CLEVELAND, OH – Wabash has been tabbed as the favorite for the 2023-24 North Coast Athletic Conference men’s basketball season, based on votes submitted by the league coaches.
The Little Giants, in search of their second NCAC title (2022), claimed eight of a possible nine first-place votes to top the league poll with 80 points. Wooster tallied 70 points to claim second place and will look to earn its league-leading 20th NCAC crown. Denison collected the final first-place vote to finish third with 63 points.
The Big Red were followed by DePauw (51) in fourth, and Ohio Wesleyan (44) and Wittenberg (41) in fifth and sixth, with only three points separating the two. Oberlin (27), Hiram (19), and Kenyon (10) rounded out the coaches’ poll by placing seventh, eighth, and ninth, respectively.
Wabash returns two all-conference players from the 2022-23 team that finished with an overall record of 21-8, an 11-5 NCAC mark and the 2023 NCAC Tournament title. Senior
Ahmoni Jones (Indianapolis, IN/Pike) returns for the Little Giants after seeing action in all 29 games. In his junior campaign, he led the team in scoring, averaging 16.2 points per game for a total of 469 points, to go along with 182 rebounds and 11 blocked shots. Jones returns with teammate
Vinny Buccilla (Fishers, IN/Hamilton Southeastern), a junior guard who averaged 14.2 points and 3.7 rebounds per game last winter. Buccilla saw action in all 29 games totaling 386 points, 170 rebounds, 58 assists and 10 blocked shots during his sophomore campaign.
The 2023-24 season begins on Wednesday, November 8, while the first league game is slated for Wednesday, November 29. The NCAC Tournament will be held at the end of February with quarterfinals scheduled for February 20 and the semifinals and championship on February 23 and 24.
2023-24 North Coast Athletic Conference
Men's Basketball Preseason Coaches' Poll
(first-place votes in parentheses, followed by total points) |
| MEN |
| 1. |
Wabash (8) |
80 |
| 2. |
Wooster |
70 |
| 3. |
Denison (1) |
63 |
| 4. |
DePauw |
51 |
| 5. |
Ohio Wesleyan |
44 |
| 6. |
Wittenberg |
41 |
| 7. |
Oberlin |
27 |
| 8. |
Hiram |
19 |
| 9. |
Kenyon |
10 |