RICHARDSON, Texas – The Concordia University Texas men's basketball was selected to finish third in the American Southwest Conference (ASC) preseason poll, the league office announced on Tuesday morning.

The Tornados, who host Hill College in a scrimmage at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 27, welcome back 10 letter winners from last year's squad that won the ASC Tournament Championship and advanced to the NCAA Tournament Round of 32. Concordia Texas, which finished with a 24-6 record for the program's first 20-win campaign in 21 years, upset the top two seeds to earn the league's automatic NCAA Tournament berth last season. The Tornados then scored a historic 87-83 victory at Trinity in the NCAA Tournament First Round for the program's first-ever NCAA postseason win.

Concordia, which ranked second in the nation with an average of 94 points per game a year ago, received three first-place votes and 265 points in the poll ahead of Texas-Tyler (215), Hardin-Simmons (199), East Texas Baptist (127 points), Mississippi College (122 points), Louisiana College (118 points), LeTourneau (116 points), Howard Payne (93 points), Sul Ross State (62 points) and Ozarks (50 points).

Mary Hardin-Baylor was selected to win the league after the Cru received 21 first-place votes and 297 points, while Texas-Dallas picked up two first-place votes and 276 points to finish ahead of the Tornados.

Reigning ASC West Division Player and Newcomer of the Year Dwayne Patterson is among the returners for Concordia. Patterson, who averaged 17.7 points and 8.9 rebounds per game in his first campaign with CTX, was named a preseason honorable-mention All-American by The Sporting News last month.

Texas-Dallas' Kyle Schleigh was picked as the preseason ASC Player of the Year. The senior forward led the league with an average of 21.4 points per game and ranked second with 9.9 rebounds per contest last season.

The Tornados will host Huston-Tillotson in the regular-season opener at 8 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 15. Concordia opens ASC play at Louisiana College on Nov. 30.

- CTX -