TAYLORSVILLE, Utah (January 3, 2018) - With one notable exception, the Salt Lake Community College Bruins made an impressive non-conference statement about their roster for the 2017-18 season.

Salt Lake went 17-1, climbing all the way to fourth in the NJCAA polls after earning non-conference victories over nationally-ranked foes and teams from all over the country. The Bruins went undefeated in five different tournaments before falling to Mesa Community College in the opening game of the Fiesta Bowl Junior College Shootout. How did the Bruins follow up that loss? By earning a win over nationally-ranked Central Florida and a strong San Bernardino team.

Bruins coach Todd Phillips said the team effort in Arizona was impressive, even after the loss.

"Arizona was great for us," he said. "We got to get after it right after the break, and we played some really strong teams with lots of talent."

While all of those non-conference successes have helped the cause of the Bruins, the focus of the team now lies on the real season, the rigors of Scenic West Athletic Conference play. The Bruins will play 12 conference games over two months, with the hopes of earning the league's top seed in the Region 18 tournament. The winner of the league will undoubtedly make a strong statement to the NJCAA tournament selection committee but teams have to rise to individual challenges first to get to that point.

For the Bruins, their first SWAC challenge comes on Jan. 6, as Salt Lake travels to play in-state foe USU Eastern to open league play. The Eagles enter conference play with a record of 10-7, including back-to-back wins over Bismarck State College and Macomb Community College. USU Eastern is averaging 93.2 points a game, compared to SLCC's 92 points per game. 

One of the game's top matchups will happen between the Eagle offense and the Bruin defense, as Salt Lake averages surrendering just 61.9 points per game. USU Eastern's defense will also be challenged, as they rank fourth in the league in defense.

Bruins coach Todd Phillips said the road game will be a good matchup for his team to open league play.

"We're excited to start league play and play a really good USU Eastern team," he said. "Everything amps up in league as teams know our sets better, the scouting of players is more in-depth and teams know what you want to do. We will see how we respond to (that challenge)."

Ever the perfectionist, Phillips mentioned how his team can improve moving forward.

"We are looking for a couple guys to step up," he said. "We need to be more consistent on the offensive end. We need to execute our stuff and make plays more consistently."

The Bruins will play their SWAC home opener on Saturday, Jan. 11, as they host nationally-ranked College of Southern Idaho. The game will tip at 7:30 p.m.