CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa – For the second year in a row, the Loras College men's basketball team has checked into the third spot in the American Rivers Conference Preseason Coaches' Poll, as released by the conference on Tuesday afternoon.

The University of Dubuque grabbed the top spot in the poll earning 63 total points and seven first-place votes, while Nebraska Wesleyan University checked into the runner-up spot with 54 total points.

The Duhawks secured third place in the poll with 53 points and two first-place votes, while Coe College and Central College rounded out the top five with 38 and 35 points respectively.

 During the 2024-25 season, the Purple and Gold finished with a 17-9 overall record and an 11-5 mark in A-R-C play. The Duhawks earned the third seed in the conference tournament but fell to the sixth-seeded Wartburg College Knights in the quarterfinals to conclude their season.

All-Conference players, Gavin Sarvis and Jack Haynes, return to Lillis Court to lead the Duhawks. Last season, Sarvis averaged 15.1 points per game, which ranked second on the team and seventh in the A-R-C. He also dished out a team-high 63 assists in addition to scoring a career-high 40 points against Simpson, which earned him conference Player of the Week honors.

As a junior, Haynes shot 68.1 percent (96-of-141) from the floor, while also averaging 12.5 points per game and leading the team in rebounds with 8.1 per game. The Streator, Ill. native racked up seven double-doubles over the course of his third season with the Purple and Gold.

The Duhawks take the court for the first time on Saturday, Nov. 8 against DePauw University as part of the Loras Tip-Off Classic. Tipoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. from the Lillis Athletic and Wellness Center.