CHARLOTTE, N.C. (www.BigSouthSports.com) - Radford University has been chosen as the men's basketball favorite in the Big South Conference's annual preseason poll for the 2009-10 season in a vote of the League's Head Coaches and media panel.  The announcements were made today at the Renaissance Suites Hotel in Charlotte, N.C., as part of the 2009-10 Basketball Tip-Off Media Luncheon.

Radford, last year's Big South regular-season and Tournament champion, received 23 of 24 first-place votes and 239 out of a possible 240 points to repeat in 2009-10.  It is the first time since 1999-00 that the Highlanders are the Big South's preseason No. 1, and they enter the season with four starters back from last year's NCAA Tournament squad that finished 21-12.  UNC Asheville, which was picked ninth in last year's poll, finds itself as the preseason No. 2 this season with 191 points.  It is the Bulldogs' highest placement in the preseason poll since being tabbed the favorite in 2002-03.  Winthrop was third in the voting with 179 and received the remaining first-place vote, while Gardner-Webb was fourth with 130 points.

VMI, last year's Tournament runner-up, is predicted to finish fifth (125 points), just ahead of No. 6 High Point (124 points).  Liberty finished seventh in the poll with 119 points, followed by Coastal Carolina at No. 8 (118 points) and Charleston Southern at No. 9 (53 points).  Presbyterian College, which is again eligible for the men's basketball regular-season title, received the 10th and final spot in the poll with 42 points.

The 2009-10 season, which features Gardner-Webb, Presbyterian College, Radford and Winthrop in the February 19-20 BracketBusters event, begins Friday, Nov. 13 with seven teams in action, and culminates with the 2010 Advance Auto Parts Big South Basketball Championship.  The tournament is March 2-6, and the Championship game will again be televised live on ESPN2 on Saturday, March 6 at 4:00pm.  The top eight teams earn postseason berths.  Presbyterian College, which is transitioning to Division I, is not eligible for the postseason Conference tournament until the 2011-12 seasons.

2009-10 Men's Basketball Preseason Poll (combined points)

Rk    Team (first-place votes)            1          2          3          4          5          6          7          8          9       10    Points

     1.    Radford (23)                             230          9         --         --         --         --         --         --         --         --         239

     2.    UNC Asheville                               --       81       80       14          6       10         --         --         --         --         191

     3.    Winthrop (1)                                10       72       40       28       18       10         --         --         --          1         179

     4.    Gardner-Webb                               --         --       16       21       30       45       16         --          2         --         130

     5.    VMI                                                 --       18          8       35         --       25       28          9          2         --         125

     6.    High Point                                      --          9       16       28       30       10       16          9          6         --         124

     7.    Liberty                                            --       27          8       14       24       10       16       15          4          1         119

     8.    Coastal Carolina                           --         --       24       21       36          5          8       18          6         --         118

     9.    Charleston Southern                    --         --         --          7         --          5          4       15       12       10           53

  10.    Presbyterian College                     --         --         --         --         --         --          8          6       16       12           42