For the first time since joining the Great Lakes Valley Conference 12 years ago, the Truman State Men’s Basketball team has been picked to win the GLVC championship by league coaches in the annual preseason poll released on Tuesday.

The Bulldogs picked up six first-place votes and 172 total points to sit atop the 15-team survey. They were picked last before the 2023-24 season but proved the critics wrong by going 12-8 in the conference and finishing in a three-way tie for third place.

The Truman women were picked 11th. Both Bulldog teams will start the season November 8-9th in Ohio, as part of a GLVC/GMAC Challenges. The men will be at Findlay and the women will be at Cedarville.

There are 15 basketball schools in the GLVC this season with the addition of Lincoln. Here are the full rankings:

Place School Points (1st-place votes)
1. Truman State 172 (6)
2. Illinois Springfield 162 (2)
3. William Jewell 161 (4)
4. Lewis 153
5. Upper Iowa 152 (2)
6. Indianapolis 140 (1)
7. Missouri-St. Louis 132
8. Drury 107
9. McKendree 91
10. Missouri S&T 88
11. Lincoln 58
12. Maryville 49
13. Rockhurst 45
14. Quincy 44
15. Southwest Baptist 21

Place School Points (1st-place votes)
1. Lewis 190 (9)
2. Drury 183 (5)
3. McKendree 158 (1)
4. Maryville 140
5. Upper Iowa 130
6. Rockhurst 128
7. Missouri-St. Louis 109
Quincy 109
9. Indianapolis 105
10. Illinois Springfield 80
11. Truman State 75
12. Missouri S&T 70
13. Southwest Baptist 47
14. Lincoln 26
15. William Jewell 25