FOREST, Va. --- The goal is to be the last team standing at the end of the season. That was reality for Randolph-Macon College in 2021-22 with the Yellow Jackets adding the Division III trophy to its third straight conference crown. The journey begins anew in a few days for each league squad with R-MC starting from the top as the headliner of the 2022-23 ODAC Men's Basketball Preseason Poll.

Randolph-Macon collected 142 points powered by 10 first place votes in the annual survey of the ODAC's head coaches. Roanoke College garnered the remaining three top nods on the way to 127 markers. Guilford College registered 115 tallies to sit third, while Virginia Wesleyan University (107), Hampden-Sydney College (103), and Washington and Lee University (102) each cracked the century mark.

In the sections below, we look back to what we saw during the 2021-22 campaign and take a look at what to expect entering the new season.

2021-22 ODAC TOURNAMENT | BRACKET

• The ODAC Men's Basketball Tournament returned to the Salem Civic Center following on-campus first round play after seeing the full slate of tournament contests competed on campus in 2020-21.
• Top-seeded Randolph-Macon, armed with a 16-0 league record, met third-seeded Virginia Wesleyan for the ODAC title.
• R-MC earned its title game appearance by defeating #9 Bridgewater, 80-56, in the quarterfinals before posting a 75-58 victory over #5 Roanoke in the semifinals.
• Virginia Wesleyan scored a 65-52 victory over #6 Lynchburg in the quarterfinals and then clawed out a 77-74 win over #2 Guilford in the semifinals.
• In the title game, R-MC and VWU were near even in the first half with the Yellow Jackets taking a 37-36 edge to the intermission; Randolph-Macon opened the second frame on a 16-4 run, providing the cushion it needed on the way to a 74-59 victory.
• Randolph-Macon's win marked its third straight and ninth overall ODAC title; only Roanoke and Hampden-Sydney have won more with 10 titles each

2022 NCAA TOURNAMENT | BRACKET

• Randolph-Macon may have been the lone ODAC school in the 64-team NCAA bracket, but the Yellow Jackets carried the conference's banner highest of all on the way to claiming the program's first Division III men's basketball national title.
• R-MC's path began with hosting responsibilities in the first and second rounds; the Yellow Jackets topped Mitchell, 99-57, before dispatching Babson, 67-51, in round two.
• Crenshaw gymnasium was again the host venue for sectional and quarterfinal action; R-MC defeated UMass-Dartmouth, 92-69, and then took care of WPI, 76-53, to punch its ticket to the national semifinals.
• Allen County War Memorial Coliseum in Fort Wayne, Ind., hosted the final four teams in the tournament.
• Randolph-Macon squared off with Marietta College (Ohio) in the semifinals and sent the Pioneers packing, 81-63.
• The Yellow Jackets met Elmhurst College (Ill.) for the NCAA's walnut & bronze prize; R-MC dominated the matchup, posting a 75-45 triumph to lift the Division III trophy.

THE NATIONAL SCENE ENTERING 2022-23

• The D3hoops.com Top-25 Preseason Poll features three ODAC schools; Randolph-Macon opens the season #1 in the country with 593 points powered by 17 first place votes; Hampden-Sydney (12) and Roanoke (10) are receiving votes towards the poll.

WELCOME TO THE ODAC!

• Averett University became the 15th full-time member of the ODAC on July 1 and opens its first season of ODAC men's basketball in 2022-23; the Cougars previously played out of the USA South Athletic Conference.
• Head coach David Doino, a two-time All-ODAC honoree during his playing days at Virginia Wesleyan, earned USA South Coach of the Year honors in 2022 after leading the Cougars to the East Division regular season title and the USA South Tournament crown.
• Averett earned the USA South automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament; AU dropped its first round game, 65-60, to Emory University.
• The Cougars have a strong pedigree of titles from the USA South; they claimed regular season crowns in 1990, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2015, 2017, 2020, and 2022; they won tournament titles in 1990, 2007, 2008, 2009, and 2022.

RETURNING STATISTICAL LEADERS
The athletes listed below represent the top-three returning statistical leaders for each category from the 2021-22 season.

