Men's Basketball Selected Fifth in PAC Preseason Coaches' Poll

Nov. 5 – GREENVILLE, Pa. – The Bison men's basketball team, and first-year head coach Nick Hager, open their new era by being selected fifth in the Presidents' Athletic Conference Preseason Coaches' Poll, announced the PAC on Thursday afternoon.

The Bison, who lost just two players from a team that earned a berth into the PAC Championship Tournament semifinals, return eight letterwinners to this year's team. The Green & White were selected fifth with 62 total points, just one point behind fourth-seeded Geneva College.

Three-time defending PAC Champion, Saint Vincent College, was unanimously selected by the coaches to finish first again in 2015-16. The Bearcats received all ten first place votes, collecting 100 points.

Thomas More College was selected second with 78 points, while the three-six spots were separated by just eight points. Thiel College (67 points) was selected third, followed by Geneva, Bethany and Waynesburg University in sixth (59 points).

The rest of the poll shook out with Westminster being selected seventh (46), Grove City eighth (35), Waynesburg ninth (21), and Chatham University, which will sponsor men's basketball for the first time during the 2015-16 season, in tenth (19).

Along with the coaches' poll, a list of players to watch was announced, with junior guard Antonio Rudolph (New Castle, Pa./New Castle) representing the Bison. Last season, Rudolph ranked second on the team in steals per game (1.9) while leading Bethany in assists per contest (3.0) while appearing in 24 games.

The Bison, who will look to capture their first PAC crown since the 2011-12 season, will open their 2015-16 campaign at home against Penn State – DuBois. Tipoff for the home tilt is scheduled for a 7 p.m. start.