ST. PAUL, Minn. – The UW-Superior men's basketball team has been picked to finish fifth in the 2019-20 Upper Midwest Athletic Conference Men's Basketball Preseason Poll, the league announced Wednesday.
 
The Yellowjackets received 33 points in the poll, beating out Minnesota Morris and Northland (22 points), North Central (20) and Martin Luther (13).
 
UWS returns 11 players from a team that went 6-19 overall and 4-12 in the league last season and looks to make a jump to contending for a UMAC tournament spot in late February. 
 
The 'Jackets welcome seven newcomers who hope to make an immediate impact. Also back is senior forward Vid Milenkovic (Zurich, Switzerland/DSB Belgrade (Serbia)), an All-UMAC honorable mention selection in 2017-18 before missing the entire 2018-19 season with an injury. Classmate Colton Williams (Columbia Heights, Minn./Columbia Heights) returns, as well, after missing all but two games last season to injury.
 
Milenkovic averaged 14.4 points and 8.2 boards per game in 2017-18 while shooting 53 percent from the field.
 
Senior guard Mac Reykdal (Washburn, Wis./Washburn) earned an All-UMAC honorable-mention selection in 2018-19, averaging 16.2 points and 2.7 rebounds per game and looks to make another step forward this season.
 
Bethany Lutheran was picked to win the conference with 62 points and six first-place votes. Northwestern was second with 59 points and the remaining three first-place votes. St. Scholastica (49 points) and Crown (44) rounded out the top four in the poll.
 
Superior, under third-year head coach Greg Polkowski, opens the regular season hosting the 10th-annual Merrill Thompson Classic Nov. 8-9 at Mertz Mortorelli Gym. The 'Jackets take on Marian at 8 p.m., on the first day and either St. John's or Nebraska Wesleyan on the second.