Central Bible vs Lindenwood prediction: Lindenwood's rebuilt roster gets its first home test against Central Bible
An almost entirely new Lindenwood team plays its first game at Hyland Arena, and the result matters less than learning who these Lions are.
- Lindenwood should control a non-Division I visitor; the real interest is how a reassembled rotation holds together three days after opening at TCU.
- Watch Xavier Spencer, the UMass Lowell transfer named an OVC Player to Watch, as the likely focal point of the new offense.
- No spread or total has been posted; last season's pace ranked 9th of 365, but almost none of that roster is back.
A team built from scratch
Lindenwood finished its four-year move from Division II during 2025-26, so this is the first season the Lions are eligible for the NCAA postseason. Kyle Gerdeman, who was in his seventh season last year, then remade the roster. A Southern Illinois preview described the Lions as having no returners at all, though the school's July roster release lists William Campbell as having played five games for Lindenwood last season. Either way, nearly the whole rotation is new.
The newcomers include Xavier Spencer from UMass Lowell, Dom Clay from North Dakota State, senior Matar Diop from Stetson, and junior college additions Marsai Mason and Shamiere Green. Spencer and Kellen Robinson were named OVC Players to Watch. The league picked Lindenwood sixth in its preseason poll with 61 points.
Last season's identity, new faces
Last season's 18-15 team won with defense and speed. Its defensive efficiency (points allowed per 100 possessions) of 99.0 ranked 20th nationally, and its pace ranked 9th. The offense lagged, finishing 278th in offensive efficiency.
Those numbers describe players who are gone, so treat them as a sketch of Gerdeman's preferences, not a forecast. Last season's final adjusted net rating, which corrects for opponents, ranked 261st, well below the 110th-ranked raw net efficiency.
What the exhibition showed
The best clue to this group came Oct. 20 at Southern Illinois, a 75-71 exhibition loss. Lindenwood ran off five straight points to take a one-point lead late before the Salukis answered and sealed it at the free-throw line with seven seconds left. A competitive night on the road at Southern Illinois suggests the new pieces can compete. Central Bible's roster, coach and recent results could not be found, so the visitors remain an unknown.
This is the second of three games in six days for Lindenwood, between the Nov. 2 opener at TCU and a Nov. 7 home date with East-West.
Key players
- William Campbell (Lindenwood): The school's roster release says he played five games for Lindenwood in 2025-26, which would make him the only link to last season.
Numbers that matter
| Exhibition at SIU | 75-71 | Lindenwood's Oct. 20 loss, decided at the line in the final seconds, is the only look at this roster. |
|---|---|---|
| Last season's defensive efficiency rank | 20th | Last season's Lions defended well, though nearly every player from that team is gone. |
| Last season's pace rank | 9th | Gerdeman's teams have played fast; whether this roster does is unknown. |
| OVC preseason poll | sixth | The league expects a middle-of-the-pack season from the rebuilt Lions. |
Central Bible vs Lindenwood: quick answers
When is Central Bible vs Lindenwood?
Thursday, November 5, 2026 at 7:00 PM ET.