• Points/Game | 20.5 - Kasey Draper, RC; 17.9 - Robert DiSibio, W&L; 15.3 - Miles Mallory, RMC
• Points | 554 - Kasey Draper, RC; 520 - Miles Mallory, RC; 411 - Robert DiSibio, W&L/Josh Talber, RMC
• FG Pct. | 68.5% - Justin Kuthan, RC; 58.1% - Josh Talbert, RMC; 57.0% - Miles Mallory, RMC
• FG Made | 221-of-388 - Miles Mallory, RMC; 198-of-413 - Kasey Draper, RC; 172-of-296 - Josh Talbert, RMC
• 3FG Pct. | 54.2% - Zach Rosenthal, RC; 47.2% - Will Coble, RMC; 43.6% - Julien Hagerman, EMU
• 3FG Made | 63-of-154 - Danny Bickey, RAND; 60-of-127 - Will Coble, RMC; 54-of-146 - Jordan Phillips-McLoyd, RAND
• FT Pct. | 92.5% - Jerry Goodman, RAND; 86.9% - Ryan Clements, HSC; 78.5% - Alec Topper, BC
• FT Made | 121-of-172 - Kasey Draper, RC; 109-of-152 - Shod Smith, BC; 83-of-116 - Robert DiSibio, W&L
• Rebounds/Game | 8.5 - Julius Burch, GC; 8.4 - Miles Mallory, RMC; 7.3 - Alec Topper, BC
• Rebounds | 286 - Miles Mallory, RMC; 212 - Julius Burch, GC; 184 - Kasey Draper, RC
• Assists/Game | 4.8 - Shod Smith, BC; 4.7 - Josh Talbert, RMC; 3.3 - Sam Wise, W&L
• Assists | 149 - Josh Talbert, RMC; 126 - Shod Smith, BC; 73 - Jerry Goodman, RAND
• Steals/Game | 2.2 - Tyler Dearman, GC; 2.1 - Shod Smith, BC; 1.9 - Josh Talbert, RMC
• Steals | 61 - Josh Talbert, RMC; 56 - Tyler Dearman, GC; 55 - Shod Smith, BC
• Blocked Shots/Game | 2.6 - Miles Mallory, RMC; 1.0 - Mark Burkholder, EMU; 0.7 - Davidson Hubbard, HSC
• Blocked Shots | 90 - Miles Mallory, RMC; 24 - Mark Burkholder, EMU; 16 - Davidson Hubbard, HSC

RETURNING ALL-ODAC TALENT | 2021-22 ALL-ODAC MEN'S BASKETBALL AWARDS
ODAC fans will recognize plenty of returning stars to ODAC courts, but there is still room for new individuals to garner honors with 11 of last season's 18 All-ODAC honorees appearing on league rosters in 2022-23. The All-ODAC First Team will look different with just two of the six selections back, but four All-ODAC Second Team picks and five All-ODAC Third Team choices return.

Randolph-Macon head coach Josh Merkel has won the past five Bob Johnson Coach of the Year awards. He leads a list of four special award returners. Fellow Yellow Jacket Miles Mallory is back after earning ODAC Defensive Player of the Year laurels. Bridgewater's Shod Smith was the 2021-22 ODAC Rookie of the Year, and Roanoke's Kasey Draper earned ODAC/Virginia Farm Bureau Insurance Scholar-Athlete of the Year honors.

• All-ODAC First Team
  • Miles Mallory, F, Randolph-Macon
  • Kasey Draper, G/F, Roanoke
• All-ODAC Second Team
  • Tyler Deaman, G, Guilford
  • Ryan Clements, G, Hampden-Sydney
  • Josh Talbert, G, Randolph-Macon
  • Robert DiSibio, F, Washington and Lee
• All-ODAC Third Team
  • Shod Smith, G, Bridgewater
  • Alec Topper, F, Bridgewater
  • Julius Burch, F, Guilford
  • Efosa U-Edosomwan, G, Roanoke
  • Jack d'Entremont, F, Washington and Lee

ROAMING THE SIDELINES
Coaching has always been a strong feature since the ODAC opened its doors for the 1976-77 season. A few new coaches have joined the ranks over the past several years, but elite coaching remains a standard in the conference.

