Mount Olive Named Favorite to Win 2015-16 Conference Carolinas Men's Basketball Championship
HIGH POINT, N.C. – The Mount Olive Trojans were named the favorite to win the 2015 Conference Carolinas Men's Basketball Championship, the league announced today. Mount Olive, who enters the season ranked No. 4 in the Division II Bulletin and No. 6 in the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Preseason Polls, pulled in eight first-place votes and 80 total points from conference 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, the NCAA Division II Southeast Region championship and earned the school's second Elite Eight berth.
The King Tornado was selected second in the poll by coaches, receiving 71 points and one first-place vote. The Tornado finished 2014-15 with its best win total since joining Division II, with a 24-6 record, which included a 17-3 Conference Carolinas mark.
Pfeiffer, a six-win team in 2013-14, was selected third by coaches after receiving 63 points in the poll. The Falcons hosted its first Conference Carolinas tournament game after a 10-win improvement in 2014-15, as the team finished 16-12 overall and 11-9 in conference play.
Limestone enters 2015-16 picked fourth after receiving 59 points, while Barton and North Greenville were tabbed fifth and sixth with 51 and 46 points, respectively.
The Saints went 7-22 overall and 7-13 in conference play in 2014-15. The Bulldogs turned in a 13-16 campaign with a 9-11 Conference Carolinas record. The Crusaders, the 2014-15 Conference Carolinas tournament champions, compiled a 22-10 record and went 12-8 conference play.
Placing seventh was Lees-McRae with 41 points, followed by Erskine at eighth with 33 points. Belmont Abbey closed out the poll with 24 points.
The Bobcats concluded 2014-15 at 15-13 and 10-10 in conference play. The Flying Fleet wrapped up 2014-15 with a 9-20 overall record and 5-15 Conference Carolinas mark. The Crusaders went 2-26 overall and 1-19 in conference.
The 2015 Conference Carolinas men's basketball season begins on Friday, Nov. 13.
2015 Men's Basketball Preseason Poll
| School (first-place votes) |
Total |
| 1. Mount Olive (8) |
80 |
| 2. King (1) |
71 |
| 3. Pfeiffer |
63 |
| 4. Limestone |
59 |
| 5. Barton |
51 |
| 6. North Greenville |
46 |
| 7. Lees-McRae |
41 |
| 8. Erskine |
33 |
| 9. Belmont Abbey |
24 |
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.