Wildcats Ranked #22 In NABC Preseason Top-25 Poll

10/29/2019 11:48:00 AM

AMHERST, N.Y. - For the first time as a member of NCAA Division II, the Daemen College men's basketball team will open the season as a ranked team as the Wildcats come in at No. 22 in the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) preseason top-25 poll released today.

Daemen's preseason ranking comes after the Wildcats spent the final seven weeks of the 2018-19 season included in the NABC poll. The Wildcats debuted in the poll at No. 23 on January 29, and rose as high as No. 13 (Feb. 19). The Wildcats finished the season at No. 22.

Daemen went 24-6 overall and 16-2 in East Coast Conference play last season, capturing the program's second ECC regular-season championship and first NCAA tournament berth. Head coach Mike MacDonald, now in his sixth season at the helm, brings back 10 players, including four starters, this season. Reigning ECC and East Region Player of the Year Andrew Sischo (Guilderland, N.Y.) headlines the Wildcat roster after averaging 20.9 points and 10.1 rebounds per game last season.

Daemen will play three games against teams included in the preseason top-25, and four more against teams that are presently receiving votes. The Wildcats open the regular season this Friday, Nov. 1 against No. 1 Northwest Missouri State University as part of the Small College Basketball National Hall of Fame Classic. The Bearcats are coming off a perfect 38-0 season, and have won two of the last three national championships.

Additional games against top-25 teams come Nov. 16 when the Wildcats host No. 4 West Liberty University, and Jan. 1 at No. 21 Saint Anselm College. The Daemen-Saint Anselm matchup will the second in as many seasons. The Wildcats defeated the Hawks, then ranked No. 4 in the NABC poll, 78-72 at Lumsden Gymnasium last January.

Daemen has opened the season with a pair of exhibition games against Division I opponents, falling to the University at Buffalo (111-73) and Syracuse University (90-71) last week. Both opponents spent time ranked among the top-25 teams in the country last season. Despite the results, both contests featured stretches of strong play by the Wildcats, including an even 43-43 second half Saturday against the Orange. The effort prompted legendary Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim to open his postgame press conference by saying, "hat was a great game for us [against a] really, really well-coached team, veteran team."

The Wildcats will take the floor tonight (Oct. 29) in their final exhibition game of the season as Mohawk College out of the Ontario Colleges Athletic Association visits Lumsden Gymnasium for a 7 p.m. tip-off.

Daemen College features the only NCAA Division II athletics program in the Buffalo-Niagara region, sponsoring 17 intercollegiate teams. For the latest information on Daemen Athletics, follow the Wildcats via social media on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Instagram, or sign up to receive customizable news alerts, e-mail newsletters and weekly schedule alerts.

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