Men tabbed 7th in Southland preseason poll
10/25/2012 7:31:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Sam Houston State has been predicted to finish seventh in the 2013 Southland Conference men's basketball race according to the annual preseason vote of the league's head coach.
Oral Roberts, a squad that moved to the Southland Conference from the Summit Leage in July, has been tabbed as the favorite to win the league title in its first season.
ORU is coming off a regular-season conference championship and a trip to the National Invitation Tournament.
The Golden Eagles, who picked up seven first-place votes from the coaches, returns preseason second-team all-conference senior guard Warren Niles and junior Steven Roundtree to a team that finished 27-7 last year.
Stephen F. Austin was selected second in the polls. The Lumberjacks finished second in the West Division of the Southland last season with a 20-12 overall mark and a 12-4 conference record, which earned them the second seed in the league tournament.
SFA return preseason first-team all-conference selections senior guard Antonio Bostic and senior forward Taylor Smith.
Northwestern State, which is led by first-team all-conference selections Shamir Davis and second-team James Hulbin, was picked third by the coaches followed by McNeese State and Lamar, respectively.
Southeastern Louisiana was picked sixth followed by Sam Houston State seventh. Nicholls State and Central Arkansas tied for the eighth spot and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi rounded out the poll.
With 10 Southland teams this year, the league will not play in divisions for the first time since the 2005-06 season.
The top eight teams based on conference winning percentage earn berths to the 2013 Southland Conference Basketball Tournament March 13-16, at the Merrell Center in Katy, Texas.
2012-13 Men's Basketball Preseason Head Coaches Poll
Pl. Team (first place votes) Total
1. Oral Roberts (7) 77
2. Stephen F. Austin (3) 72
3. Northwestern State 61
4. McNeese State 55
5. Lamar 45
6. Southeastern Louisiana 42
7. Sam Houston State 38
8. Nicholls State 24
Central Arkansas 24
10. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 12
For complete information about SHSU men's and women's basketball tickets go to www.gobearkats.com/tickets or contact the Sam Houston athletic ticket office at (936) 294-1729.
