NAPERVILLE, Ill. – Augustana was selected to win the 2017-18 College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) men’s basketball title according to the results of a preseason coaches’ poll announced Wednesday.
 
The Vikings (24-9, 11-5) won the poll with 63 points and seven first place votes, one year after the Grey Giovanine-led program advanced to the NCAA Division III national title game for the second time in three seasons. Augustana was one of three teams to share the CCIW title last year, the program’s 16th in conference history and eighth under Giovanine.
 
North Central (18-11, 9-7) finished second in the poll with 56 points and one first place vote after becoming the first No. 4 seed to win the CCIW Tournament title last season. With the tournament title, North Central earned the conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Men’s Basketball Championship and advanced to the regional final.
 
Carthage (18-8, 11-5) was third with 47 points and one first place vote. The Red Men earned a share of the conference regular season title last season, their sixth in program history and fifth under head coach Bosko Djurickovic. It was also Carthage’s first CCIW title since 2010.
 
Illinois Wesleyan (17-8, 9-7) placed fourth with 42 points as the Titans finished tied for fourth with North Central last season, but missed out on a CCIW Tournament berth via a tiebreaker.
 
Wheaton (12-13, 8-8) was fifth with 38 points, while North Park (18-8, 11-5) finished sixth with 24 points. The Vikings’ share of the 2017 CCIW title was their first since 1987, seventh title overall and first under head coach Tom Slyder.
 
Carroll (13-12, 8-8), Elmhurst (8-17, 4-12) and Millikin (3-22, 1-15) rounded out the poll with 23, 22 and nine points respectively.
 
Voting is done by the CCIW's head men’s basketball coaches. Each coach votes for the eight other schools in the conference in order of predicted finish. Points are assigned in reverse order of voting (eight points for first, seven for second, etc.). Coaches do not vote for their own teams. The CCIW men’s basketball season begins November 15.
 
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The College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) was founded in 1946 and currently services nine member institutions including Augustana College (Rock Island, IL), Carroll University (Waukesha, WI), Carthage College (Kenosha, WI), Elmhurst College (Elmhurst, IL), Illinois Wesleyan University (Bloomington, IL), Millikin University (Decatur, IL), North Central College (Naperville, IL), North Park University (Chicago, IL) and Wheaton College (Wheaton, IL). During the 2016-17 academic year, the CCIW honored over 1,900 academic all-conference recipients, 10 CoSIDA Academic All-Americans, 33 CoSIDA Academic All-District recipients, one CoSIDA Academic All-American of the Year and over 100 all-Americans.