This upcoming basketball season, both the men’s and women’s teams look to continue the Bison basketball tradition and come out of the conference on top. With the season kicking off on Nov. 11, the teams will rely on standouts Nana Foulland ’18 and Claire DeBoer ’17 to lead them to victorious regular season titles.

In five of the last six seasons, the men’s team has finished the regular season in first place of the Patriot League. Despite finishing first in the Patriot League last year, the Bison failed to qualify for the NCAA March Madness Tournament when they lost to Holy Cross University in the Patriot League Tournament. This year, the team is eager to bounce back and looks to center Foulland, who was named to the Preseason All-Patriot League Team, to fill the hole left behind when guard Chris Hass ’16 graduated.

The Orange and Blue were selected third in the Patriot League preseason poll, trailing behind Lehigh and Boston University. Joining the team this year in its efforts to once again win the Patriot League are first-year students Bruce Moore ’20, Ben Robertson ’20, and Avi Toomer ’20. On Nov. 11, students will be able to watch the unveiling of the team, in addition to the unveiling of the new 12 foot high and 20 feet wide high-definition digital scoreboard in Sojka Pavilion. The scoreboard will enhance the fan experience by providing live replays and statistics.

In addition to the men’s team aiming to duplicate a first place regular season Patriot League finish, the women’s basketball team is also determined to finish first in the Patriot League back-to-back seasons. Captain DeBoer, who was named Preseason Patriot League Player of the Year, looks to lead the team this season. This honor was awarded to DeBoer for her extremely impressive junior year in which she finished third in the league for scoring, averaging 15.7 points per game, seventh in assists, 2.6 assists per game, and eighth in rebounds, grabbing 6.9 boards per game. Gia Hayes ’20, Ellie Mack ’20, and MK Moore ’20 are new additions to the team who will help lead the team to a successful season. The women’s team will kick of the season with a trip to Vestal, N.Y. on Nov. 11 to play against Binghamton.

Both teams aim to have back-to-back seasons with first place regular season Patriot League finishes.