BISMARCK, ND (PlayNorthStar.com) [WBB] – Dakota State (S.D.) edged out Mayville State (N.D.) by one point to claim the top spot in the 2023-24 North Star Athletic Association Women’s Basketball Coaches’ Preseason Poll, announced by the conference office Monday.

The Trojans collected four first-place votes and 46 points in the preseason poll, voted by the league’s head coaches.  MSU was second with three first-place votes and 45 points.

Dakota State won their third straight North Star Athletic Association regular-season title last season.  Mayville State defeated DaSU in the postseason tournament’s championship game.  Both teams qualified for the NAIA Women’s Basketball National Tournament.

The Trojans were the first North Star Athletic Association member to advance to the NAIA Women’s Basketball National Tournament’s semifinal game, finishing their 2023-24 season with an overall record of 29-7 and 13-1 record in the NSAA.  Dakota State fell short to the eventual national champion Clarke (Iowa) 79-69 in the national semifinals.

Mayville State was 24-6 overall record and 12-2 record in the North Star contests in 2023-24.  The Comets earned the North Star’s automatic bid to the national tournament, defending Science & Arts (Okla.) in the opening round before falling to host-team Dordt (Iowa) in second round.

Bellevue (Neb.) was picked to finish third with 33 points, followed by Dickinson State (N.D.) fourth with 27 points, Valley City State (N.D.) fifth with 21 points, Viterbo (Wis.) sixth with 15 points, and Waldorf (Iowa) sixth with nine points.

Points are awarded on a 7-1 basis and coaches can vote for their own team.

Each NSAA member will be playing a total of 12 conference games this season, with each team playing home and away games during the conference season.

The 2023-24 NAIA Women’s Basketball season gets underway on Thursday.

The NSAA conference season begins on Jan. 6, 2024, with Dakota State traveling to Bellevue.  Most NSAA contests will begin the following week. The regular-season schedule concludes on Feb. 16-17, 2024.

All seven North Star members will compete in the women’s basketball postseason conference tournament.  This year’s conference postseason tournament will be held at the higher seed campus’ sites in each round.  The opening round, in which the top seed will get a bye, will get underway on Feb. 21, 2024.  The semifinals are set for Sunday, Feb. 25, 2024, with the championship game being held on Sunday, March 3, 2024.

The North Star Women’s Basketball Postseason Tournament’s champion will receive an automatic bid to the NAIA National Tournament’s Opening Round scheduled for March 15-16, 2024.  The winner of the national tournament’s opening round will advance to the final site in Sioux City, Iowa from March 21-26, 2023.

Here is the complete 2023-24 NSAA Women’s Basketball Coaches’ Preseason Poll:

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BISMARCK, ND (PlayNorthStar.com) [MBB] – Mayville State (N.D.) was picked to win the 2023-24 North Star Athletic Association Men’s Basketball conference title, the conference coaches’ preseason poll was announced Monday by the conference office.  Points were awarded on a 7-1 basis and coaches can vote for their own team.

MSU tallied five first place votes and 45 points to earn the top spot in the NSAA Men’s Basketball Coaches’ Preseason Poll.

The Comets swept both the North Star regular-season and postseason tournament titles in 2022-23, finishing with an overall record of 25-6 and 12-2 record in league contests.  MSU defeated Dickinson State (N.D.) for the NSAA postseason tournament’s championship game and qualified for the NAIA national tournament, where they fell to Peru State (Neb.) 101-92 in the opening round.

Viterbo (Wis.) was picked to finish second in the preseason poll after picking up a first-place vote and 41 points.  The Blue Hawks earned the final first-place vote and registered 38 points to finish third in the poll.

Valley City State (N.D.) was fourth with 23 points, followed by Bellevue (Neb.) fifth with 19 points, Dakota State (S.D.) sixth with 16 points, and Waldorf (Iowa) seventh with 14 points.

The 2023-24 NAIA Men’s Basketball officially begins their season on Thursday.

The NSAA conference season gets underway on Jan. 6, 2024, with Bellevue hosting Dakota State.  Most conference games will begin the following week.

Each NSAA member will play a total of 12 conference games, playing six home games and six road games during the conference season.  The regular-season finale is set for Feb. 16-17, 2024.

All seven teams will compete in the North Star Athletic Association basketball postseason tournament.  This year’s conference tournament will be held at the higher seeds’ campus site in each round, starting with the opening round on Wednesday, Feb. 21, 2024.  The top seed will receive a bye in the opening round and play in the semifinals round which is set for Sunday, Feb. 25, 2024.

The NSAA Men’s Basketball Postseason Tournament is set for Sunday, March 3, 2024, at the highest remaining seed in the tournament.

The NSAA’s tournament champion will receive an automatic bid to the NAIA National Tournament’s Opening Round on March 15-16, 2024.  The winner of the national tournament’s opening round will move on to the final site in the NAIA National Championships, held in Kansas City, Mo. from March 21-26, 2024.

Here is the complete 2023-24 NSAA Men’s Basketball Coaches’ Preseason Poll: