Photo by Russell Marwitz/True To The Cru/russellmarwitz.com
The Mary Hardin-Baylor men’s basketball team will open its 2023-24 campaign ranked No. 15 in the nation, as the D3hoops.com Preseason Top 25 was released on Thursday afternoon. UMHB tallied 234 points from the panel of 25 voters coming off last year’s 23-6 season that culminated in a second straight run to the Round of 16 in the NCAA Tournament.
The Crusaders are ranked in the Preseason Top 15 for the third straight year, having begun 2021-22 at No. 12 and 2022-23 at No. 2. Unlike in past years, however, UMHB is joined in the Top 25 by a conference foe, with ETBU opening the season at No. 20. The Tigers won last year’s ASC Tournament title, and reached the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament before falling to UMHB.
Reigning national champ Christopher Newport took the top spot with 24 first-place votes. UW-Whitewater came in No. 2 with one first-place vote, and John Carroll, Keene State, and Mount Union rounded out the Top 5.
UMHB begins its season on Nov. 10, facing UW-Stout in a neutral court matchup in Bloomington, Illinois at the Sikma Hall of Fame Invitational. Stay tuned for more coverage of UMHB men’s basketball as tip-off approaches.
