SELINSGROVE, Pa. — The Susquehanna University women’s basketball team is picked third in the Commonwealth Conference while the men are predicted to finish sixth in the annual Middle Atlantic Conference preseason coaches poll, released Wednesday.
THE WOMEN’S POLL
The Crusader women (13-11 in 1999-2000) were picked second in last year’s preseason survey but fell to fifth and missed the MAC playoffs for the first time since the 1988-89 season. However, the return of senior All-American candidate Karyn Kern from a serious knee injury should make the Crusaders a strong contender for one of the four available Commonwealth Conference playoff berths.
Messiah, which posted a 22-6 overall record and won its first-ever Commonwealth Conference title in 1999-2000, has been picked to repeat as regular-season champion on the strength of five first-place votes and 62 overall points. Elizabethtown, which had won every Commonwealth title since its inception in 1993-94, earned 56 points and two first-place votes to claim second. The Crusaders received one first-place vote and 47 overall points to take third, while Juniata (16-9) was slotted fourth, just one point ahead of Lebanon Valley (18-9).
The Freedom Conference poll was dominated by the University of Scranton (26-5), who received 63 points and seven first-place votes to easily outdistance defending MAC champion Allentown (24-5) and Lycoming (17-8).
THE MEN’S POLL
After finishing 13-11 and losing out on a four-way tiebreaker for the final playoff spot in the Commonwealth Conference, the Crusaders have been chosen to finish sixth in this year’s standings. Led by junior forward Corey Green and seniors Brad Rausch and Mike Witcoskie, Susquehanna will look to snap a two-year postseason drought.
To do so, the Crusaders will need to break into a top four that includes defending Commonwealth and MAC champion Widener (24-4), which earned seven first-place votes and 63 total points to finish ahead of Albright (20-7), which took second place with 57 points and the other first-place vote. Lebanon Valley (17-12) was chosen third with 38 points, while Messiah (11-13) slipped into the fourth spot with 37 points. Elizabethtown (13-12) earned 33 points to barely nose out the Crusaders for fifth, as Susquehanna tallied 32 points in the voting.
The Freedom Conference race is well-defined, with 14 points separating the fourth and fifth place teams. Wilkes (16-9) earned five first-place votes and 52 points to take first place ahead of Scranton (18-11), as the Royals garnered one first-place vote and 45 points. King’s was picked third with 41 points, while Lycoming captured a first-place votes and 37 points.
The Susquehanna men’s and women’s basketball teams will open their 2000-2001 seasons during the weekend of November 17-19 by hosting the Pepsi/Varsity Club Tip Off Tournament in O.W. Houts Gymnasium.
