The Metro State men's basketball team will open the 2009-10 season ranked No. 13 in the Division II Bulletin Preseason Top 25 poll released last Friday.
The other two Central Region teams with preseason top 25 rankings are No. 12 Southwest Minnesota State, the 2009 Central Region champion, and No. 15 Winona State.
The Roadrunners return just four players from last season's Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference regular season and tournament championship team, but two are starters. Donte Nicholas earned All-RMAC East Division third team honors as a sophomore last winter and will look to carry the scoring load this season. Also returning as a starter is senior Brian Minor, who averaged 6.0 points and 2.0 assists.
Metro State opens the 2009-10 season on Nov. 21 when it hosts South Dakota Tech at 3 p.m. at the Auraria Event Center.
