PRESS RELEASE

BURNSVILLE, Minn. – The Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference released the 2024-25 Men’s Basketball Preseason Coaches’ Poll today with the Northern State Wolves picked 13th. Northern earned 52 points in the poll. Junior Michael Nhial was selected as the team’s player to watch heading into this season.

Northern went 10-19 overall and 8-14 in the NSIC in 2023-24. Two Wolves were honored on the NSIC All-Conference team and three surpassed the 1000 career point milestone. Saul Phillips enters his sixth season at the helm of the Wolves.

PHILLIPS’ THOUGHTS HEADING INTO 2024-25:

• On the team: “This team has been a lot of fun to be around so far this year. We have a bunch of new faces, and they are fitting together nicely so far. I am excited about watching this team grow and have high expectations about where we can get to. Our backcourt appears to be a strength early and we have a physical and long group up front. Building chemistry and trust early on will be important.”
• On Nhial: “Mike is an explosive and versatile player who can impact the game in a lot of ways. He shoots it well from deep and is capable of big finishes at the rim. On the defensive end, he can defend multiple positions at a high level. Mike has worked hard for two years as a role player and it’s time for him to take the next step.”

NSIC coaches rank each team from 1 to 14 with a first-place vote receiving 14 points, second place 13, third place 12, etc. Coaches do not rank their own team or vote for their own players in the preseason poll.

The NSIC regular season championship will be based on the 22-game schedule. Each team will play eight  teams twice and another six teams once. An NSIC Champion will be awarded to the team with the highest win percentage in the 22 games played.  The 2024-25 men’s basketball season gets underway in early November with non-conference action, while NSIC play begins Tuesday, November 26.

The 12-team NSIC Men’s Basketball Tournament Quarterfinals, Semifinals and Championships are set to take place March 1-4 at the Sanford Health Pentagon in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The top four seeds will receive a first-round bye. First round games will be played on campus on Wednesday, February 26.

To see the complete NSIC Preseason Preview and Players to Watch, click on the following link:

https://northernsun.org/news/2024/10/4/2024-25-nsic-mens-basketball-preseason-coaches-poll.aspx