Polls & Rankings

NCAA Basketball Conference Ranking: 2008-09

CHN — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 00:31:09 -0500

CHN's 31 conference ranking, including 10 year historical averages based on average RPI finish. For more information on historical RPI averages, check out the Conference Data Page. Links lead to league preview pages.

Big East

10 Year Average: 3

10 Year Average: 1

10 Year Average: 2

10 Year Average: 5

10 Year Average: 6

10 Year Average: 4

10 Year Average: 10

10 Year Average: 7

10 Year Average: 9

WCC

10 Year Average: 12

11 Conference USA

10 Year Average: 8

12 Colonial

10 Year Average: 14

13 MAC

10 Year Average: 13

14 WAC

10 Year Average: 11

15 MAAC

10 Year Average: 17

16 Horizon

10 Year Average: 15

17 Southern

10 Year Average: 19

18 Sun Belt

10 Year Average: 16

19 Big West

10 Year Average: 18

20 Patriot

10 Year Average: 23

21 Southland

10 Year Average: 27

22 Ivy

10 Year Average: 24

23 Big Sky

10 Year Average: 20

24 America East

10 Year Average: 21

25 Summit

10 Year Average: 26

26 OVC

10 Year Average: 22

27 NEC

10 Year Average: 28

28 Atlantic Sun

10 Year Average: 25

29 Big South

10 Year Average: 29

30 MEAC

10 Year Average: 30

-Independents

31 SWAC

10 Year Average: 31

Preseason Coaches Poll: Big East Dominates

Press Release — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 11:24:43 -0400

ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll

1. North Carolina (31) 0-0 775
2. Connecticut 0-0 707
3. Louisville 0-0 694
4. UCLA 0-0 650
5. Duke 0-0 578
6. Pittsburgh 0-0 576
7. Michigan State 0-0 572
8. Texas 0-0 538
9. Notre Dame 0-0 525
10. Purdue 0-0 465
11. Gonzaga 0-0 437
12. Memphis 0-0 425
13. Tennessee 0-0 408
14. Oklahoma 0-0 387
15. Arizona State 0-0 304
16. Miami (FL) 0-0 233
17. Marquette 0-0 219
18. Georgetown 0-0 175
19. Florida 0-0 161
20. Davidson 0-0 158
21. USC 0-0 153
21. Wisconsin 0-0 153
23. Kansas 0-0 130
24. Wake Forest 0-0 129
25. Villanova 0-0 122

Others Receiving Votes

UNLV 60, Saint Mary's 59, Ohio State 54, Baylor 47, Xavier 27, Syracuse 23, Texas A&M 19, LSU 19, Arizona 18, Virginia Tech 15, Brigham Young 13, West Virginia 10, Washington 8, Siena 8, Kentucky 7, Vanderbilt 7, Oklahoma State 4, Clemson 2, Washington State 1.

Daily Conference Poll: Who Will Win the MVC?

Shawn Siegel — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 23:05:39 -0400

Writers Picks: 2008-09 BCS Conference Champions

CHN — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 15:11:26 -0400

Writers Predictions: BCS Conference Champions

Who will be this year's BCS conference champs? CHN writers take a shot at some predictions.. and the results are mostly you'd expect.

Conference	Jeff Borzello March Madness	Jason Brubaker SEC	Jeff Fox NBA Draft

ACC	UNC	UNC	UNC
Big East	UCONN	Notre Dame	UCONN
Big Ten	Michigan State	Michigan State	Purdue
Big XII	Texas	Oklahoma	Baylor
Pac-10	UCLA	UCLA	UCLA
SEC	Tennessee	Tennessee	Tennessee

Conference	Raphielle Johnson Football / Northeast	Kevin McNeill Top 25	Shawn Siegel Head Editor

ACC	UNC	UNC	UNC
Big East	Pittsburgh	Louisville	Louisville
Big Ten	Michigan State	Purdue	Michigan State
Big XII	Oklahoma	Oklahoma	Texas
Pac-10	UCLA	UCLA	UCLA
SEC	Tennessee	LSU	Florida

Conference	Jason Tomassini Top Freshmen	Joel Welser NCAA Preview	Joey Whelan Player Analysis
	?
ACC	UNC	UNC	UNC
Big East	Louisville	UCONN	Louisville
Big Ten	Ohio State	Michigan State	Michigan State
Big XII	Oklahoma	Texas	Texas
Pac-10	UCLA	UCLA	UCLA
SEC	Tennessee	Tennessee	Tennessee

Consensus:

ACC = UNC (Big shock here..)

