Greenville, SC – Conference Carolinas announced the 2022-23 Conference Carolinas Men's Basketball Preseason Poll on November 1 with the UNC Pembroke Braves being picked as the favorite.

The UNC Pembroke Braves were picked first with 143 points and 11 first place finish votes.  The Braves went 27-4 last season and were 22-2 in conference action.  In the Conference Carolinas semifinals last year, the Braves defeated the Southern Wesleyan Warriors in a 67-66 final score.  In the championship, however, the Braves fell to the Belmont Abbey Crusaders in a 79-73.  UNC Pembroke received a NCAA Southeast Regional bid.  They went on to defeat the Flagler Saints in a 74-70 final before falling to the Augusta Jaguars in an 82-76 final.

They were followed in the preseason poll by the Emmanuel Lions.  The Lions picked up the second spot in the poll with 130 points and two first place finish votes.  Emmanuel went 19-9 last season and were 18-5 in conference play.  The Lions fell to the Belmont Abbey Crusaders in a 93-70 final in the semi finals of the Conference Carolinas Championship Tournament.  Behind them, the Barton Bulldogs were picked third with 101 points.  The Bulldogs finished last season with a 16-14 recorded and were 13-11 in conference action.  Barton took down the Lees-McRae Bobcats in the first round, but then fell to the Belmont Abbey Crusaders in a 108-73 final in the quarterfinals.

The Francis Marion Patriots were picked fourth with 96 points and they were followed by the Lees-McRae Bobcats with 91 points.  The Patriots were picked fourth after going 13-15 overall during the 2021-22 season.  The Bobcats finished the 2021-22 campaign with a 15-14 record to give them a fifth place spot in the polls.

The Belmont Abbey Crusaders were picked sixth with 88 points.  They were followed by the University of Mount Olive Trojans (84), Chowan Hawks (71) Converse Valkyries (61), King (55) Southern Wesleyan Warriors (45), North Greenville Crusaders (33) and Erskine Flying Fleet (16).

Southern Wesleyan finished last season with a 19-10 overall recorded and were 16-7 in conference play.  In the Conference Carolinas Championship Tournament, the Warriors defeated the University of Mount Olive Trojans in a 72-55 final in the quarterfinals.  They then fell to the #1 seeded UNC Pembroke Braves in a 67-66 final score.

The Warriors will open up the 2022-23 campaign on November 11-12 at the Conference Crossover Tournament.  At the tournament, Southern Wesleyan will face the Flagler Saints on November 11 at 4:30 p.m. and then the Lander Bearcats on November 12 at 2:30 p.m.  The Warriors will host their home opener on November 16 as they host the University of North Georgia Nighthawks in Historic Tysinger Gymnasium at 7 p.m.  The first Conference Carolinas game of the season will be on the road as they travel to Wilson, NC on November 22 to take on the Barton Bulldogs.  Southern Wesleyan will host their first conference game of the season on November 30 as they host the Belmont Abbey Crusaders at 7 p.m.