RSC Men's Basketball Preseason Poll: IU East picked as 2016-17 conference favorite
FLORENCE, Ky. -- Indiana University East is the favorite in the 2016-17 River States Conference Men's Basketball Preseason Coaches' Poll released Thursday (Oct. 20) by the conference office.
The Red Wolves have two all-conference starters returning from last year's team, which reached the Final Four of the NAIA Division II National Championship. IU East, 22-14 overall and 12-4 conference in 2015-16, received 11 of 13 first-place votes in the overall ballot and is also the favorite in the RSC East Division with 11 of 13 first-place votes in that polling.
The River States Conference is formerly known as the Kentucky Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. The conference changed its name effective July 1, 2016 as part of a re-branding. The 13 conference members remain the same from last year, and they span five states.
Ohio Christian University (24-10, 11-5) was picked second in the overall ballot and is also picked second in the RSC East Division behind IU East. The Trailblazers, who received one first-place vote in the overeall poll, are in their second year in the NAIA and in the conference and are eligible for the postseason in each for the first time this year.
Cincinnati Christian University (23-9, 11-5) is picked third overall in the conference and is the preseason favorite to win the RSC West Division. The Eagles won last year's conference postseason tournament and reached the NAIA Division II national tournament. CCU received one first-place vote in the overall poll and 10 of 13 first-place votes within its division.
WVU Tech (16-14, 8-8) and University of Rio Grande (17-14, 7-9) are picked fourth and fifth, respectively, in the overall poll. That gives the RSC East Division four of the top five spots in the overall conference voting.
Asbury (Ky.) University is picked sixth overall in the conference, and IU Southeast is picked seventh as the next teams from the RSC West Division. Asbury got three first-place votes to win the RSC West. Point Park (Pa.) University is picked eighth overall and fifth in the RSC East.
The top four teams in each division will make the RSC Tournament, of which IU Kokomo and Alice Lloyd (Ky.) College are picked to tie for the fourth-and-final playoff spot in the RSC West. IU Kokomo and Alice Lloyd are predicted ninth and 10th in the conference overall.
There are now 13 men's basketball teams in the conference, up one from last year. The final three teams in the poll are Brescia (Ky.) University, Carlow (Pa.) University and Midway (Ky.) University. For the complete voting results, view below.
Follow River States Conference Men's Basketball all season long online at RiverStatesConference.com and on social media on Facebook.com/RiverStatesConference and on Twitter @RiverStatesConf.
2016-17 RIVER STATES CONFERENCE MEN'S BASKETBALL PRESEASON POLL (OCT. 20, 2016)
(First-Place Votes in Parenthesis)
| School | Votes |
| 1. IU East (11) | 141 |
| 2. Ohio Christian (1) | 128 |
| 3. Cincinnati Christian (1) | 118 |
| 4. WVU Tech | 111 |
| 5. Rio Grande (Ohio) | 89 |
| 6. Asbury (Ky.) | 82 |
| 7. IU Southeast | 78 |
| 8. Point Park (Pa.) | 77 |
| 9. IU Kokomo | 53 |
| 10. Alice Lloyd (Ky.) | 52 |
| 11. Brescia (Ky.) | 43 |
| 12. Carlow (Pa.) | 29 |
| 13. Midway (Ky.) | 18 |
RSC EAST DIVISION
| School | Votes |
| 1. IU East (11) | 70 |
| 2. Ohio Christian (2) | 62 |
| 3. WVU Tech | 49 |
| 4. Rio Grande (Ohio) | 38 |
| 5. Point Park (Pa.) | 31 |
| 6. Carlow (Pa.) | 14 |
RSC WEST DIVISION
| School | Votes |
| 1. Cincinnati Christian (10) | 80 |
| 2. Asbury (Ky.) (3) | 63 |
| 3. IU Southeast | 60 |
| T4. IU Kokomo | 42 |
| T4. Alice Lloyd (Ky.) | 42 |
| 6. Brescia (Ky.) | 36 |
| 7. Midway (Ky.) | 19 |