Big East = Louisville (4 votes edges out 3 for UCONN. Big East has most variance with 4 projected winners.)

Big Ten = Michigan State (6 votes. It will be funny when Wisconsin surprises again and we're all wrong..)

Big 12 = Texas/Oklahoma (Each gets 4 votes. Lone ranger Jeff Fox goes with Baylor to ruin a possible consensus.)

Pac-10 = UCLA (Unanimous along with UNC)

SEC = Tennessee (Everyone but Kevin & Shawn go with the Vols. Kevin's LSU pick is really the only one of the 54 selections out of Left Field.)

*Joey is the only voter whose selections all match the consensus. Jeff Fox has the most unique picks with UCONN, Purdue, and Baylor.

- Up Next: Writers Final Four Predictions

Big Ten Media Poll & All-Conference

Press Release — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 11:03:21 -0400

Park Ridge, Ill. - Purdue swingman Robbie Hummel was named the Big Ten Preseason Player of the Year by a 22-member media panel, the conference announced today. Hummel's Boilermakers were tabbed as the preseason favorite for the 2008-09 men's basketball season by the media panel.

Hummel was chosen as the Preseason Player of the Year after earning first-team All-Conference and All-Freshman Team accolades last year. He led the Big Ten in three-point field percentage in conference games while averaging 11.4 points, 6.1 rebounds and 2.6 assists in all games. He becomes the first Purdue standout to earn Preseason Player of the Year accolades since Chad Austin received the honor in 1997.

The Boilermakers welcome back all five starters from a year ago, returning 68 percent of their scoring overall. Purdue finished with a 25-9 record and a 15-3 conference mark. Entering his fourth season at the Boilermakers helm, Matt Painter will aim to lead the Boilermakers to a conference crown for the first time since 1996. Painter has led his squad to back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances.

With the return of three starters and three of its top four scorers from last season, Michigan State garners a second-place showing in the preseason poll. The Spartans finished fourth in the Big Ten last year with a 12-6 mark and 27-9 overall record under veteran head coach Tom Izzo. Michigan State is led by a talented trio in Raymar Morgan, Kalin Lucas and Goran Suton, accounting for 47 percent of the team's offensive production in 2007-08.

Wisconsin, the defending Big Ten and Big Ten Tournament champion, earned the remaining votes for the No. 3 preseason slot. Head coach Bo Ryan guided the Badgers to a school-record 31 wins last season and a berth into the Sweet Sixteen. Ryan's Badgers are one of only five teams in the country to win 30 or more games in each of the last two seasons.

The five-man Preseason All-Big Ten Team is highlighted by one first-team All-Big Ten returnee in Hummel, while Michigan's Manny Harris, Michigan State's Morgan and Purdue's E'Twaun Moore were named to the second team by the coaches and media. Wisconsin's Landry is the fifth member of the Preseason All-Big Ten Team and was named to the second team by the coaches before being named the Big Ten Tournament Most Outstanding Player.

2008-09 Top Three Preseason Picks
Team 2007-08 Final Records (Finish)

1. Purdue 25-9, 15-3 Big Ten (2nd)
2. Michigan State 27-9, 12-6 Big Ten (4th)
3. Wisconsin 31-5, 16-2 Big Ten (1st)

2008-09 Big Ten Preseason All-Conference Team
Player 2007-08 Final Stats

Manny Harris, MICH, So., G 16.1 ppg, 4.2 rpg
Raymar Morgan, MSU, Jr., F 14.0 ppg, 6.1 rpg
Robbie Hummel, PUR, So., F 11.4 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 2.55 apg
E'Twaun Moore, PUR, So., G 12.9 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 2.59 apg
Marcus Landry, WIS, Sr., F 10.8 ppg, 5.4 rpg

2008-09 Big Ten Preseason Player of the Year
Robbie Hummel, PUR

MVC Media Poll: Creighton Favored

Press Release — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 10:20:26 -0400

OMAHA, Neb. -- The Creighton men¹s basketball team is the near-unanimous pick to win the Missouri Valley Conference, according to the preseason poll announced today during the league¹s annual Basketball Media Day. Creighton earned 36 of 39 first-place votes in the survey of league coaches, beat writers, sports information directors and play-by-play men.

