Men's Basketball 11/6/2023 12:00:00 PM

Bethany Lutheran Tops 2023-24 UMAC Men’s Basketball Preseason Coaches Poll

ST. PAUL, Minn. – The UMAC Men’s Basketball season is almost here. In the conference preseason poll, voted on by all the head coaches in the conference, the reigning regular season and postseason tournament champion Bethany Lutheran College Vikings have been predicted to finish atop the UMAC standings once again.

Bethany Lutheran was selected first in this year’s poll with 49 points and seven first-place votes after finishing the 2022-23 season with a 13-2 UMAC record and winning both the regular season and tournament titles. The Vikings led the UMAC in scoring last season by over 12 points per game, averaging 90.4 points per game. Returning this year for Drew Sagedahl who earned First Team All-Conference honors after averaging 17.1 points per game (3^rd in UMAC) while shooting 44.2 percent from three-point range. Jax Madson is back as well for the Vikings after scoring 14.1 points per game (7^th in UMAC) in a Second Team All-Conference award-winning season. All-UMAC Honorable Mention and All-Defensive team member Hunter Nielsen also returns after posting 13.2 points per game (10^th in UMAC) to go along with 7.5 rebounds per game (2^nd in UMAC).

University of Northwestern was the runner-up to the Vikings in the preseason poll with 40 points. The Eagles finished third in the conference last season with a 9-5 UMAC record. UNW sees the return of Henry Fahnbulleh, coming off a 2022 season in which averaged 13.4 points per game (9^th in UMAC) and 9.3 rebounds per game (1^st in UMAC) to earn Second Team All-Conference honors. Caleb Hoilien also returns for his senior season after winning Second Team All-Conference honors with 14.0 points per game (8^th in UMAC) and 5.0 rebounds per game. Micah Pocernich is back this winter for UNW as will look to remain a dangerous long-range shooter after posting a 41.0 percent clip from beyond the arc last year.

University of Wisconsin-Superior finished third in the 2023-24 poll with 39 points and the only other first place vote apart from Bethany Lutheran. The Yellowjackets finished last year as the runner-up to the Vikings in the regular season with a 10-4 UMAC record. In the conference tournament, Wisconsin-Superior won their semifinal game 69-59 over Northwestern and battled Bethany Lutheran in the championship game, falling 93-75. Returning for UWS this winter is Josef Fahrenholtz, who earned First Team All-UMAC honors last year with 14.7 points per game (6^th in UMAC) and 6.3 rebounds per game (8^th in UMAC). J’Vaun Walker returns as well after notching Second Team All-Conference honors with an average of 13.1 points (11^th in UMAC), 4.2 rebounds (25^th in UMAC), and 2.8 assists (9^th in UMAC) per game. The Yellowjackets also see the return of Reid Johnson, who looks to build upon a sophomore season in which he scored 10.4 points per game (21^st in UMAC).

Crown College took fourth in this year’s preseason poll with 29 points. The Polars finished sixth in the 2022-23 UMAC standings with a 6-8 conference record, though they went 20-11 overall and are returning six of their top seven players from last year. Cade Carroll returns to lead Crown once again after scoring 17.5 points per game and grabbing 6.8 rebounds per game in 21 games to earn First Team All-Conference honors. The Polars will also have Jacob Masek back after he provided 6.9 rebounds per game (6^th in UMAC) and 4.5 assists per game (1^st in UMAC). Jacob Van Dam will also have one final run with Crown this year after scoring 12.2 points per game (15^th in UMAC) and swiping 25 steals.

North Central University was ranked fifth in the coaches poll with 25 points this year. The Rams tied for fourth in the UMAC last year with an 8-6 conference record and went 17-11 overall. NCU was a top defensive team in the UMAC last year, leading the conference in opponent points per game (67.3) and opponent three-point field goal percentage (29.5 percent). Tanner Holtman returns for his senior season after being named Honorable Mention All-Conference with 9.6 points per game (22^nd in UMAC) with a 40.8 percent clip from three-point range. Cameron Thomas will also compete for the Rams again after scoring 8.7 points per game and getting 6.1 rebounds per game (10^th in UMAC) last year.

University of Minnesota Morris placed sixth in the poll with 21 points. The Cougars tied North Central for fourth place in the conference last year with an 8-6 UMAC record. Morris will have Pal Dak back for his senior season after he earned Honorable Mention All-UMAC and UMAC All-Defensive Team honors with 12.3 points per game (14^th in UMAC) on 50.7 percent shooting. The Cougars will also see the return of Blake Munson, who will look to build upon his UMAC Rookie of the Year campaign with 7.6 points per game with a 38.8 shooting percentage from three-point range. Kenny Placide will also help the Cougars this season after scoring 8.4 points per game on 60.0 percent shooting and averaging 5.8 rebounds per game (11^th in UMAC) in 2022-23.

