'Roos Picked Seventh in Summit League Preseason Poll

Kansas City men's basketball was selected to finish seventh in the Summit League, according to the annual preseason poll of league coaches, SIDs and media. The 'Roos received 120 points, finishing ahead of both South Dakota and league newcomer Omaha.
UMKC returns four starters and seven letterwinners this season, while adding five newcomers to the mix, hoping to rebound from last year's 10-21 overall record (4-14 in league play). This will be the sixth season in the tenure of head coach Matt Brown.
South Dakota State is the overwhelming favorite to win the league. The Jackrabbits received 30-of-31 first-place votes (coaches may not vote for their own team) after claiming the 2012 Summit League Tournament title and representing the league in the NCAA Tournament. Head coach Scott Nagy returns four starters and eight-of-10 letterwinners from last season's squad that finished 27-8 overall and 15-3 in Summit League play.
SDSU guard Nate Wolters, the 2012 Summit League Tournament MVP and an AP honorable mention All-America selection, was the preseason choice for Player of the Year. The senior averaged 21.2 points, 5.9 assists and 5.1 rebounds per game in 2011-12 and became just the fifth player in NCAA history to average 20 points, five assists and five rebounds in a season.
The Summit League finished last season at an all-time best No.16 position in the Collegiate Basketball News RPI ratings after peaking as high as No. 11 midseason. The league set historical marks for most Division I and non-league victories and recorded a .500 or better winning percentage against 15 of the 17 mid-major conferences. An all-time high five Summit League teams competed in postseason play and the league achieved its largest home attendance figure on record.
 
2012-13 SUMMIT LEAGUE MEN'S BASKETBALL PRESEASON POLL
1) South Dakota State
2) North Dakota State
3) Oakland
4) Western Illinois
5) IUPUI
6) Fort Wayne
7) UMKC
8) South Dakota
9) Omaha

PRESEASON ALL-LEAGUE
First Team
Travis Bader, Oakland
Taylor Braun, North Dakota State
Ceola Clark III, Western Illinois
Frank Gaines, Fort Wayne
Terell Parks, Western Illinois
Nate Wolters, South Dakota State

Second Team
Lawrence Alexander, North Dakota State
Marshall Bjorklund, North Dakota State
Ian Chiles, IUPUI
Jordan Dykstra, South Dakota State
Drew Valentine, Oakland

Preseason Player of the Year: Nate Wolters, South Dakota State