Titans Tabbed To Finish Second In WIAC
OSHKOSH, Wis.- The nationally ranked UW-Oshkosh men's basketball team was picked to finish second in the 2024 WIAC standings in a poll conducted by the league's head coaches and sports information directors.
The Titans (24-7, 13-1 WIAC record in 2023), ranked 25th in the NCAA Division III D3hoops.com preseason poll, won their 15th league regular season title last year with 12 consecutive wins between Jan. 7 and Feb. 24. The title was their third in the last five years. They also advanced to the Elite Eight for the fourth time in program history after taking second in the WIAC Tournament.
Second-ranked UW-Whitewater (25-8, 9-5 WIAC) was chosen as the league champion for the upcoming season.
Rounding out the preseason poll were UW-La Crosse (19-7, 10-4) in third, UW-Platteville (14-12, 7-7) fourth, UW-River Falls (11-15, 5-9) fifth, UW-Eau Claire (17-10, 8-60 sixth, UW-Stevens Point (10-15, 3-11) seventh and UW-Stout (5-20, 1-13) eighth.
UW-Oshkosh sixth-year head coach Matt Lewis welcomes back two of last year's five starters that allowed a league-low 63.5 points per game and a .423 and held opponents to just 42.3 percent from the field and 32.3 percent from three.
Jonah Rindfleisch (Jr. • Milwaukee) and Quinn Steckbauer (Sr. • Merrill) return after starting 31 and 16 games, respectively.
Steckbauer, an All-WIAC Honorable Mention in 2022 and 2023, is joined by Will Mahoney (Sr. • Appleton), who earned Honorable Mention status in 2021.
Other key returners include Joseph Adamson (Sr. • Horicon), Reed Gunnink (Sr. •Brandon) and Carter Thomas (So. • Neenah).
UW-Whitewater, last season's league tournament champion, returns all five starters. UW-La Crosse returns three, UW-Platteville five, UW-River Falls four, UW-Eau Claire two, UW-Stevens Point four and UW-Stout four.
The Warhawks, Eagles and Pointers have new head coaches at the helm this year. Jarod Wichser will serve as interim head coach in Whitewater, JT Gritzmacher will lead La Crosse and Kent Dernbach, who was the Eagles' head coach for the last seven seasons and served as the interim head coach in Stevens Point for 13 games during the 2016-17 campaign takes over for the Pointers.
UW-Oshkosh opens the 2023-24 season at home on Nov. 8 against Illinois Tech in Kolf Sports Center for its Welcome Back Bash and Titans Care Mental Health Awareness Night. The Titans start their WIAC schedule at Whitewater on Jan. 3. Highlights of their nonconference schedule include competing in the Great Lakes Invitational in Springfield, Ohio on Nov. 17-18, flying to Washington state to face Whitworth University and Whitman College on Dec. 7 and 9 and hosting their annual Winter Classic at the Oshkosh Arena on Dec. 29 and 30.