FOREST, Va. --- Roanoke College is one of three teams to earn first-place votes in the ODAC Men's Basketball Preseason Poll as the Maroons top the annual coaches' survey with 137 points powered by seven top nods. Randolph-Macon College and Guilford College evenly split the remaining first place votes as the pair round out the top-three. The Yellow Jackets picked up 127 tallies, while the Quakers earned 121 markers.

Virginia Wesleyan University and reigning ODAC champion Emory & Henry College also cracked the 100-point mark and are separated by just one point for the next two positions. The Marlins collected 105 points with the Wasps chiming in with 104 tallies.

Roanoke returns all five starters from a 2017-18 team that went 20-8 and advanced to the championship game of the ODAC Tournament.

Back in the mix for head coach Clay Nunley is reigning ODAC Player of the Year and Second-Team All-American Josh Freund. Last season, Freund finished second in the conference in both scoring (18.4) and rebounding (10.7), helping him to a league-high 15 double-doubles. Freund will be joined by 2017-18 Second-Team All-ODAC C.J. Miles. Miles finished his junior campaign averaging 14.6 ppg. for the Maroons.

Roanoke tips-off its season on Nov. 9 when it takes on Ursinus in day one of the Messiah Tip-Off Tournament in Grantham, Pa.

The Maroons received votes in the D3Hoops.com Preseason Top-25 Poll released in early October. Roanoke and Freund were also recognized in the Dlll News as the Maroons were tabbed a team to watch nationally and Freund was named a Preseason All-American. D3Hoops.com also selected Freund as a Fourth Team Preseason All-American. 

2018-19 ODAC MEN'S BASKETBALL PRESEASON POLL
(#) Denotes First Place Votes