Oct. 19, 2005
Contact: Rick Nixon, 210-458-4551
Roadrunners picked fifth in SLC Preseason Poll
SLC Preseason Polls | Preseason All-SLC Teams
PLANO, Texas - If you return five starters and 12-of-14 letterwinners from last year’s co-championship team, you would expect to be the preseason favorite to win it all again. That’s exactly where head coach Mike McConathy finds his Northwestern State Demons as they are heavy favorites to win the 2005-06 men’s basketball title, according to the head coaches and sports information directors of the league.
The Demons, 21-11 last year and regular-season co-champs with Southeastern Louisiana University, return more than 90 percent of their scoring and rebounding from last year’s team which posted a 13-3 league record. Northwestern returns more rebounding production than any other team in the country and only Bradley has more scoring firepower back among the 326 NCAA Division I teams.
Ten of the 11 head coaches in the Southland picked Northwestern to win the title while Lamar University, picked second in the poll, received the other first-place vote. Coaches were not allowed to vote for their own team. The Demons accumulated 100 points in the poll while Lamar, which returns four starters under third-year head coach Billy Tubbs, tallied 85.
Lamar posted an 18-11 record last season and advanced to the semifinals of the O’Reilly Auto Parts/Southland Conference Tournament. Alan Daniels returns to lead the Cardinals after pacing the SLC with 19.9 points per game as a junior. The All-Southland Conference selection became the first Lamar player to lead the conference in scoring since 1965.
Picked third in the coaches poll is Southeastern Louisiana University, the team which tied Northwestern for the regular-season title and then beat the Demons in the championship game of the SLC Tournament. The Lions made their first-ever trip to the NCAA Tournament, dropping a 13-point decision against Oklahoma State. Now under the direction of new head coach Jim Yarbrough, first-team All-SLC selection Ricky Woods will lead the Lions on the court. A senior from Newark, N.J., Woods averaged 17.2 points and 6.8 rebounds on his way to being named Newcomer of the Year in the SLC last season.
Sam Houston State University is picked fourth in both polls, making the top four picks in each poll match up. The Bearkats are coming off an 18-12 season and third-place showing in the league with an 11-5 record. Two starters return for head coach Bob Marlin along with seven other letterwinners.
The University of Texas-Arlington and University of Texas-San Antonio interchange at the Nos. 5 and 6 spots of the polls. The coaches take the Mavericks to finish fifth while the SIDs have the Roadrunners slated in the fifth spot.
UTA posted a 13-15 record last year and tied for seventh in the Southland standings with a 7-9 mark. Now the Dean of SLC head coaches, Eddie McCarter enters his 14th season at the helm of the Maverick program and looks to build his team around All-SLC performer Steven Thomas. A senior from Fort Worth, Texas, Thomas averaged 17.1 points and 7.9 rebounds last year.
UTSA’s head coach Tim Carter ranks second to McCarter in longevity as he enters his 11th year with the Roadrunners. He saw his team post a 15-13 record in 2004-05, with a 10-6 mark in Southland play, placing UTSA fourth in the final league standings. Andre Owens, a preseason second-team All-SLC pick, is the lone returning starter after averaging 11.2 points and 4.0 rebounds last year.
Rounding out the coaches poll are McNeese State University in the No. 7 spot, with Stephen F. Austin State University at No. 8, Texas State University is ninth, the University of Louisiana-Monroe 10th and Nicholls State University rounds it out in 11th. The SID poll has McNeese and SFA tied for seventh with the final three in the same order as the coaches.
Coaches Poll (1st-place votes) Points
1. Northwestern State (10) 100
2. Lamar (1) 85
3. Southeastern Louisiana 72
4. Sam Houston State 70
5. Texas-Arlington 62
6. Texas-San Antonio 55
7. McNeese State 47
8. Stephen F. Austin 42
9. Texas State 34
10. Louisiana-Monroe 24
11. Nicholls State 14
Sports Information Directors Points
1. Northwestern State (10) 120
2. Lamar (1) 95
3. Southeastern Louisiana 87
4. Sam Houston State 85
5. Texas-San Antonio 77
6. Texas-Arlington 66
7. McNeese State 50
Stephen F. Austin 50
9. Texas State 49
10. Louisiana-Monroe 34
11. Nicholls State 13