Women picked first, men eighth in OAC Preseason Basketball Coaches polls

By Wes Mayberry

| OAC Coaches Polls (.pdf) |

ADA — The Ohio Northern women's basketball team has been picked to win the Ohio Athletic Conference, and the men were picked to finish eighth in the 2023-24 OAC preseason polls voted on by league coaches.

In the women's poll, ONU received 77 points and seven of the 10 first-place votes. Baldwin Wallace is second with 72 points and the remaining three first place votes. Marietta is picked third with 69 points, Capital is fourth with 51 points, and Otterbein is fifth with 47 points.

Fourth-year head coach Mark Huelsman returns four starters and 12 letter winners from last year's squad that finished 25-5 overall and 15-3 in the OAC. The Polar Bears won conference regular-season and tournament titles en route to advancing to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament.

On the men's side, Ohio Northern received 24 points in the poll. No. 3-ranked John Carroll and No. 5-ranked Mount Union are the co-favorites with 77 points and five first-place votes each. Marietta is picked third with 63 points, Otterbein is fourth with 54 points, and Heidelberg is fifth with 53 points.

Second-year head coach Neal Young welcomes back one starter and seven lettermen from last year's team that was 10-15 overall and finished eighth in the OAC with a 6-12 league mark.

Ranked No. 10 nationally in both the WBCA and D3hoops.com preseason polls, the Polar Bear women will open their 2023-24 season Nov. 10 at Wittenberg, while the ONU men will start with a road contest at Kalamazoo (Mich.) on Nov. 11.

2023-24 OAC Women's Basketball Coaches Poll

2023-24 OAC Men's Basketball Coaches Poll