Guilford's Tom Palombo and Virginia Wesleyan's Dave Macedo have combined to win 901 games in the men's ranks. Macedo owns a .731 winning percentage on the way to 452 victories, all guiding the Marlins program. Palombo has won 449 games as a men's mentor into 349 at Guilford. He also spent seven seasons as a women's coach at VWU and Defiance College, adding 141 more victories to his resumé.

Randolph-Macon's Josh Merkel has corralled five straight Bob Johnson Coach of the Year awards from his ODAC peers. He has won almost 80-percent (147-38) of his games since arriving in Ashland eight years ago. Roanoke's Clay Nunley and Lynchburg's Hilliary Scott have each won over 200 games.

In terms of milestones, Palombo is one win shy of 450 as a men's coach and 350 at Guilford. He is 10 victories short of 600 combined in the men's and women's ranks.

Below are the win-loss records for each coach entering the 2022-23 season.

• David Doino (AU) -- Overall: 111-92 (.547) in 8 seasons | at AU: 111-92 (.547) in 8 seasons
• Steve Enright (BC) -- Overall: 21-38 (.356) in 3 seasons | at BC: 21-38 (.356) in 3 seasons
• Melvin Felix (EMU) -- Overall: 27-52 (.342) in 4 seasons | at EMU: 27-52 (.342) in 4 seasons
• Patrick Corrigan (FC) -- First Season as a Collegiate Head Coach
• Tom Palombo (GC) -- Overall: 449-217 (.674) in 25 seasons | at GC: 349-154 (.694) in 19 seasons
  • 4x ODAC Coach of the Year: 2004, 07, 09, 17 
  • Coached women's basketball at Virginia Wesleyan and Defiance with a 141-50 (.738) record in 7 seasons
• Caleb Kimbrough (H-SC) -- Overall: 56-68 (.452) in 6 seasons | at H-SC: 30-28 (.517) in 3 seasons
• Hilliary Scott (LYN) -- Overall: 204-153 (.571) in 14 seasons | at LYN: 204-153 (.571) in 14 seasons
• Pete Hamilton (RAND) -- Overall: 42-96 (.304) in 6 seasons | at RAND: 42-96 (.304) in 6 seasons
• Josh Merkel (R-MC) -- Overall: 213-79 (.729) in 11 seasons | at R-MC: 147-38 (.795) in 7 seasons
  • 5x ODAC Coach of the Year: 2018-22
• Clay Nunley (RC) -- Overall: 222-164 (.575) in 15 seasons | at RC: 99-48 (.673) in 6 seasons
  • 2x ODAC Coach of the Year: 2011, 13
• Nick Doyle (SU) -- First Season as a Collegiate Head Coach
• Dave Macedo (VWU) -- Overall: 452-166 (.731) in 22 seasons | at VWU: 452-166 (.731) in 22 seasons
  • 2x ODAC Coach of the Year: 2006, 12
• Chris McHugh (W&L) -- Overall: 72-36 (.667) in 5 seasons | at W&L: 72-36 (.667) in 5 seasons

THE 2022-23 SCHEDULE AND TOURNAMENT

• Division III men's basketball kicks off for all schools on November 8; seven ODAC schools will be in action on that first Tuesday of the sport calendar.
• ODAC teams will play as many as nine non-conference games in addition to 16 ODAC contests (25 total regular season games permitted).
• ODAC teams will play each league team once and four twice with eight home and eight away outings.
• The top-10 teams by ODAC record in the league standings will qualify for the ODAC Tournament.
• The first round of the ODAC Tournament is slated for Tuesday, February 21 at the #7 and #8 seeds.
• The two winners will join Seeds 1-6 at the Salem Civic Center for the conference's traditional tournament framework that features four quarterfinal games on Friday, February 24, both semifinal contests on Saturday, February 25, and the championship on Sunday, February 26.
• The NCAA Tournament will be announced the following Monday on www.ncaa.com. 

For more information on ODAC men's basketball, visit the websites of any of the participating schools, or go to the ODAC's home on the Internet at www.odaconline.com.  Don't forget to become a fan of the ODAC on Facebook and follow @odacathletics on Twitter and Instagram.