LANCASTER, Pa. – Defending champion Johns Hopkins has been selected as the favorite to repeat in the 2021-22 Centennial Conference Men's Basketball Preseason Poll, narrowly edging Swarthmore for the top spot. The Blue Jays secured 11 first-place votes and 155 points, while the Garnet compiled eight first-place votes and 151 points. 

Muhlenberg was the clear-cut choice to finish third with 125 points and the other first-place nod. The final two projected playoff teams were Franklin & Marshall (94) and Ursinus (93) in fourth and fifth place, respectively. 

Haverford was close behind in sixth with 85 points, followed by Gettysburg (69), Washington College (62), Dickinson (46), and McDaniel (20). 

The 2021-22 season tips off this weekend with a quartet of Centennial squads in action. All 10 CC teams will open their campaigns by Friday, Nov. 12. Conference play is set to begin on Tuesday, Nov. 23, with the five-team conference tournament slated for Feb. 22-25-26. 

2021-22 Schedule | 2019-20 Results | 2019-20 Statistical Leaders | 2019-20 Championship Results | 2019-20 All-Centennial Team 

Centennial Conference men's basketball will make its much-anticipated return to the court this winter after a one-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic. When we last left off, Johns Hopkins captured the Centennial title in the most dramatic fashion imaginable, as Conner Delaney drained a jumper as time expired in the championship game to hand top-ranked Swarthmore its only defeat of the season. Both the Garnet and Blue Jays qualified for the NCAA Tournament, with the Garnet advancing to the Sweet 16 before the remainder of the tournament was cancelled. 

Swarthmore and Hopkins are projected to compete for hardware at both the conference and national levels this season, as evidenced by the CC preseason poll results and both squads' spots in the national rankings. In the D3hoops.com Preseason National Rankings, Swarthmore is ranked No. 8 while JHU came in at No. 14. The two sides have traded off CC titles over the past four years, with Swarthmore winning in 2017 and 2019 and Hopkins in 2018 and 2020. 

Seven All-Centennial players will be back on the court this year, led by JHU's Delaney. Delaney put together one of the most impressive campaigns in Centennial history in 2019-20, compiling a lengthy list of accolades including National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) All-America first team, D3hoops.com All-America third team, D3hoops.com Regional Player of the Year, and CC Player of the Year. The point guard also received some preseason recognition entering this year, as he was recently named to the D3hoops.com Preseason All-America third team. Teammate Tom Quarry also returns to the Blue Jays as an all-conference performer, having earned second team accolades in 2020. 

Swarthmore welcomes back the most All-CC returners of any team with George Visconti, Vinny DeAngelo and Conor Harkins all back in the fold. Visconti was a second team All-CC pick in 2020, DeAngelo was honorable mention and Rookie of the Year in 2020, and Harkins received honorable mention honors in 2019. DeAngelo also received regional and national distinctions throughout his first collegiate campaign, as he was named the National and Regional Rookie of the Year by D3hoops. 

Muhlenberg's Dan Gaines is one of just two multi-time all-conference returners back this season, joining Delaney in that club. Gaines was a first-teamer in 2020 in addition to being a second-teamer and CC Rookie of the Year in 2019. He was also named D3hoops.com All-Region second team in 2020, and was recently selected to the D3hoops.com Preseason All-America squad as an honorable mention.  

Ursinus' Ryan Hughes also returns after securing second team All-CC accolades in 2020. 

2021-22 Centennial Conference Men's Basketball Preseason Poll