ROCK HILL, S.C. — On the heels of a trip to the South Atlantic Conference Championship title game and its fourth consecutive NCAA Tournament bid, the Catawba College men's basketball team was voted third in the SAC Preseason Coaches' Poll released Friday. Junior twins Carson Daniel and Chase Daniel were recognized as players to watch.
The Catawba Indians rolled to a 23-9 overall record while going 16-6 in league play last season, culminating in an NCAA Regional berth as the No. 3 seed in the Southeast. Marquee wins included triumphs over No. 16 Columbus State and No. 21 Lenoir-Rhyne, as well as three more victories against "receiving votes" opponents. The blue and white continued its dominance on home court with a 12-1 clip; Catawba is 34-5 on home court across the last three campaigns.
The "Daniel Duo" was instrumental in the Catawba Indians' success, tormenting the conference with a combined 4.3 steals and 9.0 assists per game to rank inside the top five individually. Carson enjoyed a breakout sophomore season with starts in all but one contest, averaging 7.6 points, 4.8 assists and 2.0 steals. Chase missed some time mid-season, but failed to miss a beat with similar numbers at 7.4 points, 4.4 boards, 4.2 assists and 2.3 steals per game. The pair combined for 129 assists, putting Chase fifth and Carson seventh in program history.
Including the Daniels, eight student-athletes return to the squad with nine newcomers joining the program. Zion McDuffie and Jalen Hilliard are the most tenured on the team as the forwards enter their fourth years wearing blue and white. LeVionne Lindsey started 12 games while putting up 6.2 points in 19.5 minutes per tilt.
Division I transfers Ifiok Peter (Western Illinois) and Jeremy Ellis (Alcorn State) enter the fold for their senior campaigns. Among the freshmen is guard Braylon Taylor who comes across the street from Salisbury High School after helping the Hornets win the state title, claiming MVP awards in the NCHSAA 4A Championship and the East-West All-Star Game.
Catawba begins the 2026-27 campaign receiving votes in the NABC Coaches Poll after doing so twice last year, earning national recognition in preseason and on Jan. 13 at the peak of a six-game winning streak. Both home non-conference tests will be against defending NCAA Tournament foes Virginia Union and No. 7 Lander, last season's national runner-up.
The season tips off on Monday, Nov. 9, against Virginia Union at 7 p.m. inside Goodman Arena. All home and SAC matchups are streamed live on FloCollege with live stats links located on CatawbaAthletics.com.
2026-27 SAC Preseason Coaches' Poll
1. Lenoir-Rhyne (115 points, 5 first-place votes)
2. Lincoln Memorial (111, 5 FPV)
3. Catawba (103, 1 FPV)
T4. Tusculum (80, 1 FPV)
T4. Carson-Newman (80)
6. Wingate (74)
7. UVA Wise (56)
8. Emory & Henry (44)
9. Newberry (41)
10. Coker (36)
11. Mars Hill (34)
12. Anderson (18)
