ANDERSON, S.C. - After being picked to finish third in the South Atlantic Conference this season in a vote by the league's coaches, the Anderson men's basketball team received votes in the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Division II coaches' poll, as released on Friday.

The Trojans were named a "team to watch" by the Division II Bulletin earlier this preseason and joined fellow SAC members Lincoln Memorial and Carson-Newman, which were picked 15th and 22nd, in the NABC Poll.

Lincoln Memorial, the defending SAC champion, was voted No. 1 in the conference's preseason coaches' poll after going 25-6 overall a season ago and earning the program's third consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament. The Railsplitters finished last year ranked 13th in the NABC national poll, and was earlier tabbed 13th in the 2013-14 Division II Bulletin preseason poll.

Carson-Newman finished last season at 20-8 overall and finished fourth in the conference standings, marking their best season since 2007-08.

The Trojans will be looking for their fourth appearance in the NCAA Tournament in five seasons after posting a 19-9 record and earning wins past No. 11 Montevallo and 12th-ranked Lincoln Memorial a year ago.

Anderson's last appearance in the NABC Coaches' Poll came during the 2011-12 campaign that saw the Trojans debut at No. 24 in mid-February and climb as high as 14th, as AU earned a berth in the Sweet 16 en route to a school-record 26-win season.

Anderson will open the season with two contests at the HCCU PBC-SAC Challenge, hosted by Georgia Regents University - Augusta. The Trojans will face Lander on Nov. 9 and the host Jaguars on Sunday, Nov. 10 at Christenberry Fieldhouse.

NABC/Division II Coaches Preseason poll
1. Metropolitan State, Colo. (10 first place votes)
2. Seattle Pacific, Wash. (2 first place votes)
3. West Liberty, W.Va. (2 first place votes)
4. Bellarmine, Ky. (1 first place vote)
5. Minnesota State
6. South Carolina Aiken (1 first place vote)
7. Cal Poly Pomona
8. Drury, Mo.
9. Florida Southern
10. Western Washington
11. Findlay, Ohio
12. Kentucky Wesleyan
13. Midwestern State, Texas
14. Indiana, Pa.
15. Lincoln Memorial, Tenn.
16. Saint Anselm, N.H.
17. Northeastern State, Okla.
18. Southern Indiana
19. Alabama-Huntsville
20. Winona State, Minn.
21. Winston-Salem State, N.C.
22. Carson-Newman, Tenn.
23. North Alabama
24. Livingstone, N.C.
25. Harding, Ark.

Others receiving votes: Christian Brothers (Tenn.) 30, Philadelphia (Pa.) 30, Fort Lewis (Colo.) 27, Augustana (S.D.) 25, Cal State-San Bernardino 20, Montevallo (Ala.) 20, Tarleton State (Texas) 20, Bowie State (Md.) 18, Alaska-Anchorage 16, Franklin Pierce (N.H.) 16, Benedict (S.C.) 15, Dixie State (Utah) 13, Fort Hays State (Kan.) 12, Arkansas Tech 8, Alderson-Broaddus (W.Va.) 7, Anderson (S.C.) 5, New Haven (Conn.) 5, East Stroudsburg (Pa.) 4, Florida Tech 4, Stillman (Ala.) 3, Bridgeport (Conn.) 1. St. Cloud State (Minn.) 1.