MELBOURNE, Fla. - Sunshine State Conference men's basketball coaches select Nova Southeastern University to win a second consecutive, third overall regular-season championship. The Sharks take the top spot following 99 total points and nine first-place votes in the preseason poll. The University of Tampa was listed sixth in the league's preseason poll.

Barry University finished second in the ranking with 87 points and a first-place vote. Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (73 points), Florida Southern College (71 points), and Rollins College (68 points) finished third through fifth. Rollins also picked up the final first-place votes from league coaches. Tampa settles in the middle of the poll with 47 points and is followed in the voting by Saint Leo University (45 points) and Palm Beach Atlantic University (40 points). Florida Tech (36 points), Lynn University (21 points), and Eckerd College (18 points) hold the final three positions in the ranking.

2022-23 SSC MEN'S BASKETBALL SCHEDULE

NSU is the defending SSC regular-season champion after going undefeated in the regular season (25-0) and conference play (20-0). The Sharks also captured the SSC tournament trophy for the first time in program history with a 98-85 victory over Barry in the title game. Nova Southeastern and Barry, along with Embry-Riddle, had their tickets punched to the NCAA Division II postseason.

The first round of the South Region tournament saw NSU defeat Savannah State and Embry-Riddle best West Alabama, while Barry fell to Alabama-Huntsville. NSU narrowly escaped Union in the second round, and ERAU handled UAH to ensure an All-SSC regional final. In the end, the Sharks captured the regional title with a 71-68 victory over the Eagles. NSU's incredible season ended with a loss to Black Hills State in the Elite Eight. The Sharks finished the year 31-1.

The 2022-23 season tips off with Florida Southern hosting nine schools, including Nova Southeastern, in Lakeland for the Small College Basketball Hall of Fame Classic on Saturday, November 5th, and Sunday, November 6th. The remaining league teams get started Friday, November 11th, or Saturday, November 12th. Conference play begins with five games on Saturday, November 19th.

Below are the full results of the 2022-23 SSC preseason coaches' poll. Coaches are not allowed to vote for their teams (points: 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1, first-place votes in parentheses).

2022-23 SSC MEN'S BASKETBALL PRESEASON COACHES POLL

See Also: SSC All-Americans | All-SSC Teams | SSC Champions | National Champions | Record Book

Previous SSC Men's Basketball Polls & Champions