By Tyvez Monroe |Sports writerThe Augusta University men's basketball team kicks off the 2019-20 season with a scrimmage on Sunday, Oct. 27 against Division I South Carolina State at Christenberry Fieldhouse. The game is free to all, and tipoff is set for 2 p.m. on Sunday."South Carolina State is providing us a great opportunity to play yet another D1 team," said AU Coach Dip Metress. "It will be a good test to see where our kids are at and what we need to work on. I’m excited to see whose game has grown after last season.”Metress adds to his list of recent prestigious Division-I opponents, including Clemson, Georgia, Georgia Tech and Wichita State. This is the fourth-straight season Metress has set the Jaguars up to battle Division-I competition. Last season, Augusta shocked South Carolina 77-72 at Colonial Life Arena in Columbia.The Jags are ranked 10th in the nation by the preseason NCAA Division II polls. The retuning leading scorer is Rafael Monteiro, a senior forward who averaged 15 points and 6 rebounds last season. Monteiro also earned second team All-Peach Belt Conference last season. Miguel Arnold, a sophomore shooting guard who won Peach Belt freshman of the year last season, averaged 12 points with 101 three-pointers made.The last time we saw Augusta basketball on the court, it was March and the Jags were falling to Queens in Charlotte in the regional final. Deane Williams, Aaron Byrd and Tyvez Monroe (the author) had significant roles in the success of that team.This year's version will have to fill the void left by Williams, who was the go-to inside scorer a year ago and now plays professional ball in Iceland. The Jags sill have plenty of talent. Metress realizes getting it done on the defensive end of the court will make all the difference in the world.Among the top returning players are sophomore guards Tyree Myers and Darren Lucas-White and junior forward Troy Cracknell. They give AU a wealth of experience. Another key player this season for the Jags will be 7-footer Tyshaun Crawford, a sophomore transfer from Georgia Southern."We address rebounding every day," Metress said. "We still have a good vibe about us. We have good youthful enthusiasm."Metress hopes to see how his team fares against a Division I squad on Sunday. S.C. State plays in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference and is coming off an 8-26 season. The Bulldogs are led by 6-8 forward Damani Applewhite, who averaged 16.6 points per game and 7.4 rebounds.“I have high expectations for this year because we pretty much have the same team returning," Metress said. "Considering what we accomplished last year, we have to get back there.”The Jags will kick off the regular season in two weekends with games in Wilson, N.C., against Mt. Olive and Barton. Contact Tyvez Monroe at TMONROE@augusta.edu.