INDIANAPOLIS – Four different programs received at least one first-place vote as the Great Midwest Athletic Conference Men’s Basketball Preseason Coaches’ Poll presented by Under Armour was released on Thursday morning.
The voting was extremely close in several different tiers as the Great Midwest looks to transition back from the Atlantic Region to the Midwest Region for NCAA Championship consideration. The winner of the conference tournament again receives an automatic qualifying bid in the field of 64 for March Madness.
Hillsdale, Ashland, Findlay and Malone, were all viewed by at least one head coach in the conference to win the league with a first-place vote.
Defending conference regular season champion and last year’s No. 1 seed in the Atlantic Region, Hillsdale, gained the most points with 91 and earned five first-place votes for the top spot in this year’s poll.
The Chargers have rightfully received their fair share of preseason national acclaim before the season has started. Hillsdale is ranked No. 7 in the NABC Preseason Division II Poll and head coach John Tharp’s program is No. 5 in NCAA.com DII beat writer Wayne Cavadi’s Preseason Power 10 rankings.
Hillsdale is loaded and returns pretty much everyone back to the fold including conference player of the year and consensus All-American forward Patrick Cartier (20.5 ppg). The Chargers went 21-3 overall and finished 19-1 in the conference schedule while defeating Mercyhurst in the national tournament bracket.
Hillsdale was the league’s top defensive squad while allowing just over 63 points per game and have already played Division I Toledo in exhibition action.
But only one point separated Hillsdale from conference newcomer Ashland, which is grouped into the NABC’s receiving votes category along with Findlay. The Eagles are viewed as an immediate contender in the Great Midwest with four first-place votes and 90 points in the balloting after going 17-10 in their final year with the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC).
Voted third was Findlay as the Oilers collected one first-place vote. At 18-5 with a runner-up finish in the conference standings, it was another successful campaign for the program. Talented big man Nathan Bruns (13.7 ppg) is the team’s top returning scoring option and was fourth in the conference in field goal percentage.
The 2021 conference tournament run from Malone won’t be forgotten as the Pioneers were slotted fourth going into the new season. The Pioneers stymied Walsh, Hillsdale on its home floor and Cedarville, in the title game to earn the program’s first AQ. And Malone gave eventual Atlantic Region champion West Liberty all it could handle in a tough draw of the NCAA tournament in what turned out to be a five-point game.
Marcus Ernst, Bryce Butler, Bo Myers, Jaret Majestic and Justin Miller, all embraced opportunities to shine in the postseason and the entire core for head coach Casey Kaufman is ready to defend their conference tournament title.
Conference championship finalist Cedarville rounds out the top five with a handful of all-conference performers on last year’s roster including guards Branden Maughmer and Quinton Green and post presence Kollin Van Horn.
Walsh and Kentucky Wesleyan each made the conference tournament again in 2020-21. The Panthers were in the regional rankings and hosted a first-round game in Owensboro while going 9-5 in league play while Walsh carved out 11 conference victories as guard Darryl Straughter was second in the league in scoring (18.5 ppg).
Trevecca Nazarene has generated buzz with their offseason additions to the program and Lake Erie played many opponents to close finishes as guard Harrison Riggs was second in the league in assists (5.3 apg). Ohio Dominican boasts last year’s conference freshman of the year Zach Szul and Tiffin’s Trent Williams is back after finishing 12th in scoring at almost 14 points per game.
The Great Midwest will welcome the addition of Northwood University to the mix in the 2022-23 season with the standings increasing to 12 teams.
Great Midwest Men's Basketball Preseason Coaches Poll presented by Under Armour
| School |
Points |
| 1. Hillsdale (5 first-place votes) |
91 |
| 2. Ashland (4 first-place votes) |
90 |
| 3. Findlay (1 first-place vote) |
79 |
| 4. Malone (1 first-place vote) |
74 |
| 5. Cedarville |
69 |
| 6. Walsh |
59 |
| 7. Kentucky Wesleyan |
43 |
| 8. Trevecca Nazarene |
32 |
| 9. Lake Erie |
25 |
| 10. Ohio Dominican |
24 |
| 11. Tiffin |
19 |