Mansfield, Mass. - After missing the 2020-21 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, NE10 men's basketball is back and Adelphi University men's basketball was voted atop the Men's Basketball Coaches' Polls, representing the Southwest Division, released by the league office on Thursday.

Saint Anselm, who was selected first in the Northeast Division, are the reigning NE10 champions and coming off a 14-5 conference season in 2019-20, while the Panthers were 11-8 against league opponents and ranked second in the Southwest.

Adelphi recorded 78 points and six first-place votes to edge New Haven for the first-place spot in the Southwest Division Men's Basketball Coaches' Poll. The Panthers, led by head coach David Duke in his eighth season with the program, have won 18 or more games in four of the past five seasons. Adelphi looks to win its first NE10 title since the 2010-11 campaign.

The 2021-22 season will open for Adelphi in a weekend tournament at Pace, as the Panthers play Chestnut Hill on Saturday, November 13, and Molloy on Sunday, November 14. Conference play begins on Saturday, November 20, against Saint Rose at home at the Center for Recreation and Sport.

The NE10 Men's Basketball Championship is scheduled to begin on February 25 with first round action. The NE10 Championship quarterfinals will be on February 27, with the semifinals on March 2. The championship game will be played on Saturday, March 5.