FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 29, 2012
Ravens coming off NCAA East Regional semifinal appearance a year ago
SOUTH EASTON, Mass. – Franklin Pierce University took the top spot in the 2012-13 Northeast-10 Conference Men's Basketball Preseason Poll, as voted upon by the conference's 16 head coaches. The Ravens received nine first-place votes and 213 points in the voting.
For the complete poll results, please see below.
Franklin Pierce (22-8, 16-6 NE-10) is coming off a season in which it hosted the NCAA East Regional, where it fell to Bloomfield in the semifinals. The Ravens will return senior Eric Jean-Guillaume, the 2012 Northeast-10 Player of the Year, who averaged 14.8 points, 3.8 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 2.3 steals per game last season. Also back is junior Ellis Cooper (pictured), who posted averages of 15.0 points and 6.2 rebounds a year ago.
The University of Massachusetts Lowell (19-11, 13-9 NE-10) finished second in the poll with 201 points and one first-place vote, while Stonehill College (25-9, 15-7 NE-10) was third with 195 points and four first-place tallies. UMass Lowell fell to Stonehill in last year's Northeast-10 Championship game before Stonehill went on to advance all the way to the NCAA Division II Final Four.
Adelphi University (21-9, 16-6 NE-10), which won a share of the Northeast-10 regular-season crown with Franklin Pierce a year ago, finished fourth in the poll with 174 points and a first-place vote. Bentley University (15-12, 11-11 NE-10) was fifth with 158 points and one first-place vote.
Rounding out the top-10 was Southern Connecticut State University (14-13, 12-10 NE-10) with 121 points, Saint Michael's College (11-15, 10-12 NE-10) with 117 points, Assumption College (14-14, 11-11 NE-10) with 115 points, Saint Anselm College (12-14, 10-12 NE-10) with 110 points, and the University of New Haven (15-13, 10-12 NE-10) with 107 points.
Making up the remainder of the poll was Pace University (13-14, 11-11 NE-10) with 94 points, Southern New Hampshire University (12-15, 8-14 NE-10) with 88 points, Le Moyne College (12-14, 8-14 NE-10) with 67 points, The College of Saint Rose (7-19, 7-15 NE-10) with 60 points, American International College (8-18, 6-16 NE-10) with 54 points and Merrimack College (15-12, 12-10 NE-10) with 46 points.
Northeast-10 play will begin Tuesday, November 13, with Merrimack traveling to Franklin Pierce. The 14 other conference teams will tip off conference action the following day on Wednesday, Nov. 14.
The Northeast-10 Conference is an association of 16 NCAA Division II colleges and universities located in New England and New York that is committed to supporting balanced academic and athletic opportunities for more than 6,000 student-athletes. Each year, 4,000 of those student-athletes compete in conference championships in 23 sports, making the NE-10 the largest DII conference in the country. Leading the way in the classroom, on the field and within the community, the Northeast-10 is proud of its comprehensive program and the experience it provides student-athletes.
Northeast-10 Men's Basketball Preseason Coaches' Poll Results
1. Franklin Pierce (9) – 213
2. UMass Lowell (1) – 201
3. Stonehill (4) – 195
4. Adelphi (1) – 174
5. Bentley (1) – 158
6. So. Connecticut – 121
7. Saint Michaels – 117
8. Assumption – 115
9. Saint Anselm – 110
10. New Haven – 107
11. Pace – 94
12. So. New Hampshire – 88
13. Le Moyne – 67
14. Saint Rose – 60
15. American Int'l – 54
16. Merrimack – 46
First-place votes in parentheses
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