GREENVILLE, S.C. -- Belmont Abbey had been picked 11th in the Conference Carolinas preseason men's basketball poll, the league office announced today. Voting was conducted among the conference's 16 head coaches.
The Crusaders garnered 95 points, just eight behind Lees-McRae for ninth. Converse is in between the two schools with 101 points.
UNC Pembroke, which has won the last two conference tournament titles, collected all 15 first-place votes (schools can't vote for themselves) for 225 points to claim the top spot in the poll. Young Harris received the final first place vote and is picked second with 199 points, followed by Emmanuel (188) and Chowan (182). Barton College rounded out the top five with 156 points.
In addition, three Crusaders were named to the league's Players to Watch list -- Alhousseney Diallo (Sr., F, Bamako, Mali),
Daniel Lubamba (Sr., G/F, Harrisburg, N.C.) and
Gabe Cerda (Jr., G, Raleigh, N.C.).
The 2026 Conference Carolinas Men's Basketball Championships will get underway on campuses on Sunday, March 1 with six teams advancing to the Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium in Spartanburg, S.C., for the final three rounds March 6-8.
2025-26 Conference Carolinas
Men's Basketball Preseason Poll
|
School |
Total (First Place) |
| 1 |
UNC Pembroke |
225 (15) |
| 2 |
Young Harris |
199 (1) |
| 3 |
Emmanuel |
188 |
| 4 |
Chowan |
182 |
| 5 |
Barton |
156 |
| 6 |
King |
153 |
| 7 |
Mount Olive |
143 |
| 8 |
Francis Marion |
133 |
| 9 |
Lees-McRae |
103 |
| 10 |
Converse |
101 |
| 11 |
Belmont Abbey |
95 |
| 12 |
North Greenville |
74 |
| 13 |
Southern Wesleyan |
57 |
| 14 |
Shorter |
44 |
| 15 |
Erskine |
40 |
| 16 |
Ferrum |
27 |
