Men's Basketball

Bentley Selected as NE10 Men's Basketball Preseason Favorite

Assumption and Adelphi in Top Three.

NORTH ATTLEBORO, Mass. – Coming off its 11th straight winning season, Bentley has been named the 2025-26 preseason favorite according to the Northeast 10 Conference Men's Basketball Coaches' Poll - as announced by the league office on Tuesday afternoon. 

Bentley received 73 points and three first-place votes in the poll to take the top spot. Assumption, the reigning Division II East Region champion and Elite Eight participant, was picked second with 70 points and four first-place votes. Adelphi, the defending NE10 regular season champion, was third with 67 points and three first-place tallies. 

The Falcons are coming off an 18-10 (14-6 NE10) season under longtime head coach Jay Lawson, which included a trip to the NE10 Championship semifinals. Cooper Farrall and Cash McClure, Bentley's leading scorers from a year ago, return this season after All-Conference performances. Bentley leads all current NE10 institutions with 11 consecutive winning seasons, dating back to the 2013-14 campaign. 

Assumption had a historic season in 2024-25, as it won the program's first regional title in 50 years and advanced to the Elite Eight. It won the regional as the No. 6 seed in the East - the lowest seed to win the regional since Bryant (also No. 6) in 2005. Daouda Dembele returns for the Greyhounds after earning both Second Team All-Conference and All-Defensive Team honors last year.

Adelphi compiled 27 wins last season, a program-high since joining the NE10 in the 2009-10 season. The Panthers also earned their first regional bid since 2012. Jarnel Rancy, the NE10 Defensive Player of the Year who led NCAA Divisions I, II and III in blocks (129) last season, returns for Adelphi - along with First Team All-Conference performer Dayshaun Walton. 

Southern New Hampshire, the two-time reigning NE10 Championship winner, finished fourth in the poll with 57 points. Pace, the NE10 Championship finalist last season, was picked fifth with 49 points. 

Southern Connecticut placed sixth with 46 points, Saint Anselm was seventh with 33 points, Saint Michael's was eighth with 28 points, American International was ninth with 17 points and Franklin Pierce was 10th with 10 points.  

The 2025-26 NE10 season opens on Friday, November 14. All home and conference games this season can be watched on NE10 NOW on FloSports. 

2025-26 NE10 Men's Basketball Coaches' Poll
Rank Team Votes (1st Place)
1 Bentley Falcons 73 (3)
2 Assumption Greyhounds 70 (4)
3    Adelphi Panthers 67 (3)
4 SNHU Penmen 57
5 Pace Setters 49
6 SCSU Owls 46
7 Saint Anselm Hawks 33
8 Saint Michael's Purple Knights 28
9 AIC Yellow Jackets 17
10 Franklin Pierce Ravens 10

ABOUT THE NE10
The NE10 is an association of 10 diverse institutions serving student-athletes across 24 NCAA Division II sports. Together we build brilliant futures by embracing the journey of every student-athlete.

Each year, 4,500 of those student-athletes compete in conference championships in 24 sports, making the NE10 the largest DII conference in the country in terms of sport sponsorship. Leading the way in the classroom, on the field and within the community, the NE10 is proud of its comprehensive program and the experience it provides student-athletes.
 
Fans can subscribe via this link to follow NE10 NOW on FloSports this season.  The partnership between the NE10 and FloSports works to provide funds back to the athletic departments of the Northeast-10 Conference in support of student-athletes while promoting the league on a national platform.