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S.D. (PlayNorthStar.com) – Bellevue (Neb.) is the unanimous pick to win the 2017-18 North Star Athletic Association Men’s Basketball conference title, the coaches’ preseason poll was announced Monday afternoon. The Bruins collected all nine first-place votes and tallied 81 points to top the preseason poll.
Three teams – Bellevue, Dickinson State (N.D.) and Jamestown (N.D.) – shared the North Star conference regular-season title last season with 11-5 record in the conference games. The Bruins won the postseason conference tournament and continued their postseason run to the semifinals round of the NAIA Division II National Men’s Basketball National Tournament, falling to Cornerstone (Mich.). BU was ranked No. 5 in the final national poll with an overall record of 25-11.
Valley City State (N.D.) registered 66 points to finish second in the preseason poll, followed by Dickinson State third with 62 points. Jamestown was fourth with 54 points, while Dakota State (S.D.) collected 48 points to finish fifth. Waldorf (Iowa) recorded 35 points to place sixth, Viterbo (Wis.) seventh with 31 points, Presentation (S.D.) eighth with 16 points and Mayville State (N.D.) ninth with 12 points.
Points are awarded on a 9-1 basis and coaches could vote for their own team.
The NSAA conference season gets underway on Dec. 1 with three conference games on schedule. Mayville State hosts Presentation; Jamestown travels to Dakota State and Valley City State visits Dickinson State. Bellevue and Viterbo will play their first North Star conference game of the season on Dec. 2 in Bellevue, Neb.
Each NSAA member will be play a total of 16 conference game, playing eight home games and eight road games during the conference season.
The NSAA’s tournament champion will receive an automatic bid to the NAIA Division II National Tournament in Point Lookout, Mo. on March 7-13, 2018.
Here is the complete 2017-18 NSAA Men’s Basketball Coaches’ Preseason Poll:
| 2017-18 North Star Athletic Association Men’s Basketball Preseason Poll | ||
| Rank | School | Points |
| 1 | Bellevue (Neb.) (9) | 81 |
| 2 | Valley City State (N.D.) | 66 |
| 3 | Dickinson State (N.D.) | 62 |
| 4 | Jamestown (N.D.) | 54 |
| 5 | Dakota State (S.D.) | 48 |
| 6 | Waldorf (Iowa) | 35 |
| 7 | Viterbo (Wis.) | 31 |
| 8 | Presentation (S.D.) | 16 |
| 9 | Mayville State (N.D.) | 12 |
| *First-place votes in parenthesis | ||