LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. - Following a season that saw the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference crown it's fourth different men's basketball tournament champion in the last four years, Trinity University edged out the University of St. Thomas as the preseason favorite based on balloting from the league head coaches heading into the 2021-22 SCAC men's basketball season.

The TU Tigers, who posted an 8-1 league record to secure the top-seed for the first time since 2014 heading into last season's conference tournament before falling in the title game to the Celts, earned five first-place votes from the league's coaches to finish atop the poll with 60 points.

Winner of a league-leading eight SCAC titles, Trinity returns five all-conference performers from last season as the Tigers look to return to the top of the conference mountain for the first time since 2014. Reigning SCAC Player-of-the-Year, junior Kaleb Jenkins, headlines the group of returning all-conference Tigers. Jenkins finished the shortened 2020-21 season ranked in the Top 20 in the SCAC in almost every statistical category including points per game (13.2 – 10th), points per 40 minutes (20.8 – fifth), rebounds (60 – 13th), assists (21 – 15th), steals per game (1.7 – T9th), field goal percentage (42.5 – 17th), three-point field goal percentage (35.8 – 11th), three-pointers made per game (1.6 – T10th) and free throw percentage (68.5 percent – 16th). Joining Jenkins as returning all-conference performers are sophomore Tanner Brown and junior Enzo Sechi who earned second and third team honors, respectively. Brown and Sechi both averaged 12.2 points per game and combined to grab 7.5 rebounds per contest. Senior Ben Hanley rounds out the returning Trinity all-conference honorees after earning Honorable Mention distinction a season ago. One of just two teams last season that finished in the top four in both scoring offense and scoring defense, Trinity looks to become the first team since Schreiner accomplished the feat at the 2017 and 2018 SCAC Tournament to earn the top overall seed in back-to-back years.

Trinity enters the 2021-22 season under the guidance of Jimmy Smith who earned SCAC Co-Coach of the Year honors last season in his first year at the helm of the program.

On the heels of winning the program's first-ever SCAC Tournament title last season, the University of St. Thomas (11-4, 7-3) received the final four first-place votes and finished just being Trinity in the poll with 58 total points. The Celts welcome back five all-SCAC players including two-time SCAC Defensive Player-of-the-Year, senior Cameron Gims, and last year's SCAC Newcomer-of-the-Year, sophomore Adam Kanafani. Gims and Kanafani are joined by Juan Hood as the trio landed on the all-SCAC Second Team squad last year and combined to pour in over 27 points per game and grab over 18 rebounds per contest. Like Trinity, the Celts were one of just two teams to finish in the top four in both scoring offense and scoring defense a season ago and led the SCAC with a +10.1-scoring margin. Head coach Anthony Media returns for his seventh season as the bench boss for the Celts after earning Co-Coach of the Year accolades last season.

After advancing to three of the last four conference tournament semifinals and winners of the 2020 SCAC Tournament, Centenary College rounds out the top three in the preseason rankings with 51 total points. The Gents will be led by junior forward Seth Thomas (Kilgore, Texas) who returns after leading Centenary with 15.3 points per game and earning First Team all-SCAC accolades. The Gents were the top defensive team in the league during the 2020-21 season, limiting opponents to a SCAC best 61.9 points per game.

Texas Lutheran University, which has captured four league tournament titles since taking home it's first in 2014-15, was the coaches' fourth choice, coming in with 38 points in the preseason balloting. The Bulldogs will be led once again by three-time all-conference performer Sebastian Andrade who earned Second Team honors a year ago after averaging 14.9 points and 5.3 rebounds per contest.

Rounding out the top five with 36 points is Southwestern University, which is in search of its first SCAC Championships appearance since 2009. The Pirates are paced by Kyle Poerschke, who earned First Team all-SCAC as a junior last year after averaging 16.0 points and 6.0 rebounds per game.

Led by First Team All-SCAC performer Jai Love, the University of Dallas was picked to finish sixth with 25 points. Love poured in 14.3 points and grabbed 3.0 rebounds per contest last season.

Austin College checked in at seventh with 22 points, followed by Colorado College (19) and Schreiner University (15).

The 2021-22 season begins on Friday, November 5, while the SCAC Tournament will be held at the end of February in Sherman, Texas, hosted by Austin College beginning the 25th.