Men's Basketball Picked as Favorite in UAA Preseason Coaches' Poll

St. Louis, Mo., November 9, 2010 — For the fourth-consecutive year, the Washington University in St. Louis men’s basketball team enters the season as the favorite to win the University Athletic Association (UAA) championship, based on preseason polling of Association coaches.

Washington University, ranked No. 10 in the DIII News and No. 20 in the D3hoops.com Top-25 Polls, won its UAA-record 10th conference championship a year ago with a 13-1 record. The Bears return one starter and 15 letterwinners from last year’s team, which posted a 24-3 overall record and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Division III Tournament.

Washington U. received four of eight first-place votes to tally 45 points. Case Western Reserve University garnered three first-place votes and was picked second with 44 points, while New York University picked up the final first-place vote and was third in the poll with 36 points.

Brandeis University was fourth with 27 points, while Emory University (25 points), University of Chicago (24 points), the University of Rochester (16 points) and Carnegie Mellon University (seven points) rounded out the eight-team conference.

Washington University opens regular season play on Monday, Nov. 15, at MacMurray College. Tip-off is set for 6 p.m., in Jacksonville, Ill.