BURNSVILLE, Minn. – The Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference announced the 2025-26 NSIC Men's Basketball Preseason Coaches' Poll on Thursday morning and defending conference champion Concordia-St. Paul was picked to finish fourth.
 
NSIC coaches rank each team from 1 to 15 with a first-place vote receiving 15 points, second place 14, third place 13, etc. Coaches do not rank their own team or vote for their own players in the preseason poll.

In the separate NSIC South Division poll, the Golden Bears were picked to finish fifth with 30 points, coming in just a single point behind both Augustana and Minnesota State in a tie for third place.

The Golden Bears tallied 176 points and received one first-place vote in the overall poll, putting them two points ahead of fifth-place Augustana and 13 points behind third-place Minnesota State.

Southwest Minnesota State, who claimed a share of the 2024-25 conference title along with the Golden Bears, was picked to repeat as champion with 219 points and 11 first-place votes. St. Cloud State was picked second with 194 points and two first-place votes while Minnesota State rounded out the top three with 189 points and a first-place vote.

"We have a great blend of hungry younger guys within our program, that have committed to getting ready for this year, added with some new pieces with DII experience," said Head Coach Matt Fletcher. "We have great kids, very solid leadership, and a group of hungry guys that will step up for us. We are very excited about this group, and they are a lot of fun to coach!"
 
Entering his third season as a Golden Bear, junior guard Ben Kopetzki was tabbed CSP's player to watch this season. Kopetzki started all 31 games for the Golden Bears last season, averaging 13.5 points per game, 3.5 rebounds per game, and 3.4 assists per game.

"Ben has been as consistent of a guard as you will find in the NSIC," said Fletcher. "He is a leader of our program and has emerged as one of the best players in the league. He is just starting to scratch the surface of what he is capable of, and we are excited to see him lead our team."

Last season, the Golden Bears had their most successful season in program history as they finished with an overall record of 22-9 and a 16-6 mark in conference play to claim their first-ever NSIC regular season title. CSP went on to secure an at-large bid to the NCAA Central Region Tournament where they defeated Minot State in the quarterfinals before falling to host Washburn in the semifinals. Head Coach Matt Fletcher was named NSIC Coach of the Year while senior Antwan Kimmons was named NSIC Player of the Year at the conclusion of the regular season. 
 
The 2025-26 NSIC regular season championship will be based on the 22-game conference schedule. Each team will play eight teams twice and another six teams once. An NSIC Champion will be awarded to the team with the highest win percentage in the 22 games played.
 
The 2025-26 men's basketball season gets underway on Nov. 15-16 in Hays, Kan. as CSP takes on Nebraska Kearney and Fort Hays State at the NSIC/MIAA Challenge. Concordia's home opener is scheduled for Wednesday, Nov. 19 against Winona State in a conference clash at the Gangelhoff Center.
 
The 12-team NSIC Men's Basketball Tournament Quarterfinals, Semifinals and Championships are set to take place Feb. 28-Mar 3 at the Sanford Health Pentagon in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The top four seeds will receive a first-round bye. First-round games will be played on campus on Wednesday, February 25.