RICHARDSON, Texas –
UT Dallas and
Mary Hardin-Baylor have been picked to repeat as the 2019-20 American Southwest Conference East and West Division champions, respectively, in men’s basketball following a vote of the league's head coaches and directors of sports information, the ASC office announced Thursday.
UT Dallas (24-5, 13-3 ASC) received 137 points and 18 of a possible 24 first-place votes to lead the East Division. The Comets, under six-time East Division Coach of the Year Terry Butterfield, won the ASC Championship last season and played in the first round of the NCAA Division III Championship.
Mary Hardin-Baylor (21-6, 11-5 ASC) was picked to win the West Division with 127 points and 14 of 24 first place votes. The Cru, under eight-time West Division Coach of the Year Ken DeWeese, won the ASC West Division last year and advanced to the semifinals of the ASC Championship.
In the East, the
LeTourneau (17-9, 11-5 ASC) was picked second with 109 points and three first place votes, followed by
East Texas Baptist (12-14, 8-8 ASC) with 89 points and two first place votes. They were followed by
Louisiana College (19-7, 11-5 ASC),
Ozarks (7-18, 6-10 ASC) and
Belhaven (9-16, 2-14 ASC).
Hardin-Simmons (17-11, 10-6 ASC) was selected as the runner-up in the West with 117 points and six first place votes after reaching the finals of the ASC Championship in 2019.
Concordia Texas (13-14, 10-6 ASC) was third with 101 points and two first places. They were followed by
McMurry (10-16, 7-9 ASC),
Sul Ross State (10-15, 5-11 ASC) and
Howard Payne (4-21, 2-14 ASC).
The 2019-20 ASC Men's Basketball Watch List is composed of 35 players nominated by the head coaches and returns two all-conference selections, 16 all-division recipients and four individual award winners.
Belhaven has completed its final year of transition into Division III athletics and will be eligible for the ASC title and selection to the NCAA Championship for the first time
The 2019-20 season marks the 24th in league history. Regular season play begins November 8. The ASC membership will take on competition from 13 different NCAA Division III conferences, including – American Rivers Conference, Capital Athletic Conference, College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin, Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference, Northwest Conference, Ohio Athletic Conference, Old Dominion Athletic Conference, Southern Athletic Association, Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference, St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, USA South Athletic Conference and Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. The ASC will also play members from NCAA Division II, NCCAA and USCAA.
The three-day, eight-team, single-elimination conference tournament is slated for February 27-29 at the site of the West Division No. 1 seed. The ASC Championship Tournament features the top four seeds from both divisions. An automatic berth into the NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Championship will be on the line.
ASC Men's Basketball Preseason Polls
East Division
| No. |
Team (First-place votes) |
Pts. |
2018-19 Record (ASC) |
| 1. |
UT Dallas (18) |
137 |
24-5 (13-3) |
| 2. |
LeTourneau (3) |
109 |
17-9 (11-5) |
| 3. |
East Texas Baptist (2) |
89 |
12-14 (8-8) |
| 4. |
Louisiana College |
88 |
19-7 (11-5) |
| 5. |
Ozarks |
