Sterling men’s basketball ranked no. 11 in 2025 KCAC Preseason Coaches’ & Media Poll

Oklahoma Wesleyan University was in the No. 1 position in both the 2025 KCAC Men’s Basketball Preseason Coaches’ and Media Polls, the conference office announced Thursday. The Eagles are the reigning KCAC Men’s Basketball regular-season champions, and are coming off of a trip to the NAIA Men’s Basketball Championship Tournament final.

In the Coaches’ Poll, the Eagles took the top spot behind 162 total points, including seven first-place votes. Friends University was not far behind, coming in at No. 2 in the coaches’ poll with 156 total points and six first-place votes. Bethel College and the University of Saint Mary were tied at No. 3, both with 139 total points, with the Threshers receiving the one remaining first-place vote. Rounding out the Top Five was Southwestern College, tallying 128 total points.

Rank	Team	Total Points	First-Place Votes
1	Oklahoma Wesleyan University	162	7
2	Friends University	156	6
T3	Bethel College	139	1
T3	University of Saint Mary	139
5	Southwestern College	128
6	Evangel University	105
7	McPherson College	81
8	Avila University	78
9	Kansas Wesleyan University	73
10	Ottawa University	69
11	Sterling College	57
12	York University	34
13	Bethany College	33
14	Tabor College	20

In the Preseason Media Poll, Oklahoma Wesleyan narrowly edged out Friends for the top spot. The Eagles had 159 total points and six first-place votes, while Friends was only one point behind, with 158 total points and five first-place votes. The University of Saint Mary was at No. 3, accumulating 137 total points and receiving the one remaining first-place vote. Southwestern College came in at No. 4 with 126 total points, while Bethel rounded out the top five, secucring the No. 5 spot with 122 total points.

Rank	Team	Total Points	First-Place Votes
1	Oklahoma Wesleyan University	159	6
2	Friends University	158	5
3	University of Saint Mary	137	1
4	Southwestern College	126
5	Bethel College	122
6	Evangel University	100
7	Ottawa University	88
8	Kansas Wesleyan University	86
9	McPherson College	73
10	Avila University	63
11	Sterling College	56
12	Bethany College	43
13	York University	26
14	Tabor College	23