CHARLOTTE, N.C. – After a one-year hiatus, Winthrop University’s men’s basketball team has been chosen first in the Big South Conference’s annual preseason poll, as voted by the League’s Head Coaches and media panel.  The announcement was made today at the Embassy Suites hotel in Concord, N.C., as part of the 2008-09 Basketball Tip-Off Media Luncheon. 

Winthrop, which won its fourth consecutive Big South championship last season, received nine first-place votes and 202 total points to finish first in the 10-team race in 2008-09.  The Eagles have won 20 games in each of the last four seasons, and return six letterwinners and two starters from last year’s club.  The men’s preseason balloting was highly contested, as seven squads received at least one first-place vote.  Radford, which finished seventh in 2007-08, is predicted second this year after receiving seven first-place votes and 189 total points.  It is the Highlanders’ highest placing in the preseason poll since being predicted second in 2001-02.  New Big South member Gardner-Webb was third in the voting with 188 points (three first-place votes), ahead of No. 4 Liberty (two first-place votes and 148 points). 

High Point received the fifth spot in the poll with 132 points and one first-place vote, while Charleston Southern was predicted sixth with 128 points (one first-place vote).  VMI received the remaining first-place vote from the panel and finished seventh with 110 points, just ahead of No. 8 Coastal Carolina (107 points).  UNC Asheville, which was the Big South’s co-regular-season champion in 2007-08, was predicted to finish ninth with 83 points.  New member Presbyterian, which is eligible for the men’s basketball regular-season title, received the 10th and final spot in the poll with 33 points.

Last season, Winthrop was predicted to finish second in the Conference, but won the regular-season as co-champions and the Tournament title in 2007-08.  The Big South Conference features 10 men’s basketball programs for the first time since 1993-94 and the third time ever.  The top eight teams will earn a berth in the 2009 Advance Auto Parts Big South Basketball Championship in March.  Presbyterian College, which is transitioning to Division I, is not eligible for the postseason Conference tournament until the 2011-12 seasons.

The men’s season, which features Winthrop, Gardner-Webb and Liberty in the February 20-21 ESPNU BracketBusters event, begins Monday, Nov. 10 with Presbyterian participating in the 2K Sports Classic Benefiting Coaches vs. Cancer event against Duke live on ESPNU at 7:00pm.  The season culminates with the Advance Auto Parts Big South Basketball Championship the week of March 3-7.  The Championship game will be televised live on ESPN2 on Saturday, March 7 at 4:00pm.

2008-09 Men’s Basketball Preseason Poll (combined points)

Rk   Team (first-place votes)      1      2      3     4     5      6     7     8     9     10     Points
1.     Winthrop (9).........................90   54    24    21   12     --    --    --    --      1          202
2.     Radford (7)...........................70   36    40    21   12     5     --     3     2     --          189
3.     Gardner-Webb (3)................30   72    40    21   12     5      8    --    --     --          188
4.     Liberty (2).............................20   18    32    21   18   15    16     6     2     --          148
5.     High Point (1)........................10     9    16    35     6   35      8    12    --     1          132
6.     Charleston Southern (1).........10    --    16    21   36   15     20    6     4     --          128
7.     VMI (1)................................10     9    16    14   18   15       8    6    12     2          110
8.     Coastal Carolina....................--      9      8      7   24   25     16    9      8     1          107
9.     UNC Asheville......................--      9     --      7     6     5     16   27   12     1            83
10.   Presbyterian..........................--      --    --      --    --    --      4     3     8    18            33

Note: points are based on a weighted system, with first-place votes receiving 10 points, followed by nine points for second-place, and so on.