Mount Olive Ranked Sixth in NABC/Division II Preseason Poll; King Receiving Votes
KANSAS CITY, MO. – The University of Mount Olive Trojans were ranked sixth in the NABC/Division II men's basketball preseason coaches poll, it was announced by the National Association of Basketball Coaches.
Mount Olive finished the 2014-15 campaign ranked ninth in the nation, as they posted the best season in school history with a 31-4 overall record and 19-1 Conference Carolinas mark. The team won the Conference Carolinas regular season title and earned the No. 4 seed in the Division II NCAA Southeast Regional.
The Trojans would knock off a couple of preseason NABC/Division II ranked teams during their Southeast Regional title run last season. Knocking off Augusta (Ga.) in round one before beating preseason No. 5 Lincoln Memorial (Tenn.) in the semifinals, and preseason No. 20 Montevallo (Ala.) in the championship en route to the program's second Elite Eight. The Trojans would fall to preseason No. 2 Tarleton State (Texas) in the Elite Eight.
The Trojans return four double-figure scorers from last year, including pre-season All-America and 2014-15 Conference Carolinas Men's Basketball Player of the Year, Dontrell Brite. The senior point guard ranked 21st in the nation with 5.6 assists per game and helped Mount Olive rank 10th in the nation as a team in assists.
Receiving four votes in the preseason poll was King University, which finished 2014-15 with a 24-6 overall record and 17-3 Conference Carolinas mark.
Mount Olive and King each open up the season on Friday, Nov. 13. The Trojans will faceoff with the USC Aiken Pacers at the Barton College Classic, while the Tornado host No. 5 Lincoln Memorial in the Conference Carolinas/South Atlantic Conference Challenge.
NABC/Division II Rankings
(Oct. 27, 2015 - Preseason Poll)
1. Augustana, S.D. (9)
2. Tarleton State, Texas (2)
3. West Liberty, W.Va. (2)
4. Bellarmine, Ky. (1)
5. Lincoln Memorial, Tenn.
6. Mount Olive, N.C.
7. Indiana, Pa. (1)
8. Indianapolis, Ind.
9. Minnesota State-Moorhead
10. Colorado School of Mines
11. California Baptist
12. Alabama-Huntsville
13. UNC Pembroke
14. Northwest Missouri State
15. Western Washington
16. Drury, Mo.
17. Chico State, Calif.
18. Metropolitan State, Colo.
19. Southern Connecticut State
20. Montevallo, Ala.
21. Western Oregon
22. Midwestern State, Texas
23. Augusta, Ga.
24. Barry, Fla.
25. Philadelphia, Pa
Conference Carolinas is a NCAA Division II athletics conference made up of 12 teams from Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee. These institutions consist of: Barton College, Belmont Abbey, Converse College, Emmanuel College, Erskine College, King University, Lees-McRae College, Limestone College, University of Mount Olive, North Greenville University, Pfeiffer University, and Southern Wesleyan. Emmanuel College and Southern Wesleyan University are currently completing the NCAA Membership Process and will be fully competing in league championships in the near future.