Virginia Union University's men's basketball team has been ranked #23 in the nation in the Pre-Season Poll by the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC).

The Panthers are coming off a 23-7 season which saw the team come within three points of the CIAA Championship in 2021-22.

It's an honor to be recognized by the NABC coaches in the first pre-season poll," said VUU Head Men's Basketball Coach Jay Butler.  "Our goal is to finish the season in the top 25 with a CIAA Championship and NCAA tournament bid."

The Panthers will be led by Pre-Season All-CIAA Members Robert Osborne, Raemaad Wright and Keleaf Tate.

Osborne, a senior forward from Richmond, Va., led the Panthers with an average of 13.3 points per game last season.  He scored a season-high 28 points against Claflin last season.  

Wright, a senior forward from Suffolk, Va., led VUU in rebounds with an average of 7.1 boards per game last season.  He also averaged 8.0 points per game in 2021-22.

Tate, a senior guard from Washington, D.C., led the Panthers with 145 three-pointers from a season ago.  Tate also averaged 9.5 points per game last season.

VUU will tip off the 2022-23 season by taking part in the PSAC/CIAA Conference Challenge in Petersburg, Va.  The Panthers will play Shippensburg University at 5:00 p.m. on Friday, November 11, and will then face Millersville University at 4:00 p.m. on Saturday, November 12.