Men's Basketball Selected Fourth in South Division by Skyline Preseason Coaches Poll
NEW YORK — The St. Joseph's College (Brooklyn) men's basketball team was picked to finish in fourth place in the South division as the Skyline Conference Preseason Basketball Coaches Poll was announced earlier today.
Coming off a 9-16 campaign in 2018-19 and finishing in eighth place with a 7-13 league record, the Bears collected 36 points and rank fourth in the six-team South division as the league returns to a two-division format with Manhattanville College rejoining the conference to form a 12-team league.
Last year's runner-up Yeshiva University (66 points), who received votes in the D3hoops Top 25 preseason poll, garnered all possible 11 first-place votes to lead the South division. Defending champion Farmingdale State College (54 points) received one first-place vote and SUNY College at Old Westbury (46 points) form the top three ahead of the Bears in the southern table. The College of Mount Saint Vincent (27 points) and SJC Long Island (17 points) round out the division whom the Bears will play a home-and-home series this season.
Purchase College (63 points) accumulated nine first-place votes and are predicted to lead the North division, with Sarah Lawrence (53 points) and Manhattanville (48 points) also receiving first-place votes and forming the top three.
The top two teams in each division will receive berths into the 2020 Skyline Conference Men's Basketball Championship with the next two remaining teams with the highest conference winning percentage comprising the six-team field. First-round action begins on February 25, with semifinals and final action taking place on February 27 and 29, respectively, with the winner receiving the league's automatic berth into the 2020 NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Championship.
The Bears are slated to open their 25-game 2019-20 schedule in the Garden State at the Stockton University Tournament, facing the host Ospreys on Friday, November 15th at 6 p.m. Live stats and video will be available on SJCBears.com/live.
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2019-20 Skyline Conference Men's Basketball Preseason Coaches Poll
North Division
1. Purchase (9 first-place votes), 63 pts.
2. Sarah Lawrence (2), 53
3. Manhattanville (1), 48
4. Mount Saint Mary, 40
5. USMMA, 27
6. Maritime, 15
South Division
1. Yeshiva (11), 66
2. Farmingdale State (1), 54
3. Old Westbury, 46
4. St. Joseph's-Brooklyn, 36
5. Mount Saint Vincent, 27
6. St. Joseph's-Long Island, 17
2019-20 #SkylineMBB Preseason Coaches Poll Results Announced