FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Falcons Named Preseason Favorites for First Time Since 2015-16.
MANSFIELD, Mass. – For the first time in eight years, Bentley has been tabbed as preseason favorites - according to the Northeast-10 Conference Men's Basketball Coaches' Poll release on Wednesday afternoon. Bentley, which reached the NCAA Division II East Region Championship game last season, edged Saint Anselm for the top spot.
In the second season since the NE10 moved away from a divisional format for its men's basketball standings, Bentley earned sole possession of first place with 113 points and four first-place votes from opposing head coaches. Saint Anselm, the reigning NE10 champion, tallied 109 points and five first-place votes for second.
Rounding-out the top five were Southern Connecticut with 90 points and two first-place votes, Southern New Hampshire with 89 points and New Haven with 82 points. SNHU is the reigning NE10 regular season champion and New Haven won the 2023 East Region Championship and advanced to the Division II Elite Eight. Pace received the remaining first-place vote and gathered 72 points for sixth place.
The NE10 Men's Basketball Coaches' Poll is voted on by all 12 head coaches throughout the conference.
Bentley finished the 2022-23 season with a 23-7 record, including 15-5 in NE10 play, and spent the majority of the season in the national rankings under 33-year head coach Jay Lawson. The Falcons will be led this season by returning All-American and NE10 Player of the Year Zach Laput, who led all conference players in scoring (20.4 points per game) and ranked fourth in field goal percentage (53.9%).
Saint Anselm won the NE10 Championship for the second time in three seasons under longtime head coach Keith Dickson in 2023, defeating New Haven by a 65-54 margin. Tyler Arbuckle, the NE10's Championship's Most Outstanding Player, returns to lead the Hawks as a fifth-year guard. He averaged 18.0 points per game last season, finishing second to Laput among all NE10 players.
The NE10 men's basketball season opens on Saturday, November 4, as Bentley competes in the Small College Basketball Hall of Fame Classic in Lakeland, Fla. For the full schedule, please click HERE. All home and conference basketball games this season will be streamed for free on NE10 NOW – the Conference's digital streaming platform. Visit NE10NOW.tv or download the NE10 NOW app on iOS (mobile), Android (TV or Mobile), Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire or Amazon Fire Tablet.
NE10 MEN'S BASKETBALL COACHES' POLL
1. Bentley - 113 (4)
2. Saint Anselm - 109 (5)
3. Southern Connecticut - 90 (2)
4. Southern New Hampshire - 89
5. New Haven - 82
6. Pace - 72 (1)
7. Adelphi - 69
8. Assumption - 48
9. Franklin Pierce - 37
10. Saint Rose - 30
11. American International - 28
12. Saint Michael's - 25
ABOUT THE NE10
The NE10 is an association of 12 diverse institutions serving student-athletes across 24 NCAA Division II sports. Together we build brilliant futures by embracing the journey of every student-athlete.
Each year, 4,500 of those student-athletes compete in conference championships in 24 sports, making the NE10 the largest DII conference in the country in terms of sport sponsorship. Leading the way in the classroom, on the field and within the community, the NE10 is proud of its comprehensive program and the experience it provides student-athletes.
