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BAY CITY, Mich. - The Saginaw Valley State University men's basketball team has been picked to win the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) North Division title in the 2016-17 preseason coaches poll, released Wednesday morning. It is the second straight year the Cardinals, who are coming off their first GLIAC Championship since 1984-85, have been chosen as the preseason favorites in the north.
SVSU received all of the seven possible first place votes it could, totaling 49 points to land nine points ahead of second place Ferris State. Those two teams met in the 2016 Midwest Regional championship game last spring, with the Cards winning and advancing to the Division II Elite Eight. Lake Superior State landed at no. 3 and garnered the final first place vote with 33 points. Michigan Tech (31), Grand Valley State (29), Northern Michigan (15), Wayne State (15) and Northwood (12) rounded out the no. 4 through no. 8 spots, respectively. The University of Findlay was picked to win the GLIAC South Division, notching 34 points and five first place nods.
A pair of Cardinals are listed on the 2016 Preseason All-Conference Team as well, with senior forward C.J. Turnage and senior guard Garrett Hall earning those honors. Turnage, the two-time First Team All-GLIAC honoree and former GLIAC Freshman of the Year, has also been tabbed as the preseason Player of the Year. Hall has been named to the the All-GLIAC Second Team the past two seasons.
2016-17 Saginaw Valley State Preview
Saginaw Valley State University is coming off its most successful season in program history, where the Cardinals made their first-ever appearance in the NCAA Division II Tournament, claiming the team's first Midwest Regional Championship and showing in the Division II Elite Eight in Frisco, Texas. Randy Baruth returns as head coach for his fifth season on the bench.
Returning on the court for the reigning GLIAC Champions are a slew of seniors and a solid group of returners from a team that matched the school record with 25 victories. First-time All-GLIAC forward C.J. Turnage returns, along with All-GLIAC Second Team honoree in senior guard Garrett Hall. Fellow senior Caleb Davis is the third starter returning from last year's squad. The Cards will rely on some youth and newcomers, along with junior Mike Wells at the guard position while fellow junior Dexin Dixon looks to be a force in the paint for Saginaw Valley.
The Cardinals open exhibition play at Michigan State (Nov. 2) and Butler (Nov. 5) in a pair of matchups against perennial national powers at the Division I level before opening regular season play in the annual GLIAC / GLVC Challenge at Northwood against Bellarmine (Nov. 11) and St. Joseph's (Nov. 12).
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