The Hobart College basketball team will open Liberty League play with a four-game road trip beginning this weekend with games at Rensselaer and Vassar. The Statesmen will take on the Engineers in Troy, New York, at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 3 and then head to Poughkeepsie for a showdown with Vassar at 4 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 4.
 
Due to campus COVID policies, no outside spectators are allowed at Rensselaer's ECAV Arena. Fans can follow the game with live video and statistics on rpiathletics.com.
 
Spectators will be allowed at the Vassar Athletic and Fitness Center, but must comply with campus COVID policies. External spectators (non-Vassar students/employees) age 12 or older must be fully vaccinated or have a negative PCR COVID test taken within three days of the event or a negative rapid antigen test the day of the event. External spectators are required to provide proof of vaccination or a copy of a negative test to enter the Athletic and Fitness Center. All spectators, including children of kindergarten age and older and regardless of vaccination status, will be required to wear masks indoors at all times.
 
Live video and stats can be viewed on vassarathletics.com.
 
Hobart enters the weekend with a 3-4 overall record. Forward Jackson Meshanic is the team's leading scorer and rebounder, averaging 15.0 ppg and 9.0 rpg. He's second in the conference in field goal percentage, knocking down 59.7% of his shots, and fourth in free throw shooting, making 82.8% from the line.
 
Rensselaer is 4-0 and ranked No. 23 in the latest D3hoops.com poll. The Engineers feature a lineup with three players averaging more than 11 points per game. Patrick Mahoney leads the team with 14.8 ppg, including a team-high 38 3-pointers made. RPI features a balanced rebounding effort led by Dom Black's 6.1 rpg.
 
Friday's game will be the 121st in the series between the Statesmen and Engineers. RPI leads the series 70-50, including a 58-54 win in the most recent meeting.
 
Vassar enters the weekend with a 3-2 record. The Brewers have won three in a row heading into a Friday night tilt against Ithaca. Zach Johnson is Vassar's scoring and rebounding leader, producing 13.8 ppg and a league-high 13.0 rpg.
 
Saturday will be the 43rd showdown between the Statesmen and the Brewers. Hobart leads the series 36-6, including a home-and-home sweep during the 2019-20 season.