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Findlay heads up NABC Division II Pre-Season coaches poll for 2008-09 season
Findlay heads up NABC Division II Pre-Season coaches poll for 2008-09 season
KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- October 30, 2008 -- Grand Valley State finished the 2007-08 regular season as the co-No. 1 ranked team in NCAA Division II, but it is a rival school from the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference that holds the top spot in the pre-season rankings for the upcoming 2008-09 campaign.
Findlay, who fell to Grand Valley State in the regional championship game a year ago, will open its 2008-09 season Nov. 18 against Indianapolis as the top-ranked team in Division II in the NABC Coaches Poll. The Oilers were 28-5 a year ago and were picked to win the GLIAC title this season as they return all five of their starters that averaged nearly all of their 78 points per game last winter.
A team that had one of the biggest turnarounds in Division II last year, South Carolina Aiken, is at No. 2 in the pre-season poll, followed by Bentley, the other co-No. 1 from last season and Florida Southern. The top five is rounded out by last year's national runner-up, Augusta State.
Northern Kentucky, which will be moving into the new 9,000-seat Bank of Kentucky Center this year, came in at No. 6 in the pre-season. The Norse are followed by Central Oklahoma, Minnesota State, defending national champion Winona State and Gannon, who is moving from the GLIAC to the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference this season.
Grand Valley State opens the second 10 at No. 11, with Southwest Baptist, Central Washington, Long Island University-C.W. Post and North Alabama filling the next four spots; the 16-through-20 spots in the poll are occupied by Northwest Missouri State, Lenoir-Rhyne, Drury, Tarleton State and Cal State-San Bernardino. The top 25 is rounded out by Mount Olive, Kentucky Wesleyan, Brigham Young-Hawaii, Fort Lewis and Pittsburgh-Johnstown.
The 2008-09 season gets underway Nov. 7 with the Disney Tip-Off Classics in Orlando and Anaheim.
NABC/Division
II Coaches Poll (2008-09 Pre-Season)
1.
Findlay, Ohio
2. South Carolina
Aiken
3. Bentley,
Mass.
4. Florida
Southern
5. Augusta State,
Ga.
6. Northern
Kentucky
7. Central
Oklahoma
8. Minnesota
State
9. Winona State,
Minn.
10. Gannon,
Pa.
11. Grand Valley State,
Mich.
12. Southwest Baptist,
Mo.
13. Central
Washington
14. LIU-C.W. Post,
N.Y.
15. North
Alabama
16. Northwest Missouri
State
17. Lenoir-Rhyne,
N.C.
18. Drury,
Mo.
19. Tarleton State,
Texas
20. Cal State-San
Bernardino
21. Mount Olive,
N.C.
22. Kentucky
Wesleyan
23. Brigham
Young-Hawaii
24. Fort Lewis,
Colo.
25. Pittsburgh-Johnstown,
Pa.
Others receiving votes: Ouachita Baptist (Ark.) 20, Ferris State (Mich.) 18, Bowie State (Md.) 17, Central Missouri 17, Philadelphia (Pa.) 17, Benedict (S.C.) 14, Catawba (N.C.) 14, Christian Brothers (Tenn.) 14, Northern State (S.D.) 13, Clayton State (Ga.) 11, Arkansas-Monticello 9, Valdosta State (Ga.) 8, Delta State (Miss.) 7, St. Edward's (Texas) 6, Virginia Union 6, Carson-Newman (Tenn.) 5, Metropolitan State (Colo.) 5, Montevallo (Ala.) 5, Armstrong Atlantic State (Ga.) 4, Pfeiffer (N.C.) 3, Northeastern State (Okla.) 2, Ashland (Ohio) 1, Millersville (Pa.) 1, Nebraska-Omaha 1.
