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GLIAC -- The Saginaw Valley State University Men's Basketball team has been picked to finish in fourth place in the GLIAC South Division for the upcoming 2018-19 season. The Cardinals garnered 27 points to finish in a tie for fourth in the division with Wayne State. This serves as SVSU's first year competing in the league's south division.
Ashland was picked to win the division with 60 points and 10 first-place votes while Grand Valley State had 51 points and two first-place nods. Davenport was picked third with 36 points. In the North Division, defending national champion Ferris State was picked first with 58 points and nine first-place votes. Northern Michigan was second with 47 points and three first-place votes. Michigan Tech was third with 43 points.
2018-19 SVSU Men's Basketball Season Preview
The Cardinal Men's Basketball team in coming off a 2017-18 campaign in which the team posted a 12-17 overall record and 9-11 mark in the GLIAC, bowing-out in the GLIAC Tournament Quarterfinals. Seventh-year head coach Randy Baruth will once again look to a young team for a bounce-back season and get SVSU into postseason contention.
Saginaw Valley totes a roster with no seniors, two juniors and eight newcomers who didn't see the court for the Cardinals in 2017-18. Returning to help lead the way is All-GLIAC Defensive Team honoree, Darnell Hoskins Jr., who was the second-leading scorer on the team with 11.2 ppg. Fellow sophomore James Toohey returns as well at the guard position after leading the team with a 39.1% from three-point range last season and averaging 7.2 ppg. Junior Fred John Jr. (7.5 ppg, 5.0 rpg) returns as the team's leading rebounder while sophomore Sebastiano Lamonato will help hold down the paint area as well following a season where he had 8.4 ppg and 4.5 rpg. Starting forward Liam Evans will return, as will Jeremy Pung, to give the team more experience in the front court from another pair of sophomores.
SVSU opens the 2018-19 campaign at home Nov. 9-10, hosting Bellarmine and Indianapolis as part of the annual GLIAC / GLVC Challenge. GLIAC play begins with home games Nov. 29 versus Michigan Tech and Dec. 1 against Northern Michigan.