Virginia Union University's men's basketball team has been ranked #23 in the nation in the Pre-Season Poll by the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC).

The Panthers are coming off a 23-7 season which saw the team come within three points of the CIAA Championship in 2021-22.

It's an honor to be recognized by the NABC coaches in the first pre-season poll," said VUU Head Men's Basketball Coach Jay Butler.  "Our goal is to finish the season in the top 25 with a CIAA Championship and NCAA tournament bid."

The Panthers will be led by Pre-Season All-CIAA Members Robert Osborne, Raemaad Wright and Keleaf Tate.

Osborne, a senior forward from Richmond, Va., led the Panthers with an average of 13.3 points per game last season.  He scored a season-high 28 points against Claflin last season.  

Wright, a senior forward from Suffolk, Va., led VUU in rebounds with an average of 7.1 boards per game last season.  He also averaged 8.0 points per game in 2021-22.

Tate, a senior guard from Washington, D.C., led the Panthers with 145 three-pointers from a season ago.  Tate also averaged 9.5 points per game last season.

VUU will tip off the 2022-23 season by taking part in the PSAC/CIAA Conference Challenge in Petersburg, Va.  The Panthers will play Shippensburg University at 5:00 p.m. on Friday, November 11, and will then face Millersville University at 4:00 p.m. on Saturday, November 12.

The only CIAA program to receive votes besides Virginia Union was Fayetteville State with 46 points, which is just outside the top 25 at 29th. The Broncos are the defending CIAA Conference Champions after defeating the Panthers in the championship and finishing with a 22-9 overall record last year.