Tarleton State earned top billing according to the 2015-16 Lone Star Conference men’s basketball preseason poll announced Wednesday.
The league's preseason polls reflect the opinions of LSC head coaches and sports information directors, plus various media representatives from throughout the region.
TSU claimed the top spot with 19 first-place votes and 173 points after winning the LSC Championship last season with a 12-2 league mark. The Texans set a school record with 31 wins and reached the NCAA Division II Final Four for the second time in school history.
Midwestern State finished second with 151 points including the remaining three first-place votes. Angelo State was third with 120 points, followed by defending tournament champions Texas A&M-Commerce in fourth (109).
West Texas A&M was picked fifth with 84 points with Cameron sixth (72), Texas A&M- Kingsville (55), and Eastern New Mexico (28) rounding out the poll.
MSU’s Bretson McNeal was tabbed Preseason Player of the Year. McNeal was the top choice on 15 of the 22 ballots.
McNeal, a 6-2 senior guard from Minneapolis, Minn., dropped in 15.9 points per game to lead the Mustangs while shooting 42.3 percent from the arc. He earned All-LSC first-team honors after making 28 starts.
The LSC has eight teams set for this season and the league race should be as competitive as ever. The season begins November 13 with LSC teams playing a double round robin league schedule, in which each team plays a home and away contest against each of the other teams to determine the LSC champion.
The LSC champion will be the regular season winner determined by league games, while the postseason tournament winner is designated as LSC Tournament Champion and earns the conference’s automatic qualification. The top eight teams in the final conference standings qualify for the postseason tournament set for March 2-5 in Allen, Texas.
MEN’S BASKETBALL 1st TOTAL
1 Tarleton State 19 173
2 Midwestern State 3 151
3 Angelo State 120
4 Texas A&M-Commerce 109
5 West Texas A&M 84
6 Cameron 72
7 Texas A&M-Kingsville 55
8 Eastern New Mexico 28