Pollsters have accurately predicted the league¹s regular-season champ only 10 times out of 24 since 1985-86, but Bluejay fans can take solace knowing that 21 of those 24 predicted champs have gone on to postseason play, with 15 of those 21 playing in the NCAA Tournament.

This is the second time in three years that Creighton has been picked to win The Valley, and league-high seventh time overall since the preseason poll began in 1985-86. Creighton won the regular-season title in two of their previous six runs as favorite (1990-91 and 2000-01) and finished in second place the other four times (1989-90, 1998-99. 2002-03. 2006-07).

The preseason poll doesn¹t always match the year-end standings. Last year¹s poll forecasted Drake to finish ninth in the MVC. The Bulldogs proved everyone wrong, going 28-5 and winning the Valley regular-season title by two games over an Illinois State team tabbed fifth in the preseason.

Creighton collected 36 first-place votes and earned 386 of a maximum 390 points in the preseason poll. Southern Illinois grabbed two first-place votes and was second with 322 points, just ahead of Illinois State, which had 309 points and garnered the remaining first-place vote. Defending league
regular-season and tournament champion Drake was fourth with 274 points, its best preseason pick the 1991-92 season. Bradley was fifth with 219 points while UNI was sixth with 186 points. Rounding out the bottom four teams were Indiana State (137), Evansville (122), Wichita State (105) and Missouri State (85).

2008-09 MVC Preseason Poll

Rk. School (1st place votes) Total
1. Creighton (36) 386
2. Southern Illinois (2) 322
3. Illinois State (1) 309
4. Drake 274
5. Bradley 219
6. Northern Iowa 186
7. Indiana State 137
8. Evansville 122
9. Wichita State 105
10. Missouri State 85

Poll determined by panel of league sports information directors and media.

Preseason All-MVC Team

Jonathan Cox, Sr., F, Drake
Osiris Eldridge*, Jr., G, Illinois State
Bryan Mullins, Sr., G, Southern Illinois
P¹Allen Stinnett, So., G, Creighton
Josh Young, Jr., G, Drake
*Preseason Player of the Year

Honorable Mention:
Shy Ely (Evansville)
Jason Holsinger (Evansville)
Andrew Warren (Bradley)
Theron Wilson (Bradley)

ACC Media Poll & All-Conference Team

Press Release — Sun, 26 Oct 2008 21:21:40 -0400

ATLANTA, GA – For a second-straight year North Carolina was a unanimous choice to finish first atop the Atlantic Coast Conference basketball race in voting by 40 media members at the league’s annual Basketball Media Day.

Duke was picked for second, while Wake Forest was voted third. Miami was fourth, followed by Clemson (fifth) and Virginia Tech (sixth).

The Tar Heels are led by pre-season ACC Player of the Year Tyler Hansbrough. Hansbrough a 6-9, 250-pound senior forward from Poplar Bluff, Mo., averaged 22.6 points and 10.2 rebounds last season while earning first-team All-America honors for a third-straight year and consensus National Player of the Year honors.

Wake Forest Al-Farouq Aminu was the media’s choice for the ACC pre-season Rookie of the Year. Aminu, a 6-9, 215-pound freshman from Norcross, Ga., garnered 18 first-place votes, out-distancing Virginia’s Sylven Landesberg in the voting.

Hansbrough and Boston College’s Tyrese Rice were unanimous selections for the pre-season All-ACC team. Also named to the pre-season time were Miami’s Jack McClinton, North Carolina’s Ty Lawson and Gerald Henderson from Duke.

2008-09 Predicted Order of Finish
1.	North Carolina (40)	480
2.	Duke	436
3.	Wake Forest	354
4.	Miami	344
5.	Clemson	306
6.	Virginia Tech	298
7.	Maryland	192
8.	Georgia Tech	186
9.	NC State	179
10.	Florida State	145
11.	Boston College	123
12.	Virginia	79
First Place Votes in Parentheses

2008-09 ACC Preseason All-Conference Team

Tyler Hansbrough, North Carolina*

Tyrese Rice, Boston College*

Jack McClinton, Miami

Ty Lawson, North Carolina

Gerald Henderson, Duke

* - unanimous selection

2008-09 Preseason ACC Player of the Year

Tyler Hansbrough, North Carolina*

2008-09 Preseason ACC Rookie of the Year

Al-Farouq Aminu, Wake Forest

* - unanimous selection

WCC Media Poll & All-Conference Team

Press Release — Sun, 26 Oct 2008 01:25:11 -0400

LAS VEGAS, Nev. - If you remember how the top three finished in the West Coast Conference men's basketball regular-season chase a year ago then you won't see anything out of the ordinary to start the 2008-09 campaign.

