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Men's Basketball Picked Second in Preseason Poll

Tuesday, November 8, 2011 - page 2
 

CC Preseason Poll
# School (1st place votes) 2010-11 Rec Points
 1 Franklin & Marshall (15) 23-6 (15-3) 159
 2 Muhlenberg (3) 13-12 (9-9) 130
 3 Dickinson (2) 15-12 (12-6) 128
 4 Ursinus 12-13 (9-9) 114
 5 McDaniel 13-13 (10-8)   94
 6 Gettysburg 14-12 (11-7)   84
 7 Haverford 14-12 (10-8)   72
 8 Washington College 7-18 (6-12)   52
 9 Johns Hopkins 7-18 (5-13)   44
10 Swarthmore 6-19 (3-15)   23
The Muhlenberg men’s basketball team was picked second in the preseason poll of Centennial Conference coaches and sports information directors.

The Mules received 130 points and three first-place votes to edge out 2011 CC runner-up Dickinson (128 points) for second place. Two-time defending champion Franklin & Marshall garnered 15

men's basketball
Curry, Liddic, junior Matt O'Hara and Hargrove (left to right) all averaged more than 22 minutes per game last year.
first-place votes and 159 points.

Muhlenberg barely missed the playoffs last year, finishing 13-12 overall and 9-9 in the CC, a game behind Haverford and McDaniel, the last two playoff qualifiers.

Among the returnees for the Mules are three players who combined to score more than 63 percent of the team’s points: senior preseason All-American Spencer Liddic and sophomores Austin Curry and Kevin Hargrove. Liddic broke a 40-year-old record for points scored, Curry led the team in three-pointers, and Hargrove broke the school record for blocked shots.

“Right now we have a ton to work on, but a lot to work with,” said third-year head coach Scott McClary in the CC preseason online chat.

The preseason ranking matches the highest ever for the Mules since the CC went to one division for the 2003-04 season. They were picked second in 2009-10. That year, Muhlenberg was in second place before dropping its last five regular-season games, although the team regrouped to win a first-round playoff game as the No. 5 seed.

The Mules are scheduled to open their season a week from today at Moravian. They host the Scotty Wood Tournament next Friday and Saturday, with the CC opener scheduled for Nov. 22 at Gettysburg.