KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The Olivet Nazarene University men's basketball team rounded out the 2023-24 NAIA Men's Basketball Coaches' Top 25 Preseason Poll, claiming the final spot at No. 25, the league office announced Wednesday.

The No. 25 ranking marks the first time in two years that the ONU men earned a spot in the preseason poll, with the Tigers checking in at No. 17 prior to the 2020-21 season. The Tigers were the only member of the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference (CCAC) to earn recognition on this year's preseason poll.

ONU returns all three players who earned All-CCAC honors last season, including Second-Team NAIA All-American and defending CCAC Player of the Year Tyler Schmidt, who won the award by a unanimous vote. Schmidt was also a unanimous First-Team choice, while Landon Pflederer earned Second-Team recognition and Caleb Swearingen was an All-CCAC honorable mention.

Head coach Nick Birkey enters his sixth season at ONU in 2023-24. He holds a 129-29 career record over his five years as a head coach and has been named the Ralph Hodge CCAC Coach of the Year four times, including last season.

The Tigers showcased this year's squad last week during ONU's Homecoming, eclipsing the century mark in a 105-58 exhibition win over Great Lakes Christian. They will open the season Monday, Oct. 30 in McHie Arena against Taylor. Tip-off is slated for 6 p.m.

Following Monday's season-opener against the Trojans, ONU will take on a three-game stretch against ranked opponents. The Tigers will travel to take on No. 24 Indiana Tech before hosting No. 9 Indiana Wesleyan and No. 14 Huntington in McHie Arena.

To view the full release from the NAIA, click HERE.

--ONU—

*Contact: Evan Wild, Sports Information Director, ewwild@olivet.edu