NEW YORK | A rematch?

The Skyline Conference's 12 head men's basketball coaches cast their votes in the 2024-25 edition of the preseason coaches poll, selecting championship finalists Farmingdale State and Yeshiva to finish atop the rankings, with last winter’s runner up YU tabbed as the No. 1 team in the field.

FSC – the league’s two-time defending champion – is second in the overall rankings, but first in the Black Division. The Macs are first in the Gold Division. In the full poll, both teams each received six first-place votes, with YU garnering a league-best 116 points to narrowly eclipse the Rams’ 115. Sarah Lawrence (88), Manhattanville (86) and U.S. Merchant Marine Academy (76) round out the top five, respectively, with SLC and Manhattanville tied in the Gold Division to finish vying for second place.

Coaches voted on the full poll and ranked teams by division in a second poll. That polling has FSC, USMMA and Maritime finishing first, second and third, respectively in the Black Division. In the rank by division poll, FSC received five first-place votes, with USMMA receiving the other, and YU replicating the five in the other division, with SLC receiving the other first-place vote.  

Last winter, top-seeded FSC earned an 87-68 victory over No. 2-seed YU in the Skyline Conference Championship final to capture consecutive crowns. The Rams graduated stars Nick Hurowitz and Corey Powell, who was named Tournament Most Outstanding Player, but return some key members from the championship team, including Jevon Santos and Kentrell Evans.

Meantime, the stars of YU’s championship runner-up squad is back, notably Zevi Samet (below) and Or Sundjyvsky. Sundjyvsky led the Macs with 22 points in the final last February.
 
The 2025 Skyline Conference Championship commences in late February. Quarterfinals will take place on Feb. 25, with the semifinals on Feb. 27 and the finals on March 1. The league champion receives automatic qualification to the NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Championship.

2024-25 Skyline Conference Men's Basketball Preseason Coaches Poll

1. Yeshiva (6 first-place votes), 116 pts.
2. Farmingdale State (6), 115
3. Sarah Lawrence, 88
4. Manhattanville, 86
5. U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, 76
6. Maritime, 70
7. St. Joseph’s-Long Island, 60
8. Purchase, 55
9. Mount Saint Vincent, 52
10. Mount Saint Mary, 37
11. St. Joseph’s-Brooklyn, 19
12. Old Westbury, 18
 
Rank by Division

Black Division

1. Farmingdale State (5 first-place votes), 25
2. U.S. Merchant Marine Academy (1), 18
3. Maritime, 17
4. St. Joseph’s-Long Island, 15
5. Old Westbury, 8
6. St. Joseph’s-Brooklyn, 7

Gold Division

1. Yeshiva (5 first-place votes), 25
2t. Sarah Lawrence (1) and Manhattanville, 19
4. Purchase, 11
5. Mount Saint Vincent, 10
6. Mount Saint Mary, 6