R-E-S-P-E-C-T! Monday evening, the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics released the 2008-09 Division II Men?s Basketball Preseason Top 25 Coaches Poll, and Bartlesville?s own Oklahoma Wesleyan University received a high rating. Coming off their best season ever in 2007-08, the Eagles will begin play next Monday ranked No. 9 in the nation, their highest rating in school history. The Eagles (26-8) capped last season off with a No. 16 rating. The high ranking last season helped squeeze the Eagles into the National Tournament, where they beat preseason No. 17 William Penn University (Iowa). However, in the next game, they fell in an epic battle with the new No. 13 Northwestern (Iowa) in overtime in the Sweet Sixteen. Oklahoma Wesleyan begins the season with two straight home games on Monday and Tuesday of next week against Central Bible College (Mo.) and Friends University (Kan.). Monday nights battle with Central Bible begins at 7:30 in the Mueller Sports Center and Tuesday?s game with Friends will also begin at 7:30 following Lady Eagles game with the same opponent. The Eagles will take on a couple ranked opponents early this season, including an early season match ups with NAIA Div. I opponent No. 24 Evangel University on Nov. 7 and a battle with No. 3 Mount Vernon Nazarene University (Ohio) on Dec. 17 on a neutral court in Waxahachie, Texas. Earlier this month, the Eagles were picked to finish second in the Midlands Collegiate Athletic Conference behind College of the Ozarks, a team that was rated four spots ahead of them at No. 5 in the national poll. The conferences third nationally ranked team, and the NAIA Div. II National Runner-ups, is the 2008 Conference Champions Bellevue University (Neb.) at No. 23. Haskell Indian Nations (Kan.) and local signee and Dewey Bulldogger standout Trey Osborne, also look to gain a little national respect and improve on the vote they received in the preseason national pool. (Story printed October 28, 2008 in the Bartlesville Examiner-Enterprise and obtained from www.examiner-enterprise.com)
WESLEYAN MEN AND WOMEN GIVEN HIGH EXPECTATIONS IN 2008-09
As the 2008-09 collegiate basketball season approaches, players, coaches and fans prepare for the upcoming season by looking their opponents returning players and schedules, to form predictions for the year.
Another tool used to make these predictions is the coaches poll releases year by their respected conference.
Thursday night, the Midlands Collegiate Athletic Conference (MCAC) Sports Information Office released the pre-season basketball polls for 2008-09, with a few surprises at the top.
On the men’s side, the Oklahoma Wesleyan University men, coming off their best season ever at 26-8, and their first ever trip to the NAIA Division II National Tournament, was voted to finished second behind the College of the Ozarks (Mo.)
Last season, Ozarks finished their season with a 27-6 record and ended the year a spot ahead of Oklahoma Wesleyan, and just behind Bellevue University (Neb.), in second place.
In the just released poll, the Bruins of Bellevue, who finished last season with a loss to Oregon Tech in the National Tournament, were the recipients of the third place spot behind OWU.
Despite winning both the regular season and conference tournament titles, a lot of questions remain about the Bruins season after losing their coach Todd Eisner to an assistant job at Creighton University.
The predicted fourth and final spot for the MCAC tournament in March is Haskell Indian Nations.
Rounding out the pre-season poll for the MCAC men are Peru State College (Neb.) in the fifth spot, and Central Christian College (Kan.) and York College (Neb.) tied for sixth.
One of the biggest surprises in the polls was the third place pre-season ranking for the Oklahoma Wesleyan Lady Eagles.
The Lady Eagles finished last season just behind the Ozarks women for second place in the conference standings, and advanced to the regional finals of the National Christian College Athletic Association.
Coach Britney Kannady and her assistants have high expectations this season, and believe they will finish higher, giving Ozarks a run for their title.
That will be a tough task, with the Lady Cats looking to prove the pollsters right, as they try to bring home their sixth straight MCAC title.
Haskell Indian Nations came in second in the pre-season poll, after advancing to the conference tournament title game last season. Rounding out the top for was Peru State College.
Finishing out the women’s poll was Central Christian in fifth, College of Saint Mary (Neb.) in sixth and coming in last was York College.
Oklahoma Wesleyan women will have a battle in their first contest of the season when they are visited by Friends University (Kan.) on Nov. 4.
The Eagle men will also face Friends on Nov. 4, but tip their season off the day before with a battle with Central Bible College (Mo.) at home the night