WALTHAM, Mass. -- For the first time since the 2009-10 season, the Brandeis men's basketball team has earned a preseason ranking from D3hoops.com. The Judges will enter the 2021-22 campaign ranked 25th among all Division III teams.

FULL D3HOOPS.COM PRESEASON TOP 25

The Judges, in head coach Jean Bain's fourth season, did not play during the 2020-21 campaign, but went 17-8 during the 2019-20 season, finishing 9-5 in the University Athletic Association, for the team's best finish in a decade. The Judges were ranked for three-straight weeks that season, reaching as high as #24. That was the team's first ranking since 2013.

Brandeis returns two first-team All-UAA conference selections in graduate student Collin Sawyer of New London, Connecticut, and senior Chandler Jones of Springfield, Massachusetts, the team's top two scorers from two seasons ago, when they averaged 15.6 and 13.8 points per game, respectively. Jones and senior Nolan Hagerty of Yarmouth, Maine, are the team's top returning rebounders at 7.5 and 6.8 boards per game, respectively, while also serving as the team's top two returning assist-men at 2.9 assists per game. The Judges also add graduate transfer forward Tommy Eastman of Honeoye Falls, New York, who was a second-team All-New England Small College Athletic Conference selection at Middlebury College in '19-'20, when he helped the Panthers to the second round of the NCAA Division III tournament. In addition to Eastman, Brandeis is adding junior transfer Terrell Brown of Lowell, Massachusetts, from Division I Robert Morris, and six first-years and sophomores who have not played an intercollegiate contest, including local product Ryan Power of Waltham, Massachusetts, the all-time leading scorer for the Waltham High School Hawks with 1,304 points.

Brandeis's schedule features four guaranteed matchups with preseason Top 25 teams, as UAA foes #13 Emory (away, Jan. 28 and home, Feb. 4) and #18 Washington University (away, Jan. 23 and home, Feb. 20) are also ranked. The Judges could also see #11 Tufts on their home court if both teams win their opening-round contests in the New England Big Four Challenge, which will be held in Brandeis's Auerbach Arena on December 3 and 4.  Several other squads who are on the Judges' schedule are among those receiving votes in the preseason top 25: Colby (home, Dec. 11), Rochester (away, Jan. 30 and home, Feb. 6), WPI (home, Nov. 30), and Babson (home, Dec. 3).

Brandeis opens its season at home on Nov. 11 against Rivier College at 7 p.m.