The University of Minnesota Crookston Golden Eagle Men’s Basketball team has been picked to finish last in the North Division of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference preseason coaches poll.
Northern State was a unanimous pick to win the North Division with 49 points, edging Minnesota State Moorhead by six points. Augustana was picked to win the South Division with 46 points and four first-place votes, while Sioux Falls was picked to finish second with 41 points and three first-place votes.
UMC has won 28 games in the last two years, a record for the program during the NCAA Division II era. Crookston returns five players from their 2019-20 roster with Brian Sitzmann (R-Jr., G, Savage), Ibu Jassey-Demba (Sr., F, Birmingham, England), Quintin Winterfeldt (So., G/F, Waupun, Wis.), Tyrese Shines (So., G, LaGrange, Ill.), and Zach Westphal (R-So., G, West Fargo, N.D.). Sitzmann averaged 7.4 points per game and shot 33.3 percent from beyond the arc.
“There is a renewed energy with this group. We have five key returners and 12 new players,” said UMC Head Coach Dan Wiesse. “We do not have an elite player, but we have more scoring options and will have much more balance this year than we’ve had in years past. We also have more depth than we’ve had and will be able to play a deeper bench.”
UMC is scheduled to open the season at home when they host Concordia-St. Paul January 2.
NORTH DIVISION
1. Northern State (7) – 49
2. MSU-Moorhead (1) – 43
3. Bemidji State – 35
4. Minnesota Duluth -28
4. St. Cloud State – 28
6. Mary – 16
7. Minot State – 14
8. UMC – 11
SOUTH DIVISION-
1. Augustana (4) – 46
2. Sioux Falls (3) – 41
3. Winona State (1) – 36
4. MSU-Mankato – 31
5. Upper Iowa – 30
6. Concordia-St. Paul – 15
7. Southwest Minnesota State – 14
8. Wayne State – 11
