GREENVILLE, S.C. – The Conference Carolinas Men's Basketball coaches have picked UNC Pembroke to repeat as champions in the 2022-23 Conference Carolinas Men's Basketball Preseason Poll, the conference office announced on Tuesday.

UNC Pembroke captured the regular season title in its return to Conference Carolinas last year with a 22-2 league record. The Braves collected 143 points and 11-of-13 first-place votes to claim the top spot in the poll. Emmanuel was picked second with 130 points and the remaining first-place nods while Barton came in at No. 3 with 101 points. Francis Marion was picked fourth with 96 points followed by Lees-McRae (91) to round out the top five. 

Belmont Abbey, the 2021-22 Conference Carolinas tournament champion, was picked sixth with 88 points and were followed by Mount Olive (84), Chowan (71), Converse (61), King (55), Southern Wesleyan (45), North Greenville (33) and Erskine (16).

Chowan finished the 2021-22 season with an 8-18 overall record and an 8-15 mark in league play in the first season under head coach Rob Burke.  After a bumpy start to the season, Chowan hit their stride going 6-1 during a seven-game stretch behind the Conference Carolinas Players to Watch, Christian Koonce and Jay Estime.

The Hawks start the 2022-23 season on Friday, November 11 taking on Young Harris in a conference challenge hosted by Emmanuel.

The 2023 Conference Carolinas Men's and Women's Basketball Championships will get underway on Sunday, Feb. 26 and Monday, Feb. 27. The fifth and sixth seeds in men's and women's basketball will play host to two games over the two days. The 10th-seeded team will battle the seventh-seeded team on Feb. 26 at the home of the sixth seed for the right to face the sixth seed on Feb. 27, while the ninth-seeded team will take on the eighth-seeded team at the home of the fifth seed on Feb. 26 for the chance to take on the fifth seed on Feb. 27.
 
The 2023 Conference Carolinas Men's and Women's Basketball Championships quarterfinals are set for Friday, March 3 at Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium. The semifinals will be contested on Saturday, March 4, while the men's and women's basketball finals are scheduled for Sunday, March 5.

2022-23 Conference Carolinas
Men's Basketball Preseason Poll