North Attleboro, Mass. — After their second consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament, head coach Dave Duke and the Adelphi men's basketball team are looking to build upon the program's success in the region. On Tuesday, the Panthers were chosen to finish sixth in the NE10 Coaches' Preseason Poll, as announced by the conference office.

Adelphi earned 46 points, placing well ahead of seventh-place Saint Anselm and just behind Pace, which earned 49 points. Saint Michael's was picked to finish first, followed by Bentley and Southern New Hampshire.

After the departure of program cornerstones Dayshaun Walton, Mason Jackson, Matthew Price, Jarnel Rancy and Al-Fatir Connor, Duke's squad returns only three players: captain Patrick Burke, Carter Wilson and Myles Cumberland.

With so many spots up for grabs, Duke brings nine new faces to Garden City: five freshmen (Joaquin Andrews, Landon Geren, Austin Workman, Trevor Whitaker and Vlad Popa) and four transfers (Jeremiah Gorham, Ethan Maynard, Elijah Peters and Sean Spencer). Gorham, Maynard and Peters bring Division II experience to the Panthers, with Gorham and Maynard each averaging over 10 points at Chestnut Hill and East Stroudsburg, respectively.

The Panthers begin their season on Friday, Oct. 30, when they travel to the Aloha State for the Hawaii Tip-Off Classic. Adelphi faces off against Minot State in their first-ever matchup.