North Dakota Picked as Favorite in Women’s Basketball Coaches Poll
North Dakota has been chosen by the league's women's basketball coaches as the favored team to capture the North Central Conference women's basketball championship.
The Fighting Sioux won the regular-season standings with a 10-2 mark and the North Central Conference tournament last year. North Dakota advanced to the NCAA Division II Women's Basketball Championship and defeated Minnesota State Moorhead, Regis and Nebraska-Kearney before falling 83-64 to Florida Gulf Coast in the national quarterfinals to finish the season with a 32-4 record.
South Dakota finished second in the coaches' balloting with Augustana in the third slot. South Dakota reached the finals of the North Central Conference tournament after completing the double round-robin schedule in third place with a 6-6. USD advanced to the NCAA DII Women's Basketball Championship where they fell in the first round to Concordia-St. Paul. Augustana finished second in the NCC standings last year, posting a 9-3 mark. The Vikings advanced to NCAA play as well where they were knocked off by Nebraska-Kearney.
North Dakota was chosen as the champions by five of the seven coaches with the other two votes coming for second place. South Dakota received the other two first-place votes along with two second-place votes and three third-place nods.
The North Central Conference has had teams in the NCAA Division II women's basketball championship game in 11 of the last 17 years and NCC schools have brought home the title on nine of those occasions.
Augustana have already gotten a jump start on the season by participating in the Disney West Coast Tip-Off during the first weekend of November. Augustana went 2-1 with a wins over Western Washington and Colorado Christian coupled with a loss to UC-San Diego.
Non-conference action will tip-off on Thursday. Conference play opens on Thursday, January 10th.
2007-2008 North Central Conference
Women's Basketball Preseason Coaches Poll
|
Team |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
Total |
|
North Dakota |
5 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
47 |
|
South Dakota |
2 |
2 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
41 |
|
Augustana |
0 |
1 |
3 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
30 |
|
Minnesota State |
0 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
2 |
2 |
0 |
25 |
|
St. Cloud State |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
5 |
1 |
0 |
21 |
|
Minnesota Duluth |
0 |
0 |
0 |
3 |
0 |
2 |
2 |
18 |
|
Nebraska-Omaha |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
4 |
14 |
Note: Points were awarded 7 for 1st, 6 for 2nd, etc.