CHARLOTTE, N.C. – High Point University’s men’s basketball team and has been chosen first in the Big South Conference’s annual preseason poll, as voted by the League’s Head Coaches, Sports Information Directors and media panel.  The announcements were made today at the Embassy Suites hotel in Concord, N.C., as part of the 2007-08 Basketball Tip-Off Media Luncheon.  This is High Point’s first-ever preseason No. 1 ranking in the Big South.

The Panthers, which posted a second-place standing in the Big South last year at 11-3, edged out Winthrop for the No. 1 spot in the men’s preseason poll, finishing with 15 first-place votes and 216 points.  The Eagles, coming off a school- and Big South-record 29 wins and an NCAA Tournament first round win, received 14 first-place votes and 214 points.  VMI, last year’s national scoring leader and the Big South Tournament runner-up, was picked third with 147 points, followed by No. 4 Coastal Carolina (134 points).  UNC Asheville, which advanced to the Conference tournament semifinals last season, claimed the No. 5 spot with 119 points, while Liberty placed sixth in the voting with 108 points.  Charleston Southern was predicted seventh (63 points), followed by Radford in eighth (43 points).

The men’s season, which features Winthrop and High Point in the February 22-23 ESPNU BracketBusters event, begins Friday, Nov. 9 and culminates with the Advance Auto Parts Big South Basketball Championship the week of March 4-8.  The Championship game will again air live on ESPN’s family of networks Saturday, March 8. 

2007-08 Men’s Basketball Preseason Poll (combined points)

Rk Team (first-place votes)     1    2    3    4    5    6    7    8    Points
1. High Point (15)....................120  91   --    5   --   --   --   --        216
2. Winthrop (14).....................112  84   18   --  --   --   --   --         214
3. VMI......................................--   --   66  60  16   3    2    --        147
4. Coastal Carolina....................--  14   24  45  40   9    2    --        134
5. UNC Asheville......................--    7   42  10  32  21   6     1        119
6. Liberty..................................--    7   24  25  16  24  10    2        108
7. Charleston Southern..............--   --    --   --  12  21  22    8          63
8. Radford................................--   --    --   --   --    9  16   18         43

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