SUWANEE, GA - In exclusive voting by the league's head coaches, University of St. Thomas (Tex.) was selected the preseason favorite to earn the 2025-26 Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference men's basketball title.

The conference's defending tournament champions, St. Thomas earned 10 first-place votes from the league's head coaches to take the top spot in the poll with 120 points. The Celts finished the year 26-3 a season ago and return senior Angel Johnson, a First Team all-SCAC selection, along with Nathan Kongolo, an All-SCAC Freshman Team honoree. Johnson led the Celts averaging 13.6 points per game and totaled 88 steals while Kongolo averaged 5.6 points per game and 3.0 rebounds per contest. The Celts return three everyday starters from the lineup a year ago in Johnson, Kongolo and Charles Gitonga. 

St. Thomas head coach Anthony Medina enters his 11th season leading the Celts coming off another SCAC Coaching Staff of the Year recognition, the third of his career. Medina has guided the Celts to three SCAC tournament titles and in his six years in the SCAC, he has posted a league mark of 80-12, giving him, among those with five plus years of coaching experience in the conference, the highest SCAC winning percentage (.870) of any men's coach in league history. Medina led the Celts to the Second Round of the NCAA Division III National Tournament last season after hosting and winning at home in the opening round. 

Coming in second in the preseason coaches balloting was Colorado College (14-13 overall; 9-7 SCAC), who received one first place vote and finished with 106 points. The Tigers return Asher Nofziger, an all-SCAC Second Team honoree, who averaged 16.7 points and 8.9 rebounds per game last season. The Tigers will look to replace a pair of key seniors from the starting lineup a season ago, Devin Philio (all-SCAC Third Team) & Scott Ruegg (all-SCAC Honorable Mention). 

In its second year in the league, Concordia University (Texas) was selected third in the preseason poll. The Tornados reached the SCAC quarterfinals a year ago in their first season in the league posting a 13-13 overall record going 10-6 in league play. Joey Ramirez led the Tornados last season finishing with all-SCAC First Team honors averaging 18.3 points and 7.6 rebounds per game. 

LeTourneau University, one of two new members to the SCAC this season, checked in at fourth overall with 91 points. The YellowJackets posted an 18-8 record last season with a loss in the ASC Tournament Semifinals to Mary-Hardin Baylor. LeTourneau will be looking to replace four of its top-five scorers from a season ago with Jackson Mayesserving as the leading returner. 

McMurry University received the final first-place vote to earn a fifth place slot after totaling nine wins last season with seven coming in conference play. The War Hawks return all-SCAC Honorable Mention senior Jalen Cherry who led the team in rebounds averaging 8.4 per game and was third on the team in scoring. 

In sixth place, the University of Dallas earned 65 points in the preseason balloting after finishing the season at 13-13 overall and 9-7 in the SCAC.

Rounding out the preseason standings is Texas Lutheran University in seventh with 55 points, Schreiner University in eighth with 52 points, Centenary College in ninth with 45 points, Austin College & University of the Ozarks coming in tied for 10th with 35 points, and Hendrix College rounding out the ballot with 15 points.

The top six teams in the conference will qualify for the SCAC Men's Basketball Tournament, which will be held February 27 through March 1 and hosted by Hendrix College in Conway, Arkansas. The winner of that event will earn the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

The 2025-26 season begins on Friday, November 7. SCAC Men's and Women's Basketball Media Days kicks off on Monday, October 27, so be sure to check out scacsports.com for interviews with every team.