Edited: Nov. 6, 2008

WOOSTER MEN, DENISON WOMEN FAVORED AS NCAC PREPS FOR 25TH BASKETBALL CAMPAIGN

Wooster's men and Denison's women were tabbed as the favorites in preseason voting by both league coaches and members of the media after the North Coast Athletic Conference's 25th annual Basketball Media Day, which was held today via teleconference.

Four-time defending champion Wooster topped second-place Wittenberg in the men's balloting after picking up seven of 10 possible first-place votes from the coaches and 20 of 23 from the media. In fact, the coaches and media predicted the exact same finish for the 10 league squads, with one exception. The Tigers, in second, earned one first-place nod from both the coaches and media. Defending NCAC tournament champion Ohio Wesleyan, with one first-place nod from the media, was third, followed by Wabash in fourth. The Little Giants garnered one first-place vote from reporters listening in and two from the coaches. Kenyon finished fifth, followed by Allegheny in sixth and Hiram in seventh. The coaches tabbed Oberlin eighth and Denison ninth, while the media reversed that order. Earlham rounded out both polls.

The Fighting Scots return eight letterwinners and three starters from a team that went 23-5 overall and was edged out in the semifinals of the NCAA Tournament. The Scots will look to senior forward Marty Bidwell (Middletown, OH/Bishop Fenwick) and sophomore forward Bryan Wickliffe (Columbus, OH/St. Charles Prep) for leadership in the early going. Bidwell earned All-NCAC honorable mention honors last winter, averaging 9.3 points, 5.1 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 1.8 steals, while Wickliffe contributed 10.8 points and 5.4 rebounds in his first season.

Four-time NCAC tournament champion Denison took seven of nine first-place votes in the women's coaches' poll, and 16 of 20 in the media poll to outdistance second-place Wittenberg. The coaches and media on the call predicted the Tigers would finish second and gave them a combined three first-place nods - two from reporters and one from the league coaches. Both polls were remarkably similar in their predictions in the standings, only one difference exists in their opinions. Ohio Wesleyan was third; the Battling Bishops received one first -place vote from the coaches. Kenyon, which received the remaining two first-place votes from the media, was tabbed fourth, followed by Allegheny in fifth and Wooster in sixth. The coaches slotted Hiram, Oberlin and Earlham in places seven through nine, respectively, while the media mixed things up with Oberlin in seventh, followed by Hiram in eighth.

The Big Red return 10 letterwinners and five starters from a team that won its third straight NCAC tourney crown after entering the event as the fourth seed. Denison compiled an 18-5 overall record a year ago and bowed out in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Denison's top returning scorer and rebounder is senior Carolyn Simpson (Dublin, OH/Scioto), who averaged 12.8 points and 8.4 rebounds per game last season.

The bulk of the 2008-09 season begins on Friday, Nov. 21. The NCAC Tournament will be held at the end of February, with the men's and women's semifinals and finals at the site of the respective high seeds on Feb. 27-28.

2008-09 Men's Poll (Coaches) 1. Wooster (7) 97 2. Wittenberg (1) 82 3. Ohio Wesleyan 76 4. Wabash (2) 73 5. Kenyon 62 6. Allegheny 60 7. Hiram 32 8. Oberlin 25 9. Denison 24 10. Earlham 19		2008-09 Women's Poll (Coaches) 1. Denison (7) 78 2. Wittenberg (1) 69 3. Ohio Wesleyan (1) 64 4. Kenyon 51 5. Allegheny 49 6. Wooster 33 7. Hiram 25 8. Oberlin 22 9. Earlham 14
2008-09 Men's Poll (Media) 1. Wooster (20) 227 2. Wittenberg (1) 190 3. Ohio Wesleyan (1) 181 4. Wabash (1) 171 5. Kenyon 138 6. Allegheny 119 7. Hiram 81 8. Denison 65 9. Oberlin 61 10. Earlham 32		2008-09 Women's Poll (Media) 1. Denison (16) 172 2. Wittenberg (2) 142 3. Ohio Wesleyan 138 4. Kenyon (2) 130 5. Allegheny 109 6. Wooster 78 7. Oberlin 56 8. Hiram 47 9. Earlham 28

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