ANNVILLE, Pa. (Men’s Basketball) – The Hood Blazers were selected as the favorite in the 2019-20 conference preseason poll conducted among the Middle Atlantic Conference Commonwealth (MAC Commonwealth) men’s basketball coaches. The Blazers received 60 points and four of the nine first-place votes.
Five other conference schools received one first-place vote including Messiah, Alvernia, Widener, Arcadia and Stevenson.
Messiah collected 47 points to rank second, and Alvernia received 44 points to rank third. Widener ranked fourth with 42 points. Albright rounded out the top-five with 39 points.
The rest of the poll in respective order includes Arcadia (32 points), Stevenson (28 points), Lebanon Valley (18 points) and Lycoming (14 points).
A season ago, Arcadia finished the regular-season with a 14-2 conference record to capture the regular-season crown and top-seed in the conference championship. The Knights went on to defeat third-seeded Widener, 92-56, to capture the conference title. It was Arcadia’s first-ever conference title in men’s basketball.
The 2019 MAC Commonwealth Championship seeds were: No. 1 Arcadia, 2. Hood, No. 3 Widener, No. 4 Stevenson and No. 5 Albright.
Arcadia earned the conference’s automatic qualifier (AQ) to the NCAA Division III Championship. The Knights opened the national tournament with an 80-60 win over New Jersey City. Arcadia then fell to Marietta, 88-76, in the second round.
Hood and Stevenson extended their postseason play in the ECAC Division III Championship. The Mustangs fell in the first round to Rutgers-Newark. The Blazers earned a first-round bye, but fell to Grove City in the quarterfinal round.
The 2019-20 season is set to begin on Friday, Nov. 8. The 2019 MAC Commonwealth Men’s Basketball Championship is set for Feb. 24-29.
The 2019-20 MAC Commonwealth Men’s Basketball Coaches’ Preseason Poll and 2018-19 final standings can be viewed below.
| 2019-20 MAC Commonwealth Men's Basketball Coaches' Preseason Poll |
| Rank |
Team |
Points |
(1st Place Votes) |
|
|
| 1 |
Hood |
60 |
(4) |
|
|
|
| 2 |
Messiah |
47 |
(1) |
|
|
|
| 3 |
Alvernia |
44 |
(1) |
|
|
|
| 4 |
Widener |
42 |
(1) |
|
|
|
| 5 |
Albright |
39 |
|
|
|
|
| 6 |
Arcadia |
32 |
(1) |
|
|
|
| 7 |
Stevenson |
28 |
(1) |
|
|
|
| 8 |
Lebanon Valley |
18 |
|
|
|
|
| 9 |
Lycoming |
14 |
|
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|
| 2018-19 MAC Commonwealth Men's Basketball Final Standings |
|
| Finish |
Team |
Conf. |
Overall |
|
|
|
| 1 |
Arcadia (1) |
14-2 |
22-6 |
|
|
|
| 2 |
Hood (2) |
11-5 |
17-10 |
|
|
|
| 3 |
Widener (3) |
10-6 |
15-12 |
|
|
|
| 4 |
Stevenson (4) |
8-8 |
14-13 |
|
|
|
| 5 |
Albright (5) |
7-9 |
9-17 |
|
|
|
| t6 |
Alvernia |
6-10 |
11-14 |
|
|
|
| t6 |
Messiah |
6-10 |
10-15 |
|
|
|
| t8 |
Lycoming |
5-11 |
11-14 |
|
|
|
| t8 |
Lebanon Valley |
5-11 |
8-17 |
|
|
|
| (#) - Conference Tournament Seed |
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