BRIDGEPORT, W.Va. -- Wheeling Jesuit is the preseason favorite to win the 2018 Mountain East Conference men's basketball championship after a vote conducted by the league's coaches. The poll had five different teams receive first place votes.
 
The Cardinals finished atop the poll with 112 points and six first-place votes, just two points ahead of Fairmont State’s 110 points and two first-place votes. The Cardinals and Falcons played for the NCAA Atlantic Region title last year with FSU winning and going on to play for a national championship.

WJU returns a pair of All-MEC players in seniors Pat Moseh and Haywood Highsmith from last year’s team that went 25-8. Moseh averaged 16 points and six rebounds last year, while Highsmith averaged a double-double with 15.3 points and 10.8 rebounds. The Fighting Falcons bring back several key components from the team that went to the NCAA title game including Jason Jolly and D’Ondre Stockman, and get back Caleb Davis and R.J. Hutcherson who missed last season with injuries. 

West Liberty, which will be led by All-American Dan Monteroso, was picked to finish third with 102 points and two first-place votes. Shepherd was fourth in the poll with 92 points and one first-place vote. The Rams return their top two scorers from a year ago in Steffen Davis and A.J. Carr. Notre Dame had the final first-place vote and finished in fifth in the poll with 86 points. All-American Will Vorhees, the nation’s second leading scorer last year with 26.8 points per game, is back for his senior season to lead the Falcons.

West Virginia Wesleyan was picked to finish sixth with 64 points, followed by Charleston (58), UVa-Wise (47) and Glenville State (46). Concord was picked 10th with 31 points, and West Virginia State (30) and Urbana (14) rounded out the poll.
 
The poll was released on Monday at the Mountain East Conference Media Day at the Bridgeport Conference Center in Bridgeport, W.Va.

The men's basketball season begins on Friday, Nov. 10.