BURNSVILLE, MINN. – The 24^th ranked University of Sioux Falls Men's Basketball Team, the defending Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference South Division champions, has earned three first place votes and is picked second in the South in the 2020-21 NSIC Coaches Preseason Poll released today.

USF, which opens the 2020-21 season (click here for schedule) by hosting U-Mary at the Stewart Center on Jan. 2-3, has earned national recognition in the NABC Poll for three straight weeks, moving up to No. 24 this week. USF, which was 22-8 and 17-5 in league play a year ago, was also ranked 19th earlier this fall by The Basketball Times, a monthly print publication which has covered college basketball for more than 40 years.  

In the South poll, USF totaled 41 points and the three first place votes to finish just behind Augustana, which amassed 46 points and four first place votes.  Winona State was third with 36 points and the other first place vote. In the North Division preseason voting, Northern State picked up seven first place votes for 49 points. MSU Moorhead was second with 43 points and the other first place vote.

The NSIC schedule will be 16-games played over eight weeks with teams playing the same opponent at one site on back-to-back days. The season will start with two non-conference games against one NSIC out-of-division opponent. The conference schedule will then consist of 14 games with teams playing each member of its division twice. For this season, the NSIC will only crown a North Division and South Division Champion.

NSIC coaches rank each team from 1 to 7 with a first place vote receiving 7 points, second place 6, third place 5, etc. Coaches do not rank their own team or vote for their own players in the preseason poll. The NSIC / Sanford Health Men's & Women's Basketball Tournament Quarterfinals, Semifinals and Championships are set to take place Thursday-Sunday, February 25-28 at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.  The top for teams from each division will make up the eight-team field for the 2021 tournament.  

Directed by NSIC Coach of the Year Chris Johnson (233-166 overall –  USF career wins leader with 217-151 mark), the Cougars finished 22-8 (best record at the DII level, since 2012) and won the NSIC South Division with a DII program best mark of 17-5 in 2019-20.

USF, which was seeded No. 2 in the conference tourney and reached as high as No. 8 in the regional rankings in 2019-20, returns five starters, which includes first team all-conference junior guard Chase Grinde, who was named the NSIC Player to Watch for USF, and second team all-league redshirt senior forward Teathloach Pal. Sophomore guard Jack Thompson (10.4 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 1.7 spg) also returns after earning NSIC All-Freshman Team honors. USF also welcomes back 6-9 senior forward Austin Slater (9.0 ppg, 6.8 rpg) as well junior guard Troy Houghton (6.6 ppg, 2.9 rpg) and a group of talented newcomers.

The Cougars will feature significant experience with eight of the top nine players returning and a host of talented newcomers. USF led the NSIC in scoring defense at 66.2 ppg and was second in rebounding margin at 7.3 per game (35.7 to 28.4). The Cougars also blocked three shots per game and ranked fifth with 6.37 steals per game. Cougars advanced to the NSIC quarterfinals for the fifth straight year where they lost to Minnesota State, 60-59 and season ended. They were ranked as high as eighth in the central region rankings.