INDIANAPOLIS- Great Midwest coaches voted Walsh University as the 2022-23 Men’s Basketball preseason favorite. Findlay and Hillsdale were voted in the second and third spot in the Preseason Coaches poll presented by Under Armour.
The Cavaliers will look to repeat as conference champions this year under head coach Jeff Young. Walsh loses a talented senior class in Darryl Straughter and Caleb Canter, but return several key players. First-Team All-Conference selection Garrison Keesler returns for Walsh after averaging 13.7 points per game. Keesler also ranked second in the conference in assists per game at 4.9 and third in rebounding with 223 on the year. Also returning for Coach Young is the 6’7” forward in Tim Smith Jr. He averaged 12 points for the Cavaliers and was named Athlete of the Week for his performance in the Great Midwest Tournament.
Slotted at No. 2 are the University of Findlay Oilers. Nathan Bruns, a First-Team All-Conference selection returns after averaging 14.5 points per game and shooting a field goal percentage of .523. Findlay advanced to the Midwest Region Quarterfinal and finished with a 19-11 overall record.
The Hillsdale College Chargers will look to continue last year’s success without Player of the Year Patrick Cartier. Hillsdale was crowned Midwest Region Champions and advanced to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Division II tournament. Joe Reuter, the 2021-22 Great Midwest Freshman of the Year returns for head coach John Tharp. Reuter averaged 8.9 points on 55 percent shooting during conference play. The Chargers also return their second leading scorer in Kyle Goessler as well as Jack Gohlke, who ranked third in the league in three-point percentage at .408.
Ashland and Kentucky Wesleyan were voted in the four and five spot followed by Lake Erie and Cedarville, respectively. Malone, Tiffin, Ohio Dominican, Northwood, and Trevecca Nazarene round out the Great Midwest Coaches Preseason Poll.
| Great Midwest Men's Basketball Preseason Coaches Poll Presented by Under Armour |
| School |
Points |
| WALSH (11) |
121 |
| FINDLAY (1) |
109 |
| HILLSDALE |
94 |
| ASHLAND |
87 |
| KY. WESLEYAN |
76 |
| LAKE ERIE |
69 |
| CEDARVILLE |
68 |
| MALONE |
53 |
| TIFFIN |
43 |
| ODU |
33 |
| NORTHWOOD |
25 |
| TREVECCA NAZARENE |
14 |