Hobart College is the Liberty League Men's Basketball preseason favorite according to a vote of the conference's head coaches. The Statesmen received six of 10 first place votes and claimed the top spot by two points over Skidmore College, which received the other four first place votes.
 
Rensselaer was picked to finish third followed by St. Lawrence, Vassar, Ithaca, RIT, Union, Clarkson and Bard.
 
Fourth-year Head Coach Tim Sweeney returns his top six scorers from last season's team that went 10-6 in conference play and advanced to the Liberty League Tournament championship game.
 
Senior forward Luke Ruddy and junior guard Colin Dougherty will serve as team captains this year. Ruddy, a starter in each of the past two seasons, has averaged 5.7 ppg and 4.2 rpg during his career. He shot a career-high .553 from the floor last season. Dougherty has started every game over the past two seasons. The second team All-Liberty League pick led the Statesmen in scoring (17.3 ppg) and assists (2.6 apg) and was second in rebounding (4.6 rpg). After scoring 467 points last season, Dougherty is 221 points away from becoming the 28th 1,000-point scorer in Hobart history.
 
The Statesmen will likely have two, 1,000-point scorers on the roster by the end of the season as junior guard Jamal Lucas begins the year 267 points away from that milestone. He's averaging 14.1 ppg and 5.5 rpg for his career. He has led Hobart in rebounding in each of the past two seasons. A superb defender, Lucas' 1.8 career spg is the fifth highest all-time by a Statesman.
 
Junior forward Matt Walsh was the first Hobart player off the bench last year, contributing 6.7 ppg and 3.8 rpg. He scored a season-high 17 points in a win at Vassar. Classmates Sean McKinless and Cort Williams look to rebound from injuries that slowed their progress in 2016-17.
 
Sophomores Tucker Lescoe, Sam Allen and Edens Fleurizard played in all 27 games last year and all three started nine or more games. A sharp-shooting guard, Lescoe made a league-high 72 3-pointers with a .385 shooting percentage from beyond the arc. The Liberty League Rookie of the Year also contributed 1.4 spg. An All-Rookie Team forward, Allen proved exceptionally versatile, averaging 7.5 ppg and 4.5 rpg while shooting .537 from the floor, including a team-high .412 from 3-point range. Defensively, Fleurizard was a physical, imposing presence in the low post, blocking a team-high 10 shots and grabbing 4.5 rpg while adding 2.8 ppg.
 
Sophomore guard Jake Preston continued to work on his game during the offseason and could see expanded minutes this season.
 
Sweeney also welcomed a strong class of first-years, led by Fairport High School's Dan Masino, who will bolster the team's depth.
 
Hobart will open the season with back-to-back home games against St. John Fisher (Nov. 15) and Rochester (Nov. 21). The Statesmen begin Liberty League play on Dec. 1 at Union in a rematch of last season's Liberty League Tournament championship game.