Gonzaga University edged Saint Mary's College and the University of San Diego in the 2008-09 WCC men's basketball pre-season poll as selected by the league coaches. The announcement was made at the 2008 WCC Basketball Media Day at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas, site of the 2009 WCC Basketball Tournament.

The Bulldogs received five of the eight first-place votes - coaches couldn't vote for their teams - and garnered 46 points. The Gaels had a pair of first-place votes and 44 points and USD received the other first-place nod and 39 points.

Gonzaga, SMC and USD all advanced to the NCAA Tournament a year ago.

Rounding out this year's poll is Santa Clara University (30) in fourth, the University of San Francisco (23) picked fifth, followed by the University of Portland (22) in sixth, Loyola Marymount University (12) in seventh and Pepperdine University (11) in eighth.

The WCC Pre-season All-Conference team was also unveiled at the media day, highlighted by eight returning 2008 All-WCC first team members, the most returning all league players in conference history. Headlining the preseason all-conference list was Gonzaga's Jeremy Pargo, the reigning WCC Player of the Year, as well as Saint Mary's Patrick Mills and Diamon Simpson, last season's WCC Newcomer of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year.

The Zags return 10 letterwinners, including three starters, from last season's squad that posted a 25-8 overall record, captured its eighth consecutive WCC regular season title and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the 10th consecutive season. Headlining the list of returners for the Bulldogs is Pargo, the 2008 WCC Player of the Year. Pargo leads a talented backcourt that includes junior guard Matt Bouldin, a 2008 All-WCC first team member, and sophomore Steven Gray, a 2008 All-WCC freshman team selection. Austin Daye, another WCC All-Freshman selection and a WCC honorable mention pick a year ago, also returns to bolster the Gonzaga attack.

Saint Mary's, looking for a return trip to the NCAA Tournament, returns four starters and eight letterwinners overall from last season's squad that tied the school record for most wins in a season with a 25-7 overall mark. Mills, a sophomore guard, returns to the Gaels after starring for the Australian National Team at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Mills will team with Simpson, a senior forward, to give the Gaels one of the top inside-outside tandems in the league.

Head coach Bill Grier had a successful debut season at San Diego, leading the Toreros to the 2008 WCC Tournament title and their fourth NCAA Tournament bid in program history. Once there, the Toreros pulled off one of the most memorable upsets of the tournament, knocking off No. 4 seeded University of Connecticut 70-69 in overtime in the first round. The Toreros return all five starters and 10 letterwinners overall from last season's squad. Leading the way for the Toreros is the senior duo of guard Brandon Johnson and forward Gyno Pomare, both of whom earned 2008 All-WCC first team honors.

This season, the WCC welcomes three new head coaches to the fold. Bill Bayno takes over at Loyola Marymount, while Pepperdine welcomes back Tom Asbury, who guided the Waves for six successful seasons (1988-94). Rounding out the list of new head coaches is Rex Walters, who is guiding USF.

2008-09 WCC Men's Basketball Preseason Coaches Poll
(First-Place Votes In Parentheses)

1. Gonzaga (5) 46
2. Saint Mary's (2) 44
3. San Diego (1) 39
4. Santa Clara 30
5. San Francisco 23
6. Portland 19
7. Loyola Marymount 12
8. Pepperdine 11

2008-09 WCC Men's Pre-season All-Conference Team

Matt Bouldin, GON
John Bryant, SCU
Austin Daye, GON
Brandon Johnson, USD
Dior Lowhorn, USF
Patrick Mills, SMC
Jeremy Pargo, GON
Gyno Pomare, USD
Omar Samhan, SMC
Diamon Simpson, SMC

Big East Media Poll & All-Conference

Press Release — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 20:40:59 -0400

2008-09 BIG EAST Preseason Coaches' Poll

Rank School Pts.

