KEENE, N.H.—After a strong start to the season, the Keene State College men's basketball team has been rewarded a top-15 spot in the first regular season poll of the year as announced by d3hoops.com.
The Owls (6-0) check in at No. 14, with 289 points. Christopher Newport University was listed as the No. 1 team in the country, with 609 points and 15 first place votes. Mount Union (Ohio), St. Joseph's (Conn.), Wisconsin-La Crosse, and Randolph Macon also received first place votes.
The highest ranking in school history is No. 11, which came in the final poll of the 2016-17 season, when Keene State finished 22-10 and reached the Elite 8. The Owls advanced to the national quarterfinals with wins over Amherst, No. 5 Ramapo, and No. 2 Christopher Newport before falling to eventual national champion Babson College, ranked No. 3 at the time.
The highest regular season ranking in school history is No. 13, which also took place in the 2016-17 season.
Ahead of Tuesday's game against Albertus Magnus, the Owls have won six straight to start the season for the first time since 2014-15. The Owls have won all six games by an average of 22 points, and rank sixth nationally in scoring offense at 94.2 points per game.
KSC is led by senior co-captain Jeff Hunter, who is averaging 22 points per game, 12.2 rebounds per game, 3.6 blocks per game, and shooting 75% from the floor. Hunter ranks third nationally in blocked shots (22), and in field goals made (57), fourth in field goal percentage (75%), fifth in double-doubles (four), rebounds (73), offensive rebounds per game (5 per), and sixth in blocks per game (3.6 per).
Other standouts for KSC include sophomore co-captain Octavio Brito (21.2 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 3.0 apg, 45% 3ptFG), junior guard Mason Jean Baptiste (11.7 ppg, 42% FG, 36% 3ptFG), sophomore guard Spencer Aronson (9.2 ppg, 43% 3ptFG), and junior guard Nate Siow (7.3 ppg, 3.3 apg).
There are three chances to see the Owls in action before the end of the semester; in addition to Tuesday's 7 p.m. game against Albertus Magnus, the Owls host Plymouth State on December 7 at 7:30 p.m. and Rhode Island College on December 10 at 3 p.m. Tickets for each game can be purchased here: https://keene.universitytickets.com/
Original source can be found here.
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