they tallied 20 points and 15 points, respectively.
  The Pacers will look to John Burwell to have two big games in the series, as the senior guard recorded an impressive 34 points in the 93-85 win over Ferrum while adding 26 in the 76-73 loss. The team had four other players tally ten or more points in the Ferrum victory: Beau Bryant, Tyler Parton, Jalen Owens, and Donolly Tyrell Jr. 
 
Historically, WPU is 6-11 overall against Methodist. The Pacers went 1-2 in the 2019-20 season with two close losses (90-83 on February 25th and 98-88 on January 11th) and a 93-79 win on December 14th. 

Tip-off for the January 22nd match-up is scheduled for 3:30 PM - keep up with the team with the livestream and live stats!

For the latest news and updates from William Peace University Athletics, please visit: gopeacepacers.com , Facebook , or follow the Pacers on Instagram and Twitter at @gopeacepacers.