1. Connecticut (9) 214

2. Louisville (3) 205

3. Pittsburgh (3) 200

4. Notre Dame (1) 195

5. Villanova 153

6. Marquette 146

7. Georgetown 141

8. Syracuse 139

9. West Virginia 121

10. Providence 99

11. Cincinnati 91

12. Rutgers 53

13. Seton Hall 50

14. St. John's 44

15. DePaul 43

16. USF 26

First-place votes in parentheses

2008-09 BIG EAST Preseason Player of the Year

Luke Harangody, Notre Dame

2008-09 BIG EAST Preseason Co-Rookies of the Year

Greg Monroe, Georgetown

Samardo Samuels, Louisville

2008-09 Preseason All-BIG EAST Team

*Luke Harangody, Notre Dame (Player of the Year), F, Jr., 6-8, Schererville, Ind.

Deonta Vaughn, Cincinnati, G, Jr., 6-1, 195, Indianapolis, Ind.

A.J. Price, Connecticut, G, Sr., 6-2, 181, Amityville, N.Y.

Hasheem Thabeet, Connecticut, C, Jr., 7-3, 263, Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania

DaJuan Summers, Georgetown, F, Jr., 6-8, 241, Baltimore, Md.

Terrence Williams, Louisville, F, Sr., 6-6, 210, Seattle, Wash.

Jerel McNeal, Marquette, G, Sr., 6-3, 200, Country Club Hills, Ill.

Kyle McAlarney, Notre Dame, G, Sr., 6-0, 196, Staten Island, N.Y.

*Sam Young, Pittsburgh, F, Jr., 6-6, 215, Clinton, Md.

Jonny Flynn, Syracuse, G, So., 6-0, 185, Niagara Falls, N.Y.

Scottie Reynolds, Villanova, G, Jr., 6-2, 195, Herndon, Va.

*unanimous selection

2008-09 Preseason BIG EAST Honorable Mention

Jeff Adrien, Connecticut, F, Sr., 6-7, 243, Brookline, Mass.

Earl Clark, Louisville, G/F, Jr., 6-8, 220, Rahway, N.J.

Dominic James, Marquette, G, Sr., 5-11, 185, Richmond, Ind.

- Red Storm -

SEC Preseason Media Poll & All-Conference Team

Shawn Siegel — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 17:31:15 -0400

Preseason Media Poll
(First-Place Votes in Parentheses; *-unanimous selection)

SEC Champion: Tennessee (23); Florida (5); Kentucky (2)

Eastern Division

Tennessee (23) 172 14-2 31-5
Florida (5) 143 8-8 24-12
Kentucky (2) 130 12-4 18-13
Vanderbilt 88 10-6 26-8
South Carolina 56 5-11 14-18
Georgia 41 4-12 17-17

Western Division

Alabama (11) 151 5-11 17-16
LSU (11) 147 6-10 13-18
Ole Miss (8) 136 7-9 24-11
Miss. State 91 12-4 23-11
Auburn 54 4-12 14-16
Arkansas 51 9-7 23-12

FIRST TEAM ALL-SEC

Pos. Ht. Wt. Cl. Hometown

Patrick Patterson, Kentucky F 6-9 235 So. Huntington, W.Va.
Tyler Smith, Tennessee F 6-7 215 Jr. Pulaski, Tenn.
Nick Calathes, Florida G/F 6-6 194 So. Casselberry, Fla.
Devan Downey, South Carolina G 5-9 175 Jr. Chester, S.C.
A.J. Ogilvy, Vanderbilt C 6-11 250 So. Sydney, Australia

SECOND TEAM ALL-SEC

Pos. Ht. Wt. Cl. Hometown

Marcus Thornton, LSU G 6-4 205 Sr. Baton Rouge, La.
Jarvis Varnado, Miss. State F/C 6-9 210 Jr. Brownsville, Tenn.
Ronald Steele, Alabama G 6-1 191 Sr. Birmingham, Ala.
Tasmin Mitchell, LSU F 6-7 240 Jr. Denham Springs, La.
Chris Warren, Ole Miss G 5-10 160 So. Orlando, Fla.
Alonzo Gee, Alabama G 6-6 219 Sr. Palm Beach, Fla.