SEWARD, Neb. – In the 2025-26 GPAC Men’s Basketball Preseason Coaches’ Poll released on Thursday (Oct. 16) by the league office, Concordia University, Nebraska Men’s Basketball landed in a tie for third. The Bulldogs accumulated 78 points in the poll, placing them behind Northwestern (100) and Morningside (86). The Red Raiders scooped up 10 of the 11 first-place votes with the other first-place nod going to Dordt (78 points).
Head Coach Ben Limback’s program is coming off a 2024-25 season that saw Concordia finish at 26-7 overall and in a tie for second place in the GPAC regular season standings (16-4 league mark). The Bulldogs went on to place as the GPAC tournament runner up and reach the second round of the national tournament behind NAIA First Team All-American Tristan Smith.
The 2025-26 team will have a new look after saying goodbye to the likes of Smith, Noah Schutte and Brad Bennett. Two starters return in Hayden Frank and Jaxon Stueve (Honorable Mention All-GPAC). Other key returners from last season include guards Brooks Kissinger, Dane Jacobsen and Zac Kulus and forward Logan Wilson.
Said Limback as part of a preseason interview, “The theme the team chose this year, ‘run as one,’ is a big part of it. They’ve identified things that could potentially trip us up or pose challenges to us this season. ‘Run as one’ is a combined effort. We might not have All-Americans at this point, but we have enough talent in the locker room to make some noise at the GPAC and national levels. In order to do that, we have to put aside selfish desires and compete as one unit. So far, we’ve seen it. I like the leadership growth out of Zac and a lot of guys who have been waiting their turn for these moments. I always like how the ball is moving. It seems like a group that is already bought into each other, which is great to see. We’ll see what we’re made of here in a few weeks.”
The ’25-26 season is slated to officially tip off on Saturday, Oct. 25 with a trip to Graceland University (Iowa). The first home appearance will come at the annual Cattle Classic (Nov. 7-8). The complete schedule can be found HERE.
2025-26 GPAC Men’s Basketball Preseason Coaches’ Poll
--First-place votes in parentheses
1. Northwestern – 100 (10)
2. Morningside – 86
T3. Concordia – 78
T3. Dordt – 78 (1)
5. Midland – 60
6. Briar Cliff – 59
7. Dakota Wesleyan – 42
8. Mount Marty – 36
9. Hastings – 33
10. Doane – 23
11. Waldorf – 11