NEW ORLEANS – Georgia State has been tabbed as the preseason favorite to capture the 2018-19 Sun Belt Conference men’s basketball title and Panthers junior guard D’Marcus Simonds has been selected as the Preseason Player of the Year in a vote of the league's head coaches, the conference office announced on Thursday.
The league also announced its Preseason All-Sun Belt first, second and third teams.
Georgia State received all 12 first-place votes and the maximum 144 points coming off a season that saw the Panthers (24-11, 12-6 Sun Belt) win the Sun Belt Tournament title, earning their second NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship appearance in the last four years and fifth postseason appearance under head coach Ron Hunter.
The next two spots in the poll were shared as Georgia Southern and Louisiana tied for second with 125 points each and ULM and Troy tied for fourth with 89 points each.
The Eagles (21-12, 11-7) come into this season having reached the 20-win plateau twice in the last four years, while the Ragin’ Cajuns (27-7, 16-2) enjoyed a record-breaking season a year ago in winning the regular-season title and recording the most wins (27), conference wins (16), three-point field goals made (297) and three-point field goal attempts (818) in school history.
ULM (16-16, 9-9) and Troy (16-17, 9-9) rounded out the top portion of the poll, both looking to build upon their respective seasons in 2017-18 and ascend to the top of the standings this season.
The 2017-18 Player of the Year and All-Sun Belt First Team selection, Simonds returns following a record-setting sophomore season in which he scored a school-record 742 points and averaged 21.2 points per game, which ranked 23rd in the nation. Simonds was named the Sun Belt Tournament Most Valuable Player and Sun Belt Player of the Week twice in addition to garnering Associated Press All-America Honorable Mention and NABC All-Region 24 First Team honors.
Joining Simonds on the Preseason All-Sun Belt First Team are four seniors who earned All-Sun Belt recognition last season – Appalachian State guard Ronshad Shabazz, Georgia Southern guard Tookie Brown, ULM forward Travis Munnings and Troy forward Jordon Varnado.
The 2018-19 season begins on Tuesday, Nov. 6. This season’s conference schedule features an 18-game slate with 10 teams advancing to the 2019 Sun Belt Men’s Basketball Championship. The tournament begins on Tuesday, March 12, with two first-round games taking place at on-campus sites. The remaining eight teams converge on Lakefront Arena in New Orleans starting on Thursday, March 14, with the winner earning the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. Sun Belt tournament first-round, second-round, quarterfinal and semifinal games are set for live coverage on ESPN+. The championship game is scheduled for Sunday, March 17 at 1 p.m. CT on ESPN2.
2018-19 Sun Belt Conference Men’s Basketball Coaches’ Preseason Poll
first-place votes in parentheses
| Rank |
Team |
Points |
| 1. |
Georgia State (12) |
144 |
| 2. |
Georgia Southern |
125 |
|
Louisiana |
125 |
| 4. |
ULM |
89 |
|
Troy |
89 |
| 6. |
Appalachian State |
86 |
| 7. |
South Alabama |
80 |
| 8. |
Texas State |
67 |
| 9. |
Arkansas State |
42 |
| 10. |
Coastal Carolina |
40 |
| 11. |
UTA |
33 |
| 12. |
Little Rock |
16 |
2018-19 Sun Belt Conference Men’s Basketball Coaches’ Preseason Honors
All-Sun Belt First Team
**Ronshad Shabazz, Appalachian State (Sr., G, Raleigh, N.C.)
*Tookie Brown, Georgia Southern (Sr., G, Madison, Ga.)
*D’Marcus Simonds, Georgia State (Jr., G, Gainesville, Ga.)
**Travis Munnings, ULM (Sr., F, Freeport, Bahamas)
**Jordon Varnado, Troy (Sr., F, Brownsville, Tenn.)
All-Sun Belt Second Team
Zac Cuthbertson, Coastal Carolina (Sr., F, New Bern, N.C.)
***Devin Mitchell, Georgia State (Sr., G, Lawrenceville, Ga.)
***JaKeenan Gant, Louisiana (Sr., F, Springfield, Ga.)
**Rodrick Sikes, South Alabama (Sr., G, Ocean Springs, Miss.)
***Nijal Pearson, Texas State (Jr., G, Beaumont, Texas)
All-Sun Belt Third Team
Ty Cockfield II, Arkansas State (Sr., G, Gainesville, Ga.)
Ike Smith, Georgia Southern (Sr., G, Gainesville, Fla.)
Marcus Stroman, Louisiana (Sr., G, Columbia, S.C.)
Michael Ertel, ULM (So., G, Indianapolis, Ind.)
Josh Ajayi, South Alabama (Jr., F, El Monte, Calif.)
Sun Belt Preseason Player of the Year
D’Marcus Simonds, Georgia State (Jr., G, Gainesville, Ga.)
*Denotes 2017-18 All-Sun Belt First Team
**Denotes 2017-18 All-Sun Belt Second Team
***Denotes 2017-18 All-Sun Belt Third Team