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S.D. – North Star Athletic Association’s (NSAA) newcomer Bellevue (Neb.) is the preseason coaches’ favorite to win the men’s basketball league title, the conference coaches’ preseason poll was announced Monday.
The Bruins received five first-place votes and 58 points to atop the preseason poll. Bellevue finished the 2014-15 season with an overall record of 28-6, including their 13th straight appearance in the NAIA Division II Men’s Basketball National Tournament. BU ended the season with a 54-50 loss to Grace (Ind.) in the opening round of the national tournament.
Both Dakota State (S.D.) and Jamestown (N.D.) were tied for second place in the preseason coaches’ poll with two first-place votes and tallied 53 points. The Trojans and Jimmies shared the NSAA conference regular season title with a 7-3 record in 2014-15, where Dakota State won the conference postseason conference tournament before falling to College of Idaho 65-64 in the national tournament’s opening round.
Mayville State (N.D.) was picked to finish fourth (43 points) followed by NSAA’s newcomer Waldorf (Iowa) fifth (33 points). Dickinson State (N.D.) edged out Presentation (S.D.) by one point for sixth-place (26-25). Valley City State and conference’s newcomer Viterbo (Wis.) were picked tied for eighth in the poll with 15 points.
The NSAA conference season gets underway on Friday night (Oct. 30) as Valley City State hosts Viterbo.
The conference postseason tournament begins on Feb. 25, 2016, concluding with a championship game on Feb. 29 at the highest remaining seed. The NSAA’s tournament champion will receive an automatic bid to the NAIA Division II National Tournament in Point Lookout, Mo. on March 9-15, 2016.
Points are awarded on an 8-1 basis and coaches could not vote for their own team.
Here is the complete 2015-16 NSAA Men’s Basketball Coaches’ Preseason Poll:
1 Bellevue (Neb.) (5) 58
T2 Dakota State (S.D.) (2) 53
T2 Jamestown (N.D.) (2) 53
4 Mayville State (N.D.) 43
5 Waldorf (Iowa) 33
6 Dickinson State (N.D.) 26
7 Presentation (S.D.) 25
T8 Valley City State (N.D.) 15
T8 Viterbo (Wis.) 15
*First-place votes in parenthesis