ROCK HILL, S.C. --- The Tusculum University men's basketball team is picked fifth in the 2023-24 South Atlantic Conference Coaches' Poll announced league officials Thursday.

The Pioneers received 98 total points in a vote of the league's 13 head coaches.

Lincoln Memorial is the favorite to win the title as the Railsplitters garnered 143 point and 11 first place votes. Catawba is second with 134 points and two first place nods. Newberry is third with 107 points, followed by Wingate (105), Tusculum, Carson-Newman (89), Anderson (76), Lenoir-Rhyne (55), Emory & Henry (53), Limestone (47), UVA Wise (45), Coker (34) and Mars Hill (28).

Tusculum guard Connor Jordan was named to the Preseason All-South Atlantic Conference second team.

Jordan, a 5-10, 175-pound senior from Morristown, Tennessee, is the Pioneers top returning scorer from last year's 16-11 club which finished runner-up in the SAC Mountain Division and advanced to the SAC Tournament semifinal.

He averaged 12.3 points per game and was the team's top free throw shooter where he connected on 87.8 percent of his trips at the foul line (5^th in school history). He led the team with his 32 steals averaging 1.19 per contest. He finished the year shooting 50.4 percent from the floor and 36.1 percent from three-point territory.

Jordan earned a spot on the SAC All-Tournament Team where he averaged 15.5 points per game in the post season and hit the game-winning free throws with 2.2 seconds left in a 73-71 SAC quarterfinal victory over Wingate. He is a member of the SAC Commissioner's Honor Roll, Athletic Director's Honor Roll and the NABC Honors Court.

Tusculum will host the University of the Cumberlands this Monday for an exhibition game at 11 a.m. It is the Pioneers' annual Education Game where the Pioneers will host over 1,000 local elementary school students at Pioneer Arena.

Tusculum will open the regular season next Friday when they host Lander University for a 6 p.m. contest.

SAC Men's Basketball Coaches' Poll

2023-24 Preseason All-SAC Men's Basketball Team
First Team
Gabe Brown, Emory & Henry
Me'Kell Burries, Lincoln Memorial
Kory Davis, Mars Hill
DeAngelo Epps, Catawba
Javeon Jones, Catawba
Chase Rankin, Lincoln Memorial

Second Team
Mahmoud Bangura, Coker
Martez Brown, Lincoln Memorial
Garrett Denbow, Anderson
Connor Jordan, Tusculum
Donell Nixon II, Wingate
Jordan Walters, Lincoln Memorial

Third Team
Nick Brenegan, Carson-Newman
Kendall Davis, Mars Hill
Kadyn Dawkins, Mars Hill
Peyton Gerald, Catawba
Jake Moynihan, Emory & Henry
Matthew Sells, Lincoln Memorial