32 |
7-18 (6-10) |
| 6. |
Belhaven |
22 |
9-16 (2-14) |
West Division
| No. |
Team (First-place votes) |
Pts. |
2018-19 Record (ASC) |
| 1. |
Mary Hardin-Baylor (14) |
127 |
21-6 (11-5) |
| 2. |
Hardin-Simmons (6) |
117 |
17-11 (10-6) |
| 3. |
Concordia Texas (2) |
101 |
13-14 (10-6) |
| 4. |
McMurry (1) |
75 |
10-16 (7-9) |
| 5. |
Sul Ross State (1) |
63 |
10-15 (5-11) |
| 6. |
Howard Payne |
32 |
4-21 (2-14) |
ASC Men's Basketball Preseason Watch List
East Division
| Name |
Pos. |
Class |
School |
Hometown |
| Brosnan Cooks H |
F |
Sr. |
Belhaven |
Elba, Ala. |
| Justin Jones |
G |
Sr. |
Belhaven |
Holladay, Utah |
| Kelvin Pruitt |
G |
Sr. |
Belhaven |
Memphis, Tenn. |
| Robby Dooley 2 D |
G |
Sr. |
East Texas Baptist |
Bossier City, La. |
| Landin Brown |
G |
Sr. |
East Texas Baptist |
Houston, Texas |
| Colton Collins |
G |
Sr. |
East Texas Baptist |
Etobicke, Ontario |
| Nate West A 1 |
G |
Sr. |
LeTourneau |
Houston, Texas |
| Justin Moore |
G |
Jr. |
LeTourneau |
Houston, Texas |
| Andrew Eberhardt F |
G |
So. |
LeTourneau |
Pearland, Texas |
| Kae’ron Baker N 2 |
G |
Jr. |
Louisiana College |
Navasota, La. |
| Denzel Austin |
G |
Sr. |
Louisiana College |
Opelousas, La. |
| Jaylen Rhone D |
G |
Sr. |
Louisiana College |
Ogden, Ark. |
| Bryson Johnson 2 |
G |
Jr. |
Ozarks |
Katy, Texas |
| Ethan Bowman |
F |
Jr. |
Ozarks |
Ozark, Ark. |
| Cordy Winston |
G |
Sr. |
Ozarks |
Sherwood, Ark. |
| Hans Burwitz 1 D |
F/C |
Sr. |
UT Dallas |
Allen, Texas |
| Jalen Weber N 2 |
G |
Sr. |
UT Dallas |
Houston, Texas |
| Kelden Pruitt |
F |
Jr. |
UT Dallas |
Heath, Texas |
A 2018-19 All-American Southwest Conference
N 2018-19 East Division Co-Newcomer of the Year
1 2018-19 East Division First Team Selection
2 2018-19 East Division First Team Selection
F 2018-19 East Division All-Freshman Team
D 2018-19 East Division All-Defensive Team
H 2018-19 East Division Honorable Mention
West Division
| Name |
Pos. |
Class |
School |
Hometown |
| Philip Meikle |
G |
Sr. |
Concordia Texas |
Cypress, Texas |
| Ronnie Hamilton H |
G |
Sr. |
Concordia Texas |
Baton Rouge, La. |
| Chris Barrett 2 |
G |
Sr. |
Hardin-Simmons |
Arlington, Texas |
| Keenan Holdman D |
G |
Sr. |
Hardin-Simmons |
Tulsa, Okla. |
| Steven Quinn P F H |
F |
So. |
Hardin-Simmons |
Dallas, Texas |
| Timothy Aguero |
G |
Jr. |
Howard Payne |
San Angelo, Texas |
| Jase Miguez |
G |
Jr. |
Howard Payne |
Nederland, Texas |
| Javaris Jones |
G |
Sr. |
Howard Payne |
Abilene, Texas |
| Byrale Carter N D H |
G |
Sr. |
Mary Hardin-Baylor |
Killeen, Texas |
| Aedan Welch |
F |
Sr. |
Mary Hardin-Baylor |
Georgetown, Texas |
| Sam Moore A 1 |
G |
Jr. |
Mary Hardin-Baylor |
Gonzales, Texas |
| Mike Williams Jr. 2 D |
F |
Sr. |
McMurry |
Houston, Texas |
| Zacc Carter H |
G |
Sr. |
McMurry |
Dallas, Texas |
| Colin Taylor |
G |
Jr. |
McMurry |
San Antonio, Texas |
| Tristen Licon 1 |
G |
Jr. |
Sul Ross State |
El Paso, Texas |
| B.J. Hollis 2 |
F |
Sr. |
Sul Ross State |
Brady, Texas |
| Conner Dawson |
G |
Sr. |
Sul Ross State |
Tilden, Texas |
A 2018-19 All-American Southwest Conference
P 2018-19 West Division Freshman of the Year
N 2018-19 West Division Newcomer of the Year
1 2018-19 West Division First Team Selection
2 2018-19 West Division First Team Selection
F 2018-19 West Division All-Freshman Team
D 2018-19 West Division All-Defensive Team
H 2018-19 West Division Honorable Mention