The Virginia Wesleyan University men's basketball team was selected second in the ODAC Preseason Poll, as voted by the league's 12 head coaches.

In the poll, Randolph-Macon took the top spot with 121 points and 11 first place votes, Virginia Wesleyan grabbed second with 104 points, Roanoke claimed third with one first place vote, and rounding out the top four is Hampden-Sydney with 96 points.

In the 2024-25 season, the Marlins went 22-7 overall, going 12-4 in the ODAC to be the fourth seed in the ODAC Championship tournament. VWU went on to participate in the ECAC Tournament, where they defeated the #8 Seed Franciscan, the #5 Seed McDaniel, and hosted the #2 Seed Salisbury to win the ECAC Championship Tournament.

The Marlins are returning some key pieces, as they are returning five of their top six scorers. Most notably, Omari DeVeaux led the team in scoring with 14.5 points per game, shooting 42.1 percent from the floor and 39.6 percent from beyond the arc. He tallied 87 rebounds, 75 assists, 38 steals, and had five blocks. Amari Moorer led the conference in rebounds and scored 12.3 points per game, with a 51.2 percent field goal percentage, 72 assists, 46 steals, and 23 blocks. Lastly, Khai Seargeant is returning as he was third on the team in scoring, averaging 12.0 points per game, shooting 41.8 percent from the floor, and 37.1 percent from deep, with 80 rebounds, 40 assists, 27 steals, and four blocks.

Virginia Wesleyan opens up its season at home in the TowneBank Tipoff Tournament against Keene State. And the next day, we will pay either Wisconsin-La Crosse or Hampden-Sydney.

It is an exciting tournament as all four teams are in the Preseason Poll. With Wisconsin-La Crosse ranked No. 7 in the poll, Virginia Wesleyan ranked No. 14, Hampden-Sydney selected No. 17, and Keene State sitting at No. 28.

MEN'S BASKETBALL PRESEASON POLL

1. Randolph-Macon College (11) - 121 pts.
2. Virginia Wesleyan University - 104 pts.
3. Roanoke College (1) - 103 pts.
4. Hampden-Sydney College - 96 pts.
5. University of Lynchburg - 81 pts.
6. Shenandoah University - 64 pts.
7. Guilford College - 58 pts.
8. Washington and Lee University - 58 pts.
9. Averett University - 34 pts.
10. Bridgewater College - 33 pts.
11. Randolph College - 26 pts.
12. Eastern Mennonite University - 14 pts.