Northland College finished seventh in the preseason poll with 14 points. The Lumberjacks were 3-11 in the UMAC last season, placing seventh in the conference standings. Jordan Brennan will look to lead the way after earning Honorable Mention All-Conference honors with 12.7 points per game (12^th in UMAC) and 4.1 rebounds per game. The Lumberjacks will also have Langston Flowers back after a 2022-23 campaign in which he averaged 9.0 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 1.9 assists per game. Drew Lindberg will also look to provide a spark for Northland from long range with his 35.8 shooting percentage beyond the arc.

Martin Luther rounds out the 2023-24 preseason poll with seven points. Micah Kieselhorst returns for his senior year after averaging 11.3 points (17^th in UMAC), 5.6 rebounds (12^th in UMAC), and 1.6 blocks (3^rd in UMAC) per game. Thomas Balge also returns for the Knights, looking to build upon a freshman year in which he scored 10.6 points per game (20^th in UMAC) and had 4.4 rebounds per game (22^nd in UMAC). Seth Veers is also back for MLC after scoring 9.6 points per game (23^rd in UMAC) and grabbing 4.1 rebounds per game.

The regular season opens on Wednesday, November 8 with conference play set to begin on Friday, December 8. The top four teams in the standings at the close of the regular season will compete in the UMAC Tournament, with the semifinals scheduled for Wednesday, February 21 with the championship match slated for Saturday, February 24. The winner of the tournament championship will earn the conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA Championship.

2023-24 UMAC Men's Basketball Preseason Poll
1. Bethany Lutheran | 49 (7)
2. Northwestern | 40
3. Wisconsin-Superior | 39 (1)
4. Crown | 29
5. North Central | 25
6. Minnesota Morris | 21
7. Northland | 14
8. Martin Luther | 7

(#) Number of First-Place Votes

Bethany Lutheran College
Pat Garvin | 4^th season |

2022-23 Season
12-2 UMAC, 23-5 | 1^st |
Postseason: Defeated Minnesota Morris 87-74 in UMAC Semifinals and UW-Superior 93-75 in UMAC Finals. Lost to Hope College 79-65 in NCAA Tournament

Top Returners
Drew Sagedahl, Jr., Guard | UMAC First Team A.C. | 17.1 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 44.2 3PT%
Jax Madson, Jr., Guard | UMAC Second Team A.C. | 14.1 ppg, 4.9 rpg, 3.2 apg
Hunter Nielsen, Sr., Center | A.C. Honorable Mention, UMAC All-Defensive Team | 13.2 ppg, 7.5 rpg, 2.0 bpg
Xavier Patterson, Sr., Guard | A.C. Honorable Mention | 12.3 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 4.3 apg
Mason Ackely, Sr., Forward | A.C. Honorable Mention, UMAC All-Defensive Team | 11.4 ppg, 7.2 rpg, 2.9 apg

North Central University
Jeremy Becker| 2^nd Season |

2022-23 Season
8-6 UMAC, 17-11 Overall | Tied for 4th |
Postseason: Lost to Crown in the NCCAA North Regional Championship Game 61-60

Top Returners
Tanner Holtman, Sr., G | Honorable Mention All-UMAC, 2022-2023 | 9.6 ppg, 41% 3ptFG, 4.3 rpg |3-year starter
Cameron Thomas, Sr., F |8.7 ppg, 6.1 rpg|3-year starter

Need to Know
NCU was the best defensive team in the UMAC last year in opponent points per game (67.3) and opponent 3pt FG% (29.5%)

University of Northwestern-St. Paul
Tim Grosz | 24^th Season |

2022-23 Season
9-5 UMAC, 14-12 Overall | 3^rd Place Finish |
Postseason: Qualified for the UMAC Postseason Tournament, lost in the Semifinals to #2 Wisconsin-Superior

Top Returners
Henry Fahnbulleh, Senior, Forward | 2022-23 2^nd Team All-UMAC, 2021-22 Honorable Mention All-UMAC, 2021-22 UMAC All-Defensive Team, 1x UMAC Player of the Week | 13.4 ppg, 9.3 rpg, 67 assists |
Caleb Hoilien, Senior, Forward | 2022-23 2^nd Team All-UMAC, 1x UMAC Player of the Week, 2021-22 UMAC Sportsmanship Award | 14.0 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 49% FGs|
Micah Pocernich, Senior, Guard | 2022-23 UMAC Sportsmanship Award | 8.9 ppg, 41% 3pt, 93% FTs |

Need to Know
The Eagles seek to get back on top of the UMAC after finishing in third place a year ago. In the 23 years with Coach Grosz as the head coach, the Eagles have been a fixture atop the UMAC. The Eagles have won 16 of the last 23 UMAC Championships.

Schedule

Upper Midwest Athletic Conference

Conference Members

Conference Members

Bethany Lutheran Tops 2023-24 UMAC Men’s Basketball Preseason Coaches Poll