MELBOURNE, Fla. - The Sunshine State Conference released its preseason Men's Basketball Coaches' Poll on Tuesday afternoon. The reigning, undefeated NCAA Division II National Champion and two-time defending SSC regular season and tournament champion No. 2 Nova Southeastern Sharks Men's Basketball team has been picked to share the league title with Florida Southern. Both the Mocs and NSU totaled 94 points, however, FSC received six first-place votes compared to the five first-place votes the Sharks were recognized with.
Nova Southeastern, under the direction of Head Coach Jim Crutchfield, has established itself as a power in both the Sunshine State Conference and the Division II Men's Basketball landscape since his arrival in 2017. Crutchfield has guided the Sharks to an impressive 136-21 record during his tenure, including an 84-16 mark in SSC play. Over the past two seasons, NSU has a record of 67-1, 40-0 in the league, culminating in the sixth undefeated national championship season in NCAA Division II history during the 2022-23 campaign.
2023-24 Sunshine State Conference Coaches' Poll
| Rank |
School |
Total Votes (First Place Votes) |
| T1 |
Florida Southern |
94 (6) |
| T1 |
Nova Southeastern |
94 (5) |
| 3 |
Embry-Riddle |
78 |
| 4 |
Saint Leo |
71 |
| 5 |
Tampa |
60 |
| 6 |
Palm Beach Atlantic |
50 |
| 7 |
Rollins |
45 |
| 8 |
Barry |
42 |
| 9 |
Florida Tech |
31 |
| 10 |
Lynn |
28 |
| 11 |
Eckerd |
12 |
NSU returns key pieces from last year's NCAA Division II National Championship run, as Ryan Davis, Maxwell Gordon, Mike Moore, Tommy Sala, Alex Mangold, and Shane Hunter came back for Nova Southeastern. The Sharks welcomed several new additions into the mix for the upcoming season, as Isaiah Fuller (Missouri-St. Louis), Trey Doomes (Oklahoma Baptist), Ryker Cisarik (Black Hills State [ND]), Kidd Brizek (Tennessee), MJ Iraldi (Chestnut Hill), and GianFranco Grafals (Southern Mississippi) all joined the NSU Men's Basketball program as transfers, while Camden Andrews, Jamie Qualley, Eli Allen, and Ryan Walsh committed as freshmen.
The National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) also released its preseason coaches' poll on Tuesday afternoon. Nova Southeastern enters the season as the second-ranked team in the nation. The full NABC Coaches' Poll can be found here.
The second-ranked Nova Southeastern Sharks Men's Basketball team begins play on Friday, November 10, taking on Montevallo (AL.) for the SSC-GSC Crossover in Miami Shores, Fla. Tip-off is set for 2:30 p.m.
