- Rams selected to finish atop South Division -
New York, N.Y. - The Skyline Conference men's basketball head coaches have cast their votes for the 2016-17 preseason poll and Farmingdale State College and Sage have been picked to top the South and North Divisions, respectively.
This season marks the first time that the Skyline will play in two, six-team divisions.
Farmingdale State (14-13, 14-6) received six first-place votes in the South Division for 60 points, as did defending champion Old Westbury (19-9, 16-4 – 59 points). FSC returns a pair of double-digit scorers in Trey Kinard (10.7 ppg) and Liam Monaghan (10.2), while Old Westbury boasts D3hoops.com third-team preseason All-America selection, senior Jamail Stanley (22.3 ppg, 9.4 rpg).
Mount Saint Vincent (40), Yeshiva (37), St. Joseph's-Long Island (29) and St. Joseph's-Brooklyn (21) complete the south-division tally.
Head coach Brian Barnes's Sage squad (16-10, 14-6 Skyline) received six out of 12 first-place votes and earned 58 voting points. Senior Marcus Patterson averaged 10.6 points and 6.7 rebounds per outing last season for the Gators.
Sage is followed in the North Division tally by newcomer U.S. Merchant Marine Academy (11-14, 6-10 Landmark), who received three first-place votes and 48 points. Purchase (42), Maritime and Mount Saint Mary (39 each) all received one first-place vote, with Sarah Lawrence (20) rounding out the north-side poll.
The six-team, 2016-17 Skyline Conference Men's Basketball Championship gets underway with first-round action on Tuesday, Feb. 21, with semifinal and final action taking place on Feb. 23 and 25, respectively. Higher seeds host throughout the championship, with the winner securing the Skyline's automatic bid to the 2017 NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Championship.
2016-17 Skyline Conference Men's Basketball Preseason Coaches Poll
South Division (2015-16 record, Skyline record) Pts. (first-place votes)
1. Farmingdale State (14-13, 14-6) 60 (6)
2. Old Westbury (19-9, 16-4) 59 (6)
3. Mount Saint Vincent (9-16, 8-12) 40
4. Yeshiva (15-11, 12-8) 37
5. St. Joseph's-L.I. (10-15, 9-11) 29
6. St. Joseph's-Brooklyn (15-13, 10-10) 21
North Division (2015-16 record, Skyline record) Pts. (first-place votes)
1. Sage (16-10, 14-6) 58 (6)
2. U.S. Merchant Marine Academy (11-14, 6-10 Landmark) 48 (3)
3. Purchase (13-13, 11-9) 42 (1)
T4. Maritime (8-17, 8-12) 39 (1)
T4. Mount Saint Mary (8-17, 6-14) 39 (1)
6. Sarah Lawrence (5-20, 2-18) 20
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