Senior guard Steve Webb, the two-time GLVC Defensive Player of the Year, is back to lead the UMSL Tritons, who were picked to win the GLVC Central Division this season. (Photo courtesy: UMSL Athletics)
by Cedric Williams
Senior Editor
The Great Lakes Valley Conference released its preseason men’s basketball picks on Monday, and in a vote among the league’s coaches, the University of Missouri-St. Louis squad was named the favorite to win the Central Division.
UMSL finished with 15 total points and received three of the division’s five first-place votes, which put them just ahead of Truman State, which had 14 points and two first-place votes.
The Bulldogs, who won the GLVC Central last year and advanced all the way to the NCAA Division II Elite Eight, were also recently ranked No. 6 in the country in the National Association of Basketball Coaches Top 25 preseason national poll.
But it was the Tritons who got the vote as most likely to win the division among the GLVC’s coaches. A big reason for that was UMSL finishing last year with a 13-6 record (12-5 in league play) and just missing out on earning a berth to the NCAA Tournament, which the Tritons did after winning the GLVC Central in 2019.
Another big reason for people’s belief that UMSL will be very good again this year is the return of redshirt senior guard Steve Webb, the two-time GLVC Defensive Player of the Year.
The Tritons will also have returning All-GLVC players in senior forward and returning leading scorer Marty Jackson (12.9 points per game) and senior shooting guard Shane Wissink (11.7 ppg and team-leading 44 three-pointers).
Lindenwood University came in third, with 10 points, while Quincy and Maryville rounded out the voting in fourth and fifth place, respectively.
Southern Indiana, the defending champion in the GLVC East, and Drury, the defending GLVC West champ, were picked to win their respective divisions again.
UMSL will opens its season with a pair of non-conference games at the Mark Twain Building on Saturday, November 13, and Sunday, November 14.
That Saturday game will be against Walsh University of Canton, Ohio, and the Sunday contest will be against Tiffin University of Tiffin, Ohio.
UMSL’s first road game will be the following weekend, when the Tritons will play preseason No. 1 and defending national champion, Northwest Missouri State.
The GLVC conference season will begin in December, when UMSL will go on the road to play Truman State on December 2.
The complete 2021-22 GLVC Men’s Basketball Preseason Poll follows below:
| GLVC EAST | GLVC CENTRAL | GLVC WEST | |||
| Rank/School | Points (1st) | Rank/School | Points (1st) | Rank/School | Points (1st) |
| 1. Southern Indiana | 13 (3) | 1. UMSL | 15 (3) | 1. Drury | 15 (3) |
| 2. Illinois Springfield | 11 (2) | 2. Truman State | 14 (2) | 2. Southwest Baptist | 14 (2) |
| Lewis | 11 | 3. Lindenwood | 10 | 3. Missouri S&T | 8 |
| 4. Indianapolis | 8 | 4. Quincy | 6 | 4. William Jewell | 7 |
| 5. McKendree | 7 | 5. Maryville | 5 | 5. Rockhurst | 6 |