Some basketball news

Another Ranking KANSAS CITY, Mo. (Oct. 30) – Defending Lone Star Conference champion Central Oklahoma found itself in another NCAA Division II preseason basketball poll Thursday, with the Bronchos ranked No. 7 by the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC).

UCO, which has eight players back from last year’s 28-6 team, was also ranked seventh by Division II Bulletin and 12th by Basketball Times.

Findlay tops the NABC poll, receiving all eight first-place votes. South Carolina-Aiken is No. 2, followed by Bentley, Florida Southern and Augusta State. Tarleton State is the only other LSC team besides UCO in the top 25, with the Texans coming in at No. 19.

“It’s a little strange to be getting all this preseason attention considering we lost our best player off last year’s team (Sam Belt), but it’s nice for the program to be getting the respect,” UCO coach Terry Evans said. “Our guys are excited about this year and I think we’ve got a chance to have a really good team again.”

The Bronchos, who won the LSC North Division, the LSC Tournament and the South Central Regional last year before losing a double-overtime thriller to Augusta State in the Elite Eight, plays the first of two exhibition games next Tuesday at Oklahoma Christian.

UCO makes its home debut with an exhibition game against an Alumni team on Nov. 11 before opening the season for real at the Washburn Classic Nov. 15-16

UCO Cagers In Another Poll
Bronchos No. 7 In Basketball Poll


Texans start season at No. 19
Tarleton Sports Information
The Tarleton Texan men’s basketball team has been ranked No. 19 in the nation in the National Association of Basketball Coaches Preseason Poll.

The Texans, who are coming off their sixth regional appearance in seven seasons and their third regional championship game in four years, will open the season ranked in the official poll that represents coaches throughout the nation.

Findlay enters the 2008-09 season at the top of the preseason poll after finishing 28-5 last season. South Carolina-Aiken, Bentley, Florida Southern, Augusta State, Northern Kentucky, Central Oklahoma, Minnesota state, Winona State and Gannon complete the Top 10 teams in the rankings.

The only other South Central Region teams in the ranking besides Tarleton and UCO is No. 12 Southwest Baptist and No. 16 Northwest Missouri State. UCO won the South Central regional tournament last year, defeating Tarleton in the title game, 77-76. The Bronchos fell in the quarterfinal game of the Elite Eight and finished the season 28-6. Tarleton defeated SBU in the regional semifinal, 80-72, and the Bearcats finished the season 22-8. NWMSU finished 24-8 after reaching the regional last year, too.

Tarleton was ranked No. 15 in the final NABC poll last season while UCO was No. 21, NWMSU was No. 19 and SBU was unranked.

Weekly polls will be released on Tuesday afternoons beginning Nov. 25.

This is the final preseason poll to be released and the only poll in which the Texans are ranked headed into the season.