ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) released the 2024-25 Men’s Basketball Preseason Coaches Poll on Thursday with the Bethany Lutheran College Vikings being predicted to win the regular season championship. The poll is voted on by all the head coaches in the conference.
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2024-25 UMAC Men's Basketball Preseason Coaches Poll
1. Bethany Lutheran | 48 (6)
2. UW-Superior | 41 (2)
3. Northwestern | 34
4. Crown | 31
5. North Central | 30
6. Minnesota Morris | 20
7. Martin Luther | 13
8. Northland | 7
The 2024-25 men’s basketball regular season opens on Friday, November 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 26 and the championship game slated for Saturday, March 1. The tournament champion will receive the UMAC’s automatic qualifying bid to the 2025 NCAA DIII Men’s Basketball Championship to compete in the national tournament.
#1: Bethany Lutheran Vikings (48 Points, 6 First-Place Votes)
The Vikings led the preseason poll with 48 points and six first-place votes from their conference competitors. Last year, BLC went 24-4 overall with an undefeated 14-0 record in the UMAC to win the Men’s Basketball Regular Season Championship.
Bethany Lutheran entered the 2023-24 UMAC Tournament as the No. 1 seed. The Vikings defeated the No. 4 Northwestern Eagles 82-75 in the semifinals. BLC went on to win the championship 77-58 over the No. 2 UW-Superior Yellowjackets, earning their fourth UMAC Tournament title in program history and their second in a row. The Vikings went on to face UW-Platteville in the opening round of the NCAA DIII Tournament, where they were defeated.
Head Coach:
Top Returners:
- Jax Madson, Jr., Guard
- Honorable Mention All-Conference, 2024
- 14.8 ppg, 5.7 rpg
- Drew Sagedahl, Jr., Guard
- Second Team All-Conference, 2024
- 16.4 ppg, 4.2 rpg
- Dominik Bangu, Jr., Forward
#2: UW-Superior Yellowjackets (41 Points, 2 First-Place Votes)
The University of Wisconsin-Superior Yellowjackets placed second in the preseason poll with 41 points and two first-place votes. The Yellowjackets tied for second in the regular season last winter with a 9-5 UMAC record while going 18-9 overall.
UW-Superior was the No. 2 seed in the 2023-24 UMAC Tournament. The Yellowjackets defeated the No. 3 North Central Rams 80-77 in the semifinals to advance. UW-Superior fell 77-58 to the No. 1 Bethany Lutheran Vikings in the championship game.
Head Coach:
Top Returners
- J’Vaun Walker, Sr., Guard
- All-UMAC First Team, All-UMAC Defensive
- 16.3ppg, 4.4 reb/g, 2.5 ast/g
- Joey Barker, Sr., Forward
- 7.6 ppg, 5.1 reb/g, 1 stl/g
- Andrew Kunelius, Sr., Guard
- 7 ppg, 3.6 reb/g, 1 stl/g
#3: Northwestern Eagles (34 Points)
The University of Northwestern Eagles took third in the preseason poll with 34 points. UNW finished fourth in the 2023-24 regular season with an 8-6 conference record, going 16-10 overall.
As the No. 4 seed in the 2023 UMAC Tournament, Northwestern fell 82-75 in the semifinals to the eventual champions: No. 1 Bethany Lutheran Vikings.
Northwestern has made the conference tournament in each of Head Coach Tim Grosz’s 24 years at the helm.
Head Coach:
Top Returners:
- Japheth Nyamari, Jr., Guard
- 11.4 ppg last year, 39% 3pt % last year, career-high 28 points at Carleton last year
- Elijah Burns, Sr., Forward
- 2023-24 Academic All-UMAC
- 64 career offensive rebounds, career-high 28 assists last year, 179 career rebounds
- Kelton Vincent, Sr., Guard
- 3x Academic All-UMAC
- Career 82.4% FT shooter, career-high 31 assists last year, career-high 11 steals last year
#4: Crown Polars (31 Points)
The Crown College Polars placed fourth in the preseason poll with 31 points. Last year, Crown finished fifth in the UMAC with a 7-7 conference record, going 20-10 overall.
Head Coach:
Top Returners:
- Tyrus Buckner, Sr., Forward
- First Team All-UMAC
- 18.3 ppg, 7.4 rpg, 56.7% FG
- Micah Ladd, Sr., Guard
- Led UMAC in assists and A/TO ratio, 28 assists shy of UMAC all-time record
- Carter Behne, Sr., Guard
- Averaged a career-high 8.2 ppg last season
#5: North Central Rams (30 Points)
The North Central University Rams placed fifth in the preseason poll with 30 points. NCU finished tied for second in the conference last year with a 9-5 UMAC record and a 15-16 overall record.
The Rams earned the No. 3 seed in the 2023-24 UMAC Tournament. NCU was defeated by the No. 2 UW-Superior Yellowjackets 80-77 in the semifinals.
Head Coach:
Top Returners:
- Tanner Holtman, Gr., Guard
- UMAC Honorable Mention
- 11.9ppg, 5.5rpg, 40 steals
- Carrington McNeal, Jr., Guard
- UMAC Honorable Mention / All-Defensive Team
- 12ppg, 53.2 FG%, 52 steals
- Nik Feller, Sr., Forward
- UMAC Honorable Mention
- 11.4ppg, 38 3pt FG%, 4.1rpg
#6: Minnesota Morris Cougars (20 Points)
The University of Minnesota Morris Cougars placed sixth in the preseason poll with 20 points. UMM finished sixth in the conference last year with a 6-8 UMAC record and a 12-13 overall record.
Head Coach:
Top Returners:
- Pal Dak, Sr., Guard
- First Team All-UMAC
- 17.6 PPG, 4.5 RPG
- Gustave Gunderson, Jr., Guard
- 9.5 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 2.4 Assists per Game
- Kenny Placide, Sr., Forward
- 6 RPG, 9.3 PPG, 0.8 Blocks per Game
#7: Martin Luther Knights (13 Points)
The Martin Luther College Knights placed seventh in the preseason poll with 13 points. MLC finished seventh in the UMAC last year with a 3-11 conference record and a 5-20 overall record.
Head Coach:
Top Returners:
- Thomas Balge, Junior, Guard
- UMAC Honorable Mention 2023-24
- Leading scorer in 2023-24 (15.5 ppg), Led in assists (53)
- Ethan Kjenstad, Junior, Forward
- Trey Lauber, Sophomore, Guard
- UMAC Freshman of the Year
- Led MLC in FG percentage (44.6), 9.5 ppg, 4.9 rpg
#8: Northland LumberJacks (7 Points)
The Northland College LumberJacks round out the preseason poll with seven points. Northland finished eighth in the conference last year with a 0-14 UMAC record while going 0-25 overall.
Head Coach:
Top Returners:
- Jahlani Thornton, Senior, Forward
- 6.2 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 51.6 FG%
- Stephen Kesti, Junior, Forward
- 4.2 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 19 blocks
- Damian Cejka, Junior, Guard
- 4.9 ppg, 23 steals, 36.1 3FG%
The UMAC is an NCAA Division III member comprised of eight full-time member schools from Minnesota and Wisconsin: Bethany Lutheran College, Crown College, Martin Luther College, North Central University, Northland College, University of Minnesota Morris, University of Northwestern, and University of Wisconsin-Superior.