MIAMI, Fla. (October 8, 2020) – The Southeastern Fire have been selected to repeat as Sun Conference Champions by their peers as the 2020-21 men’s basketball preseason poll was released on Thursday.
As voted on by the league’s nine coaches, Southeastern edged St. Thomas, taking the top spot by four points. Coaches were unable to vote for their team.
The Fire collected 59 points and five first-place votes to sit atop this year’s poll. The Bobcats placed second with 55 points to go along with three first-place votes. St. Thomas was followed by Keiser with 53 points and Warner with 41 points (one first-place vote).
Rounding out this year’s preseason poll were Ave Maria (32 points), Coastal Georgia (29 points), Florida Memorial (29 points), Webber International (17 points), and Thomas (nine points).
The Fire (23-8, 14-4 TSC) earned their third-consecutive in the NAIA National Tournament last season, winning both the regular season and tournament crowns. SEU was led by the Sun Conference Coach of the Year,
Kevin Lubbers, who guided the Fire to the No. 4 seed in the Duer Bracket.
St. Thomas (22-6, 13-5 TSC) was the TSC Tournament Runner-up as the No. 3 seed in 2019. The Bobcats had three members garner All-Sun Conference last season.
Keiser (picked third in this year’s poll) finished 23-7 on the year and was the No. 2 seed in last year’s conference tourney (14-4 TSC). The Seahawks earned an at-large bid in last year’s NAIA National Tournament. Warner (picked fourth) ended 2019 with a 20-11 mark and a 9-9 record in conference play (No. 5 seed in last year’s conference tournament).
The 2020-2021 Sun Conference Men’s Basketball Tournament is set to begin on Tuesday, February 23, with opening-round contests on campus sites (higher seed). The semifinals (February 26) and the finals (February 27) will be held at the tournament’s No. 1 seed (regular season champions).
2020-21 Sun Conference Men’s Basketball Preseason Coaches’ Poll
| Rank |
School (First Place Votes) |
Points |
| 1 |
Southeastern (5) |
59 |
| 2 |
St. Thomas (3) |
55 |
| 3 |
Keiser |
53 |
| 4 |
Warner (1) |
41 |
| 5 |
Ave Maria |
32 |
| T-6 |
Coastal Georgia |
29 |
| T-6 |
Florida Memorial |
29 |
| 8 |
Webber International |
17 |
| 9 |
Thomas |
9 |
ABOUT THE SUN CONFERENCE
Now entering its 31st year, The Sun Conference, a 501c3 organization, continues to be one of the most successful intercollegiate athletic conferences in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). Under the guidance of Commissioner Dustin Wilke, the league sponsors championships in 18 NAIA sports: Baseball, Men’s and Women’s Basketball, Beach Volleyball, Men’s and Women’s Cross Country, Men’s and Women’s Golf, Men’s and Women’s Indoor Track and Field, Men’s and Women’s Soccer, Softball, Men’s and Women’s Tennis, Men’s and Women’s Outdoor Track and Field and Women’s Volleyball. Corporate sponsorship of the Conference has increased ten-fold; but most importantly, every Sun Conference member institution earned the NAIA’s prestigious 5-Star Champions of Character Award in each of the last five years. Learn more @ thesunconference.com
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