Two SAC Teams in Basketball Times NCAA Division II Preseason Top 20, Three Named All-Americans
Rock Hill, S.C. (TheSAC.com) – Two South Atlantic Conference Teams land Basketball Times NCAA Division II Preseason Top 20 rankings to go along with three Student-Athletes being named to the Preseason All-American Team. Queens is ranked second, while Lincoln Memorial is sixth. Qjueens' Jalin Alexander, Carson-Newman's Charles Clark, and Lincoln Memorial's Dorian Pinson all land spots on the Preseason All-American team.
Queens (30-4, 19-3) finished the regular season as co-regular season champions and landed the No. 2 seed in the SAC Championship Tournament. The Royals defeated Lincoln Memorial for the second time on the season in the championship final for their first SAC Championship Tournament since joining the league in 2013. Queens advanced to the Southeast Region championship final, falling to Lincoln Memorial.
Lincoln Memorial (30-6, 19-3), ended the regular season atop the South Atlantic Men's Basketball standings with Queens and claimed the No. 1 seed in the SAC Championship Tournament. They landed an at-large bid to the NCAA Division II Southeast Regional Tournament and advanced to the regional finals and defeated Queens to advance to the Elite Eight in Sioux Falls, S.D. LMU picked up a victory over Chico State in the first round, ultimately their season ended to eventual National Champion and No. 1 seed Northwest Missouri State in the D-II Final 4.
Below is where the South Atlantic Conference Teams and Players landed in the Top 20 and All-Americans.
Division II
Basketball Times NCAA Division II Preseason Top 20
1. Northwest Missouri State (35-1)
2. Queens of Charlotte, N.C. (30-4)
3. Bellarmine, Ky. (32-4)
4. Indiana, Pa. (28-4)
5. Texas-Permian Basin (26-6)
6. Lincoln Memorial, Tenn. (30-6)
7. Ferris State, Mich. (28-5)
8. St. Thomas Aquinas, N.Y. (28-6)
9. California Baptist (26-5)
10. Arkansas Tech (21-8)
11. Barry, Fla. (23-7)
12. West Liberty State, W. Va. (28-4)
13. Chico State, Calif. (26-8)
14. Shippensburg, Pa. (27-4)
15. Indianapolis, Ind. (16-12)
16. Western Washington (25-6)
17. Findlay, Ohio (25-7)
18. Fairmont State. W. Va. (34-3)
19. Ark.-Fort Smith (23-11)
20. Merrimack, Mass. (19-12)
Basketball Times NCAA Division II Preseason All-Americans
NAME, SCHOOL HT. YEAR
Jalin Alexander, Queens of Charlotte (N.C.) 6-3 Sr.
David Chavlovich, West Texas A&M 5-11 Jr.
Charles Clark, Carson-Newman (Tenn.) 6-3 Sr.
Wendell Davis, Ashland (O.) 6-6 Sr.
Gage Davis, St. Cloud State (Minn.) 6-4 Jr.
Jacob Diaz, Indiana (Pa.) 6-9 Jr.
Kalidou Diouf, Cal Baptist 6-9 Sr.
Adam Eberhard, Bellarmine (Ky.) 6-8 Jr.
Daeshon Francis, Permian Basin (Tex.) 6-4 Sr.
Elvar Fridriksson, Barry (Fla.) 6-0 Sr.
Zach Hankins, Ferris State (Mich.) 6-10 Jr.
Warren Jackson, San Francisco State (Calif.) 6-0 Sr.
Martyce Kimbrough, Findlay (O.) 6-1 Sr.
Tre Lansman, Neb.-Kearney 6-7 Sr.
Kendale McCullum, Wis.-Parkside 6-1 Sr.
Dan Monteroso, West Liberty (W. Va.) 6-3 Sr.
Dorian Pinson, Lincoln Memorial (Tenn.) 6-5 Sr.
Justin Pitts, NW Missouri State 5-9 Jr.
Justin Reyes, St. Thomas Aquinas (N.Y.) 6-4 Jr.
Brady Skeens, Washburn (Kan.) 6-7 Sr.
Dustin Sleva, Shippensburg (Pa.) 6-8 Sr.
Jordan Spencer, Augustana (S.D.) 6-2 Sr.
Alex Stein, Southern Indiana 6-3 Jr.
Will Vorhees, Notre Dame (O.) 6-8 Sr.