The Wayne State men’s basketball team was selected eighth in the Preseason NSIC South Division coaches’ poll. The Wildcats return three starters and six letter winners from last season’s team that was 10-22 overall and 7-15 in NSIC games.
Augustana edged Sioux Falls as the team to beat in the NSIC South Division this season, as the Vikings collected 46 points and four first-place votes followed by the Cougars in second at 41 points and three first-place votes. Winona State was third with 36 points and the final first-place tally. Minnesota State (31), Upper Iowa (30), Concordia-St. Paul (15), Southwest Minnesota State (14) and Wayne State (11) conclude the NSIC South Division poll.
Northern State was the unanimous choice in the North Division with 49 points and seven first-place votes (teams can not vote for themselves) with MSU Moorhead second at 43 points and the remaining first-place ballot. Bemidji State was third at 35 points with Minnesota Duluth and St. Cloud State tied for fourth with 28 points each. The University of Mary (16), Minot State (14) and Minnesota Crookston (11) round out the NSIC North Division poll.
Jordan Janssen, a 6-foot-7 junior forward from Lincoln, is Wayne State’s Player to Watch in the NSIC this season. Last year, Janssen earned All-NSIC Second Team honors after averaging 16.9 points and 10.1 rebounds per contest. He recorded 17 double-doubles last season, the third-most in NCAA Division II, and ranked in the top 10 in seven statistical categories – second in rebounding, sixth in blocked shots (1.3), eighth in field goal percentage (.508) and assists per game (3.8), ninth in assist/turnover ratio (1.5) and steals per game (1.2) and 10th in scoring.
Wayne State College is scheduled to open the 2020-21 season on Saturday, Jan. 2, hosting No. 6-ranked Northern State at 3:30 p.m.
