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STEPHENVILLE (October 27, 2015) – Tarleton men’s basketball already has one preseason No. 1 ranking under its belt for the 2015-16 season. Now you can add another, as the HERO Sports Preseason Poll has the Texans ranked No. 1 in the nation.
The poll marks the third top three ranking for Tarleton this preseason. The Sporting News has Tarleton No. 1 in the nation and they are the No. 3-ranked team according to the Division II Bulletin.
“It’s an honor to be named No. 1,” said Tarleton men’s basketball coach Lonn Reisman. “I’m honored that people around the country, from coast to coast, recognize that Tarleton State University’s men’s basketball program has the winning tradition where we are recognized as one of the top programs in the country.
The Texans return nine members-including three starters-from the 2014-15 team that set a school record with 31 wins and reached the NCAA Division II Final Four for the second time in school history.
Headlining the returning Texans are Michael Hardge (10.7 points, 3.5 assists), Malcolm Hamilton (8.9 points, 3.8 rebounds), EJ Reed (8.7 points, 3.5 rebounds) and Nosa Ebomwonyi (5.5 points, 2.8 rebounds).
Reisman and his staff added six transfers and five freshmen to their already experienced roster. Of the transfers, two come to Tarleton from Division I programs in Charles Hill (TCU) and Xavier Smith (St. Bonaventure).
HERO Sports, formerly called BennettRanking.com, released a top 50 poll that includes four other Lone Star Conference teams. The poll has A&M-Commerece ranked 10th, Angelo State 16th, Midwestern State 19th and West Texas A&M 49th.
Tarleton was ranked as the preseason No. 1 one other time in program history, occurring in 2005-06 by the National Association of Basketball Coaches. The Texans went 27-7 that season en route to the NCAA Elite Eight.
Tarleton opens the season with an exhibition game against The University of Texas in Austin on Nov. 6. The regular season and home opener will be Nov. 13 as Tarleton welcomes Colorado-Colorado Springs for the Texan Tip-Off Classic.
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