Sunshine State Conference Men’s Basketball Preview, Young Florida Tech Panthers Look To Keep Growing

young panthers picked to finish ninth in ssc

ABOVE VIDEO: Florida Tech Men’s Head Basketball Coach, Billy Mims, shares his thoughts on the upcoming season. Mims covers the Panther’s key returners, impact newcomers, and 2016-17 schedule highlights.

BREVARD COUNTY • MELBOURNE, FLORIDA – Barry University takes the top spot in 2016-17 Sunshine State Conference preseason men’s basketball coaches poll.

The Buccaneers received 57 total votes and three of nine first place votes.

Conference coaches gave a two-vote edge to the Buccaneers over Saint Leo University for first place. Saint Leo gathered 55 votes and two first place votes. Seven points then separate the Lions from Eckerd College.

The third placed Tritons received 48 points votes and a first-place vote. Rollins College obtained two first place nods from conference coaches and sit in fourth with 46 votes. The final first place vote goes to Lynn University who ranks fifth in the poll.

Barry, Eckerd, and Rollins all went 12-4 in league play to share the 2016-17 regular season title. It was the second regular season championship for both Eckerd and Barry and the ninth for Rollins.

The Buccaneers and Tars also shared the 2006-07 league championship. Eckerd overcame Barry to capture their fourth conference tournament championship.

Barry (26-7, 12-4), Eckerd (25-7, 12-4), Rollins (21-9, 12-4), and Saint Leo (19-12, 10-6) earned entry into the 2015-16 NCAA Division II Men’s Basketball National Championship Tournament.

The Buccaneers defeated Rollins (107-92), Union (74-65), and Alabama-Huntsville (87-83) to win the regional. In the Elite Eight, Barry fell to national runner-up Lincoln Memorial (93-75).

The Division II Bulletin Preseason Top-25 poll has Barry ranked No. 19 and Eckerd as a team to watch. Additionally, Marcus Dewberry has been named a Division II Bulletin Super 16 selection.

Barry’s Elvar Fridriksson was selected as a Sporting News Preseason All-American Honorable Mention. Fridriksson was named the 2015-16 SSC Newcomer of the Year.

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