The Hope College men’s basketball topped the 2016-17 Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association Preseason Coaches Poll.
Coach Greg Mitchell’s Flying Dutchmen — the reigning MIAA champion — garnered six of eight first-place votes for 48 points. They finished five points ahead of second-place Alma, which received the other two first-place votes.
Coaches could not vote for their own teams. The preseason poll awards eight points for a first-place vote, seven points for a second-place vote, et cetera.
Trine ranked third in the poll with 35 points and was followed by Albion (29), Calvin (27), Kalamazoo (20), Adrian (13) and Olivet (9).
Hope won the MIAA regular season title last season with a 13-1 league record. Hope finished with with a 24-4 overall record after advancing to the second round of the NCAA Division III Tournament.
The Flying Dutchmen tip off this season on Friday-Saturday, Nov. 18-19 at the Wisconsin Stout Tournament.