ROCK HILL, S.C. --- The Tusculum University men's basketball team has been picked to finish ninth according to the 2025-26 South Atlantic Conference Coaches' Poll.

Tusculum guard Bryce Jackson was named to the Preseason All-Conference first team while sophomore forward TJ Printup was named to the "Players to Watch" List.

The Pioneers received 54 total points in a vote of the league's 12 head coaches.

Defending SAC Tournament and NCAA Division II Southeast Region Champion Lenoir-Rhyne is the favorite to capture the SAC regular season title. The Bears received 128 points including eight first place votes. Anderson and Lincoln Memorial are tied for second in the poll with 109 points. Carson-Newman is fourth with 104 points, followed by Catawba (97), UVA Wise (86), Wingate (70), Newberry (60), Tusculum (54), Coker (50), Emory & Henry (31) and Mars Hill (26).

Jackson, a 6-3, 185-pound graduate student from Murfreesboro, Tennessee, earned All-SAC third team honors last year as he led TU in scoring, averaging 18.6 points per game (6^th in SAC / 61^st in NCAA II). He started in all 28 games where he scored in double figures on 25 occasions including 12 times with 20 or more points including two outings with 30-plus markers.

Jackson was listed among the conference leaders in steals, averaging 1.75 per game which ranked in him fourth in the SAC. He led the team in minutes played (33.33 mpg – 10^th in SAC), field goals made (176 – 9^th in SAC), field goal attempts (401 – 4^th in SAC), free throws made (130 – 5^th in SAC), free throw attempts (171 – 5^th in SAC), total steals (49 – 8^th in SAC) and total points (520 – 9^th in SAC). He also averaged 5.6 rebounds per game and shot 76 percent from the free throw line.

Jackson shined off the court as well as he graduated from Tusculum in just three years and garnered summa cum laude honors while earning his Bachelor of Science degree last May. He was named an Academic All-America by the College Sports Communicators and was selected to the NABC Honors Court.

Printup, a 6-6, 185-pound native of Adairsville, Georgia, averaged 7.4 points and 4.2 rebounds per contest as he missed the first half of the season due to injury. He totaled 119 points, 67 rebounds, 14 assists, 14 steals and 10 blocked shots.

Printup is a member of the SAC Commissioner's Honor Roll and the Athletic Director's Honor Roll.

Tusculum will be in action this Monday for an exhibition game against NCAA Division I College of Charleston. TU will open the regular season on Nov. 14 when they face Clayton State University in the Southeast Region Crossover event in Murfreesboro, North Carolina, hosted by Chowan University.

SAC Men's Basketball Coaches' Poll

Preseason All-South Atlantic Conference Team
Ian Blue, Anderson
Jack Browder, Carson-Newman
Bryce Jackson, Tusculum
Conrad Luczynski, Lenoir-Rhyne
Evan Ramsey, UVA Wise
Nick Walker, Catawba
AJ Wright, Jr., Anderson

SAC Players to Watch
Carson-Newman: Braden Ilic
Catawba: Ibra Athie
Coker: Isayah Owens, Aaron Hall
Emory & Henry: Jackson Crawford, Korbin Dixon
Lenoir-Rhyne: Julian Dozier
Lincoln Memorial: Nate Mims, Yassin Hussein
Mars Hill: Aljaz Vidmar, Jaheim Taylor
Newberry: Drake Downs, Malakhi Stremlow
Tusculum: TJ Printup
UVA Wise: Patrick Shelley
Wingate: Jordan Miller, Corbin Pack