CSU-Pueblo Atop The 2017-18 #RMACwbb Preseason Coaches Poll
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – CSU-Pueblo leads the 2017-18 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) women’s basketball preseason coaches poll securing 12 first-place votes.
The preseason coaches poll was voted on by the 15 head coaches in the RMAC. Fourteen points were awarded for a first-place vote; 13 for second place, continuing in descending order. Coaches were not allowed to vote for their own team.
The Pack earned 194 points in the RMAC Preseason Coaches Poll, with 20 points separating them from second place.
Last year, CSU-Pueblo won the RMAC Regular Season Championship title and hosting rights to the RMAC Tournament. They finished the regular-season 20-2, with their only conference losses from Westminster and Colorado Mesa. In the RMAC Tournament, the Pack defeated South Dakota Mines in the quarterfinals, but fell to Regis in the semifinals. Despite the loss, CSU-Pueblo went on to play in the NCAA DII South Central Region tournament where they defeated Tarleton State in round one, but fell to West Texas A&M, 67-70 to end with an overall season record of 28-4.
Fort Lewis garnered 174 points, including two first-place votes in the preseason poll. The Skyhawks finished the 2016-17 campaign 16-6 in the RMAC and 21-7 overall. They qualified for the RMAC Tournament as the No. 5 seed, but suffered a 61-71 loss during quarterfinals.
Regis finished third in the preseason poll with 158 points, capturing the final first-place vote. The Rangers also finished 16-6 in the RMAC regular-season and entered the RMAC Tournament as the No. 4 seed. Regis dominated the tournament defeating Fort Lewis and upsetting the No. 1 seeded team, CSU-Pueblo, to play in the championship game. The Rangers winning streak ended as they fell to UCCS 37-53. Regis finished their season at the quarterfinals round of NCAA tournament and posted an overall record of 23-8.
Colorado Mesa garnered 153 points and a fourth-place spot in the preseason coaches poll. Last campaign, the Mavericks finished second tied for second in the RMAC standings with a 17-5 conference record. The Mavs fell in the semifinals of the RMAC Tournament and ended the season with a 21-7 overall record.
MSU Denver was voted fifth-best in the preseason poll, tallying 149 points. The Roadrunners were sixth last season with a 14-8 RMAC record and 18-12 overall. They led the RMAC teams in scoring defense, averaging 59.3 points per game by the end of the season.
Colorado School of Mines comes in sixth with 136 points. They were 13-9 in the RMAC and 17-5 overall for the 2016-17 season.
UCCS earns the seventh spot in the poll with 118 points. The Mountain Lions placed third in the regular-season standings, were crowned RMAC Tournament Champions, and secured a bid to the NCAA Tournament. They finished the season 24-9 overall and 17-5 in the RMAC.
South Dakota Mines (107) and Black Hills State (94) finished No. 8 and No. 9 in the preseason rankings, respectively.
Colorado Christian and Westminster tied for 10
th with 75 points each.
Western and Chadron both garnered 49 points, tying for 12
th in the poll.
New Mexico Highlands and Adams State round-out the coaches poll at No. 14 and No. 15, respectively.
No. School (First-Place Votes) Pts
1. CSU-Pueblo (12) 194
2. Fort Lewis (2) 174
3. Regis (1) 158
4. Colorado Mesa 153
5. MSU Denver 149
6. Colorado School of Mines 136
7. UCCS 118
8. South Dakota Mines 107
9. Black Hills State 94
T-10. Colorado Christian 75
T-10. Westminster 75
T-12. Western 49
T-12. Chadron State 49
14. New Mexico Highlands 23
15. Adams State 21