BARBOURVILLE, Ky. — The Union College men’s basketball team will open the 2017-18 season ranked No. 2 in the NAIA Division II Men’s Basketball Coaches’ Preseason Top 25 Poll, the national office announced Tuesday.

The Bulldogs are coming off the best season in program history; going 35-3 overall and 20-0 in Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) play en route to winning the 2017 NAIA National Championship.

Union received two of the 12 first-place votes and 295 total voting points to land second in the poll. Cornerstone, who Union defeated in the national championship game, collected the remaining 10 first-place votes in amassing 311 voting points to claim the top spot.

Union will open the season with five road games, beginning in the Northern Lakes Insurance Tournament at Saint Francis in Fort Wayne, Indiana, on Nov. 3-4. The Bulldogs will play Indiana Tech on Nov. 3 before facing top-ranked Cornerstone on Nov. 4.

The Bulldogs, who are favored to win the AAC championship this season, begins conference play on Nov. 14 at Allen. Union’s home opener is Nov. 18 against St. Andrews.