College basketball: UCI men tabbed preseason favorite

BREN EVENTS CENTER - The UC Irvine men’s basketball team was chosen

as the favorite of the coaches and the media in the Big West preseason

polls conducted at the Big West Conference Media Day at the Irvine

Marriott Hotel Wednesday.

The UCI women’s team has a No. 4 ranking without a first-place vote in

either poll.

The Anteaters’ men, last year’s regular season champions, return just

two starters from last year’s squad, but they are key players in 2000-01

Big West Player of the Year Jerry Green and All-Freshman Team member Adam

Parada.

Coach Pat Douglass’ Anteaters received six first-place votes in the

coaches poll and 19 of a possible 31 first-place votes in the media poll.

The Anteaters received 287 points, 30 more than the second choice.

Utah State and UC Santa Barbara were chosen as No. 2 in the coaches’

poll with 66 points.

The Aggies, who received two first-place votes, were last year’s

conference tournament champions and return All-Big West team member Tony

Brown.

The Gauchos, who received one first-place vote, return all five of

their starters from last year’s squad, including All-Big West players

Mark Hull and Mike Vukovich.

In the Media Poll, UC Santa Barbara was the second choice with seven

votes for the top spot and 257 total points.

Utah State and Long Beach State each were given two nods to finish in

first and placed third and fourth in the balloting, respectively.

Pacific rounded out the teams that received a first-place vote, and

finished fifth in the voting.

The UCI women finished with 46 points in the coaches poll, four points

behind No. 3 Long Beach State. UC Santa Barbara is ranked No. 1 in both

polls.

COACHES’ MEN’S POLL

MEN

1. UC Irvine, (6) 76; 2. Utah State, (2) 66; UC Santa Barbara, (1) 66;

4. Long Beach State, 63; 5. Pacific, (1) 52; 6. Cal State Northridge, 42;

7. Cal State Fullerton, 26; 8. Idaho, 23; 9. Cal Poly, 19; 10. UC

Riverside, 17.

MEDIA MEN’S POLL

1. UC Irvine, (19 first-place votes) 287; 2. UC Santa Barbara, (7)

257; 3. Utah State, (2) 245; 4. Long Beach State, (2) 232; 5. Pacific,

(1) 195; 6. Cal State Northridge, 171; 7. Cal Poly, 105; 8. Cal State

Fullerton, 82; 9. UC Riverside, 72; 10. Idaho, 60.

COACHES’ WOMEN’S POLL

1. UC Santa Barbara, (8) 64; 2. Pacific, (1) 53; 3. Long Beach State,

50; 4. UC Irvine, 46; 5. Cal Poly, 35; 6. Cal State Northridge, 26;

Idaho, 26; 8. UC Riverside, 13; 9. Cal State Fullerton, 11.

MEDIA’S WOMEN’S POLL

1. UC Santa Barbara, (18) 170; 2. Pacific, (1) 143; 3. Long Beach

State, 130; 4. UC Irvine, 121; 5. Cal Poly, 92; 6. Idaho, 72; 7. Cal

State Northridge, 63; 8. Cal State Fullerton, 35; 9. UC Riverside, 29.