Lincoln Memorial Picked as South Atlantic Conference Men's Basketball Preseason Favorite; Preseason All-Conference Teams Announced

ROCK HILL, S.C. (TheSAC.com) – The Railsplitters of Lincoln Memorial have been picked as the preseason favorite, as voted by the league's head coaches. The Railsplitters picked up 11 first place votes and received 143 total points in the poll.

Lincoln Memorial finished the 2022-23 season with a record of 30-5 overall. The Railsplitters repeated as South Atlantic Conference regular season champions, won the Southeast Regional, advanced all the way to the Elite Eight, and broke the 30-win threshold in Jeremiah Samarrippas' second season as head coach.

Coming in second in the preseason poll was Catawba with two first place votes and 134 points. The Catawba Indians finished the 2022-23 season with a 23-8 overall record and were crowned the SAC Tournament champions.

Earning the No. 3 spot in the preseason poll was Newberry with 107 points. The Wolves finished last season with a 19-10 overall record. Coming in at No. 4 was Wingate with 105 points. The Bulldogs wrapped up the 2022-23 season with a 15-13 overall record. Tusculum landed at No. 5 with 98 points. The Pioneers posted a 16-11 overall record to conclude the 2022-23 season. Carson-Newman claimed No. 6 with 89 points and finished with an overall record of 14-14 last season.

Anderson was voted No. 7 with 76 points, while Lenoir-Rhyne earned the No. 8 spot with 55 points. Following closely behind was No. 9 Emory & Henry with 53 points and No. 10 Limestone with 47 points.

Rounding out the poll at No. 11, No. 12, and No. 13 was UVA Wise with 45 points, Coker with 34 points, and Mars Hill with 28 points.

The South Atlantic Conference also announced its Preseason All-Conference Team. Earning first team honors were Emory & Henry's Gabe Brown, Lincoln Memorial's Me'Kell Burries and Chase Rankin, Mars Hill's Kory Davis, and Catawba's DeAngelo Epps and Javeon Jones.

The second team was comprised of the following players: Coker's Mahmoud Bangura, Lincoln Memorial's Martez Brown and Jordan Walters, Anderson's Garrett Denbow, Tusculum's Connor Jordan, and Wingate's Donell Nixon II.

Earning third team honors were the following players: Carson-Newman's Nick Brenegan, Mars Hill's Kendall Davis and Kadyn Dawkins, Catawba's Peyton Gerald, Emory & Henry's Jake Moynihan, and Lincoln Memorial's Matthew Sells.

All of the SAC men's basketball games will be streamed live online through FloSports. Links to live video and live stats of all the games, as well as a full schedule of games can be found by visiting the men's basketball page on TheSAC.com. 

2023-24 SAC Men's Basketball Preseason Poll
Rank School (First Place Votes) Points
1 Lincoln Memorial (11) 143
2 Catawba (2) 134
3 Newberry 107
4 Wingate 105
5 Tusculum 98
6 Carson-Newman 89
7 Anderson 76
8 Lenoir-Rhyne 55
9 Emory & Henry 53
10 Limestone 47
11 UVA Wise 45
12 Coker 34
13 Mars Hill 28

2023-24 South Atlantic Conference Men's Basketball Preseason All-Conference 
First Team
Gabe Brown, Emory & Henry
Me'Kell Burries, Lincoln Memorial
Kory Davis, Mars Hill
DeAngelo Epps, Catawba
Javeon Jones, Catawba
Chase Rankin, Lincoln Memorial

Second Team
Mahmoud Bangura, Coker
Martez Brown, Lincoln Memorial
Garrett Denbow, Anderson
Connor Jordan, Tusculum
Donell Nixon II, Wingate
Jordan Walters, Lincoln Memorial

Third Team
Nick Brenegan, Carson-Newman
Kendall Davis, Mars Hill
Kadyn Dawkins, Mars Hill
Peyton Gerald, Catawba
Jake Moynihan, Emory & Henry
Matthew Sells, Lincoln Memorial

- #MakeSACYours -