GREENVILLE, S.C. — The University of Mount Olive men's basketball team was selected to finish eighth in the 2026-27 Conference Carolinas Men's Basketball Preseason Poll, as announced by the league office Thursday.
The Trojans received 115 points to rank eighth in the 16-team preseason poll. UNC Pembroke topped the rankings with 219 points and nine first-place votes, followed by Chowan University with 201 points and four first-place votes. Young Harris College rounded out the top three with 197 points and the remaining three first-place votes.
Emmanuel University placed fourth with 172 points, followed by North Greenville University with 158 points. Barton College (150) and Francis Marion University (129) ranked sixth and seventh, respectively, ahead of Mount Olive. Southern Wesleyan University (103), Belmont Abbey College (102), King University (99), Converse University (95), Ferrum College (61), Lees-McRae College (53), Shorter University (51) and Erskine College (15) completed the poll.
Mount Olive returns several key contributors heading into the 2026-27 season, including Matt Kirby,
Christian Ananaba and
Dante Kiesenhofer, who were each named to the Conference Carolinas Men's Basketball Players to Watch list.
Kirby, a junior guard from Wilson, North Carolina, returns to the Trojans' backcourt as Mount Olive prepares for the upcoming campaign. Kirby averaged 13.8 points and 4.5 assists on 38.6% shooting from downtown last season.
Ananaba, a sophomore guard/forward from Raleigh, North Carolina, will also look to make an impact in his second season with the program after averaging 9.8 points and 4.4 rebounds on a 54.2% field goal percentage last year.
Kiesenhofer, a junior forward from Holly Springs, North Carolina, rounds out Mount Olive's selections on the Players to Watch list as the Trojans look to climb the conference standings in 2026-27. Kiesenhofer played in 13 games last season due to injuries, but made an immediate impact once on the court.
The preseason poll was voted on by the league's head coaches, who were not permitted to vote for their own school.
