MILWAUKEE – The Milwaukee men's basketball team has been picked to finish second in the upcoming Horizon League regular season, according to the results of the Under Armour preseason poll conducted by the League's head coaches, SIDs and media members which was announced today by the league office.
 
In addition, BJ Freeman has been named to the Preseason All-League First Team.
 
The Panthers tallied 10 first-place votes and 397 points in the coaches' poll to hold down the spot, with the 435-point total of Northern Kentucky coming in just ahead. Milwaukee edged out Wright State (392 points) for the runner-up position.
 
Head coach Bart Lundy set the bar high in his first season with the Panthers, bringing a resurgence and energy back to the program that resulted in the first 20-win season in seven years, MKE's first postseason appearance in nine years, and the first postseason victory for a Milwaukee squad in 17 years after it knocked off Stetson in the first round of the CBI.
 
Lundy led the way as the team rewrote the record book, setting new program records in total points (2,659), blocks (186, which also was fourth in the NCAA), field goals made (944), field goals attempted (2,062), total rebounds (1,330), and rebound average (39.1, good for 15th in the NCAA), while leading the Horizon League in with a .408 field-goal defense that finished as the second-lowest in school history.
 
He directed his team to a 12-win improvement over the prior year, finishing as the 10th most-improved team in the NCAA (22 wins up from 10 in 2021-22). The team went 22-12 overall, the most overall victories since the 2004-05 campaign. Lundy led the team to a 14-6 mark in league play, placing second for its best league finish since a regular-season title in 2010-11. The Panthers also finished an impressive 15-3 in home games, tying the program mark for most victories on their home court set back in 2004-05.
 
Excitement is high and optimism abounds as the Panthers approach the 2023-24 campaign.
 
Freeman earned a spot on the preseason first team following a season in which he earned Second Team All-Horizon League honors. Freeman burst on the scene and averaged 18.2 points, 5.1 rebounds, 2.9 assists, and 0.8 steals per game. He led the team in scoring, rebounding, and free-throw percentage, and his 18.2 ppg scoring clip was the highest for a Panther in 20 years.
 
2023-24 Under Armour  #HLMBB Preseason Poll
Pl.        Team – Pts. (First-place votes)
1.         Northern Kentucky (18) – 435
2.         Milwaukee (10) – 397
3.         Wright State (12) – 392
4.         Cleveland State (1) – 362
5.         Youngstown State (3) – 342
6.         Oakland – 280
7.         RMU – 186
8.         Purdue Fort Wayne – 166
9.         Detroit Mercy – 132
10.       IUPUI – 116
11.       Green Bay – 96
 
#HLMBB Preseason Player of the Year
Trey Calvin, Wright State
 
Preseason All-League First Team (alphabetical order by school)
Tristan Enaruna, Cleveland State
BJ Freeman, Milwaukee
Marques Warrick, Northern Kentucky
Trey Townsend, Oakland
Trey Calvin, Wright State
 
Preseason All-League Second Team (alphabetical order by school)
Jlynn Counter, IUPUI
Sam Vinson, Northern Kentucky
Tanner Holden, Wright State
Brandon Noel, Wright State
Brandon Rush, Youngstown State