FREELAND, Mich. -- In a preseason poll of eight Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) men's basketball coaches, Albion was slated to finish first overall after garnering four first-place votes.

Albion, the 2019-20 regular-season champion, received a total of 43 points in the preseason poll.  Hope was predicted to finish second overall with 40 points, followed by Trine in third place (38 points), Calvin in fourth place (36 points), and Alma in fifth place (26 points).  Olivet and Adrian both tallied 17 points to tie-for-sixth, while Kalamazoo rounded out the preseason poll with seven points.

Coaches were not permitted to vote for their own teams.

Albion (21-5 overall, 12-2 MIAA in 2019-20) returns 2020 MIAA Defensive Player of the Year, Cortez Garland, along with two-time first-team All-MIAA player Caden Ebeling.

Hope (12-14 overall, 5-9 MIAA) will feature senior forward Preston Granger, who earned first team All-MIAA recognition for the 2019-20 season.

Trine concluded 2019-20 with an overall record of 16-12 and an 8-6 mark in league play.  Trine saw all five starters score in double figures in the 2020 MIAA Tournament final.

The 2021 men's basketball season will begin this Saturday, Jan. 23, with Trine hosting Olivet, Alma hosting Calvin, and Adrian hosting Albion.  The final seven games on this season's schedule will count as conference contests.  

The 2021 MIAA Men's Basketball Tournament will include all eight teams and will begin Tuesday, March 2, with first-round play; semifinals will be held on Thursday, March 4, followed by the final on Saturday, March 6.