AMHERST, N.Y. - Daemen College is the No. 24 ranked team in the NCAA Division II Sports Information Directors of America (D2SIDA) Men's Basketball Preseason Media Poll which was released yesterday afternoon.
Daemen, which also received votes in the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Preseason Top 25 Poll, returns 11 players from their 2020-21 team which finished 10-6 overall after winning the program's first East Region championship and advancing to the Elite Eight round of the NCAA tournament. Returning players accounted for 98% of the team's scoring, as well as 99% of their rebounds and assists last season. Two-time consenus All-American center Andrew Sischo (Guilderland, N.Y.) and All-East Region guard Sean Fasoyiro (Houston, Texas) headline the Daemen returners.
Head coach Mike MacDonald has presided over Daemen's rise to national prowess as an NCAA Division II program. Now in his eighth season, MacDonald has led the Wildcats to three straight NCAA tournament berths as well as 140 wins - the second most among all Division II programs in New York State over that span.
Daemen opened the season this past weekend as a participant in the Division II Conference Commissioner's Association (D2CCA) Tip-Off Classic in Canyon, Texas where they posted a 1-2 record against three teams included in the D2SIDA preseason poll. The Wildcats began the prestigious event with a 67-63 win over Minnesota State Moorhead which is ranked No. 25 today. Losses to No. 10 Colorado Mesa (76-65) and No. 3 West Texas A&M (69-66) followed. Both Colorado Mesa (No. 4) and West Texas A&M (No. 3) are ranked in the NABC preseason poll as well.
Daemen will play five additional games against teams ranked in the D2SIDA preseason poll. In addition to their normal home-and-home series with No. 12 St. Thomas Aquinas (Jan. 21, Feb. 18) as part of East Coast Conference play, the Wildcats will play non-conference games against No. 7 West Liberty (away, Nov. 29), No. 16 St. Anselm (home, Jan. 1) and No. 21 Mercyhurst (away, Nov. 17).
Defending national champion Northwest Missouri State received all 15 first-place votes and tops the poll.
| D2SIDA MEN'S BASKETBALL PRESEASON MEDIA POLL |
|
W-L * |
PTS. |
| 1. Northwest Missouri State (15) |
29-2 |
375 |
| 2. Flagler |
18-3 |
334 |
| 3. West Texas A&M |
19-3 |
314 |
| 4. Lubbock Christian |
18-3 |
298 |
| 5. Hillsdale |
21-3 |
293 |
| 6. Indiana (Pa.) |
2-1 |
252 |
| 7. West Liberty |
18-5 |
239 |
| 8. Valdosta State |
17-5 |
228 |
| 9. Nova Southeastern |
0-0 |
226 |
| 10. Colorado Mesa |
21-2 |
212 |
| 11. Washburn |
20-7 |
210 |
| 12. St. Thomas Aquinas |
14-2 |
202 |
| 13. Point Loma |
8-3 |
196 |
| 14. Queens (N.C.) |
16-6 |
191 |
| 15. Truman State |
20-3 |
189 |
| 16. St. Anselm |
0-0 |
168 |
| 17. Colorado Mines |
18-2 |
140 |
| 18. Southern Indiana |
12-5 |
139 |
| 19. Lincoln Memorial |
19-4 |
138 |
| 20. Seattle Pacific |
10-3 |
87 |
| 21. Mercyhurst |
12-1 |
78 |
| 22. Lee |
15-6 |
61 |
| 23. Fairmont State |
15-5 |
55 |
| 24. DAEMEN |
10-6 |
47 |
| 25. Minnesota State Moorhead |
11-5 |
38 |
* denotes final 2020-21 record
( ) denotes first-place votes
Others Receiving Votes (on more than one ballot): DBU – 35; Northern State – 25; Alabama Huntsville – 19; Chico State – 18; Findlay – 16; Charleston – 11; Ashland – 11; Florida Southern – 8; Oklahoma Baptist – 6; Emmanuel – 6
Daemen College features the premier NCAA Division II athletics program in the Buffalo-Niagara region, sponsoring 18 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.
Follow the Daemen College men's basketball program on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at @DaemenMBB.
