ATLANTA – EKU is favored to capture the 2023-24 Atlantic Sun Conference Men's Basketball title after being selected to the top spot in both the preseason coaches and media polls, announced by the league office Monday. The Colonels secured a total of 40 first-place votes combined between the two polls.
EKU is coming off a 23-14 campaign that saw A.W. Hamilton's squad go 12-6 in conference play and reach the ASUN Championship Semifinals. FGCU, who enters its second season under Head Coach Pat Chambers, was selected second in the coaches poll. The Eagles made their 12th consecutive appearance in the ASUN Championship last March. The preseason media rankings saw reigning ASUN Champion Kennesaw State come in at second place. KSU's duo of Terrell Burden and Demond Robinson look to help first-year Head Coach Antoine Pettway guide the Owls to back-to-back league titles.
The Colonels' Devontae Blanton was selected as the Preseason Player of the Year. The senior wingman was a First Team All-ASUN selection last season and a member of the ASUN All-Tournament Team. He shot 46% from the field and averaged 17 points per game in 2022-23. EKU's Isaiah Cozart joined Blanton with a preseason superlative as he was a unanimous choice for Defensive Player of the Year. Cozart recorded the fifth-most blocks in a single ASUN season with 94 rejections. This number was also a single-season high for the Colonels' program. He also led the conference in rebounds per game (7.51) and ranked fourth in the NCAA for total blocks.
2023-24 Preseason Coaches Poll
1. EKU (8), 140
2. FGCU, 106
3. Stetson, 105
4. Kennesaw State (1), 103
5. Lipscomb, 99
6. Bellarmine, 81
7. North Alabama (1), 74
8. Austin Peay (1), 71
9. Jacksonville, 51
10. Queens, 47
11. North Florida (1), 36
12. Central Arkansas, 23
2023-24 Preseason Media Poll
1. EKU (32), 552
2. Kennesaw State (6), 444
3. Lipscomb, 432
4. FGCU (2), 382
5. Bellarmine, 350
6. Stetson, 334
7. North Alabama, 284
8. North Florida (4), 252
9. Queens, 226
10. Jacksonville, 176
11. Austin Peay (2), 170
12. Central Arkansas, 110
2023-24 Preseason All-ASUN Team
*Devonate Blanton, EKU
*Terrell Burden, Kennesaw State
*Jacob Ognacevic, Lipscomb
DeMarcus Sharp, Austin Peay
Garrett Tipton, Bellarmine
Camren Hunter, Central Arkansas
Isaiah Cozart, EKU
Isaiah Thompson, FGCU
Jacari Lane, North Alabama
AJ McKee, Queens
Jalen Blackmon, Stetson
* - Denotes unanimous selection
^ - a tie in voting resulted in an 11-person Preseason All-ASUN Team