The Northern Sun Conference released the 2022-23 Men's Basketball Coaches' Preseason Poll on Thursday and Upper Iowa was selected second in the NSIC South Division with one first-place vote and fifth in the overall standings.
Head Coach Brooks McKowen (150-116) returns for his tenth season on the sidelines after moving into second place on the all-time wins list after nine seasons. Bill Prochaska, who won 195 games in his 21 seasons, holds the high mark for career wins.
"I like the experience and leadership that we bring back from last season," said McKowen. "We have a core group that has played a lot of minutes for our program, and I believe they are ready to take bigger roles this season. There is also a good mix of new faces that will have an opportunity to make an immediate impact."
Point guard Jake Hilmer was voted as the NSIC South Division Preseason Player of the Year by the coaches. The three-time All-NSIC performer reached the 1,000-point mark midway through Upper Iowa's incredible run in 2021-22 and scored a total of 527 points, averaging 16.5 per game. Hilmer racked up 127 assists (4/game) and added 72 rebounds (2.3/game) and 33 steals. He reached double-digits in scoring 28 times, including nine times of 20-plus points. Hilmer's notched a career-high of 30 points on the road at Augustana last season. He also established a new program-record with 39-straight made free throws during the campaign.
"Jake has been a big part of our team the last three years," said McKowen. "He will continue to be one of our leaders. Jake's done a great job improving every year, and I am excited to see what strides he takes this season."
The Peacock men's basketball team put together the best season in the program's history this past year. Upper Iowa posted a 26-6 overall record and an 18-4 mark in the Northern Sun Conference. The Peacocks qualified for their fifth NCAA Regional Championship since 1995-96, but unlike the first four times, UIU scored a victory in the postseason and advanced to the round of 32 after a 91-74 win over No. 18 University of Central Oklahoma. The season came to an end in the regional semifinals in a 65-60 loss to No. 6 Augustana University.
After a 6-0 start that was capped off by a 103-77 dominant win over No. 2 Truman State University, the Peacocks cracked into the national Top-25 poll and stayed in the poll for the remainder of the season reaching as high as No. 12 in the nation and No. 2 in the NCAA Central Region. The win over Truman State was just one of the many highlights from the season, which also included an 84-65 win over No. 23 Augustana University, a 94-85 win over No. 5 University of Minnesota Duluth, an 89-80 win over Northern State University in the NSIC quarterfinals, and a 91-74 victory over No. 18 University of Central Oklahoma in the NCAA Central Region quarterfinals.
While the Peacocks lost some of the most talented and decorated student-athletes in program history to graduation, the team returns a load of talent for the 2022-23 season including Hilmer, Lucas (9.7 points, 4 rebounds, 1.8 steals, 1.8 assists) and Max Duax (4.3 points, 2 rebounds), Nick Reid (6.8 points, 6.3 rebounds, 1 block), and Dylan Jones (6.6 points, 5.1 rebounds, 61% shooting). The Peacocks will also rely on returners Baden Noennig, Carter Janssen and Jackson Folwy, as well as newcomers like Caleb Delzell, Austin Hilmer, and Jayden Mackie.
The University of Minnesota Duluth was selected by the league coaches as the preseason favorite in the NSIC for the 2022-23 season. The Bulldogs received 222 points, garnering 13 first places votes to sit 16 points ahead of second place MSU Moorhead. The Dragons had 206 points and a first-place vote. Wayne State was third with 197 points and the final two first place votes.
In the divisional rankings, UMD was the unanimous choice in the north, picking up all seven first place votes for 49 points. MSU Moorhead was second with 43 points and the other first place vote. In the south, Wayne State was the unanimous choice with 49 points and seven first place votes. Upper Iowa was second with 39 points and the other first place vote.
The NSIC regular season championship will be based on the 22-game schedule. Each team will play teams in their division twice (14) and teams in the other division once (8). An NSIC North and South Division Champion will also be awarded. Divisional standings will also be based on all 22 NSIC contests played. In the case of a tie, co-champions will be awarded.
The 12-team NSIC Men's Basketball Tournament Quarterfinals, Semifinals and Championships are set to take place February 25-28 at the Sanford Health Pentagon in Sioux Falls, S.D. The top two seeds in each division will receive a first-round bye. First round games will be played on campus on Wednesday, Feb. 22.
Upper Iowa will open its 2022-23 season on the road in Warrensburg, Mo. The Peacocks will take on East Central University and the University of Central Missouri on Nov. 11-12. UIU's home opener will be on Dec. 1 when they welcome Concordia University-St. Paul to Dorman Memorial Gymnasium.
