The Screaming Eagles open the year as the favorite to repeat as champions of the Great Lakes Valley Conference East Division according to the GLVC Preseason Coaches’ Poll that was released Wednesday morning. USI garnered five first-place votes and 54 total points in the poll to edge Lewis University, which was picked second with five first-place votes and 51 points.
USI is coming off a 2016-17 campaign that saw it post a 24-5 overall record and a 16-2 mark in GLVC play, good enough for a three-game cushion in the then eight-team GLVC East Division. Due to the closing of Saint Joseph’s College last year, the GLVC has moved from two eight-team divisions to three five-team divisions.
Rounding out the coaches’ picks in the East Division is Bellarmine University, which received three first-place votes and 49 points, the University of Indianapolis, which received two first-place votes and 48 points, and the University of Wisconsin-Parkside, which received 18 points. UW-Parkside is not eligible to win the division title and appear in GLVC/NCAA post-season play due to GLVC sanctions.
GLVC coaches predicted that Maryville University (60 points/6 first-place votes) would win the Central Division; followed by the University of Missouri-St. Louis (58 points/8 first-place votes), the University of Illinois Springfield (37 points), McKendree University (35 points) and Quincy University (30 points/1 first-place vote).
Drury University was the coaches’ pick to win the West Division after receiving 66 points and 13 first-place votes. Truman State University (52 points/1 first-place vote) was picked second; followed by Rockhurst University (47 points), William Jewell College (32 points) and Missouri S&T (23 points/1 first-place vote).
In addition to the GLVC preseason poll, the Eagles also are receiving votes in the Division II Media Poll and are ranked No. 20 in the preseason Herosports.com Division II rankings.
USI, which is looking for its second straight exhibition win over an NCAA Division I opponent and its third in the last four years, returns three starters—senior guard Randa Harshbarger (Philo, Illinois), senior guard/forward Kaydie Grooms (Marshall, Illinois) and senior forward Morgan Dahlstrom (Grayslake, Illinois)—and seven letterwinners from a year ago.
Grooms earned second-team All-GLVC honors a year ago after leading USI with 15.4 points per game, while Dahlstrom was a third-team All-GLVC honoree after averaging 10.2 points and 7.6 rebounds per contest. Harshbarger was fourth in the GLVC a year ago with a team-best 3.7 assists per game, while her 1.67 assist-to-turnover ratio was fifth in the conference.
Reigning GLVC Coach of the Year Rick Stein returns to lead the Eagles for the 19th year after becoming the first basketball coach in school history to eclipse the 300-win plateau.
Following USI’s bout with Kentucky, the Eagles open regular-season play November 10 when they host Northwood University at the Physical Activities Center as part of the GLVC/GLIAC Challenge.
