LILBURN, Ga. --- The Tusculum University women's basketball team is receiving votes in the 2021-22 Women's Basketball Coaches Association Division II Preseason Top 25 poll, the WBCA announced Tuesday.
The Pioneers received 23 points in voting by the 23-member committee. Tusculum was one of 34 schools that received votes outside the Top 25 in the preseason rankings.
Tusculum finished 19-4 last season and won its second consecutive South Atlantic Conference Championship tournament title. The Pioneers, who were second in the SAC in the regular season with a 15-3 record, earned their first NCAA Division II Tournament victory since 2010 and concluded the 2020-21 season ranked 18th in the WBCA Top 25. Tusculum returns three starters and seven of its top 10 scorers from last year's squad, including preseason second-team All-SAC guard Jalia Arnwine who averaged 13.6 points per game last season.
The Pioneers are scheduled to play four teams that appear in the WBCA Top 25, all in the first 10 games of the season. Tusculum will face 25th-ranked Belmont Abbey on the road in the season opener on Nov. 12, then will host 21st-ranked Carson-Newman in the home and conference opener on Wednesday, Nov. 17. In December, Tusculum will host sixth-ranked North Georgia on Wednesday, Dec. 8 before traveling to third-ranked Lander on Saturday, Dec. 11. Tusculum will play at Carson-Newman on Wednesday, Feb. 2 in their second meeting of the season with the Eagles.
Defending national champion Lubbock Christian (23-0) received 20 first-place votes and took the top spot in the preseason poll, followed by Drury (24-2), Lander (20-2), Fort Hays State (22-4) and Azusa Pacific (12-5). Of the teams that appeared in the preseason Top 25, four of them played either a limited schedule or sat out the entire 2020-21 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
WBCA Division II Preseason Top 25
|
Rank |
School (2020-21 Record) |
Points |
2020-21 |
|
1 |
Lubbock Christian (23-0) |
547 |
1 |
|
2 |
Drury (24-2) |
524 |
2 |
|
3 |
Lander (20-2) |
465 |
3 |
|
4 |
Fort Hays State (22-4) |
408 |
10 |
|
5 |
Azusa Pacific (12-5) |
356 |
16 |
|
6t |
Central Missouri (23-5) |
339 |
4 |
|
6t |
North Georgia (18-2) |
339 |
6 |
|
8 |
Ashland (16-9) |
326 |
20 |
|
9 |
Gannon (13-1) |
311 |
26 |
|
10 |
Texas A&M-Commerce (14-4) |
307 |
17 |
|
11 |
Tampa (7-0) |
305 |
NR |
|
12 |
Alaska Anchorage (3-0) |
267 |
NR |
|
13 |
Stonehill (0-0) |
257 |
NR |
|
14 |
Glenville State (12-4) |
235 |
23 |
|
15 |
Valdosta State (18-4) |
173 |
13 |
|
16 |
Southwestern Oklahoma State (18-4) |
171 |
15 |
|
17 |
Charleston, WV (19-3) |
155 |
5 |
|
18 |
Minnesota Duluth (14-2) |
150 |
12 |
|
19 |
Union, TN (19-6) |
147 |
22 |
|
20 |
Daemen (14-3) |
125 |
8 |
|
21 |
Carson-Newman (15-4) |
124 |
24 |
|
22 |
Bentley (0-0) |
93 |
NR |
|
23t |
Colorado Mines (17-3) |
89 |
21 |
|
23t |
Truman State (17-5) |
89 |
27 |
|
25t |
Belmont Abbey (22-3) |
80 |
7 |
|
25t |
Hawaii Pacific (13-1) |
80 |
14 |
Dropped Out: No. 10 Michigan Tech (20-2); No. 18 Tusculum (19-4); No. 19 Arkansas Tech (14-2); No. 25 Tuskegee (12-2).
Others receiving votes: Michigan Tech (20-2) 59; Nebraska Kearney (23-4) 58; Indiana, PA (0-0) 57; Arkansas Tech (14-2) 51;
Western Washington (6-0) 47; Tuskegee (12-2) 44; Barton (13-3) 41; Grand Valley State (14-6) 40; West Texas A&M (15-6) 40;
Benedict (12-3) 30; Lee, TN (15-8) 24; Tusculum (19-4) 23; Augustana, SD (12-5) 20; Southeastern Oklahoma State (13-8) 17;
University of the Sciences (0-0) 16; Texas A&M International (11-5) 15; Emporia State (18-7) 8; Walsh (17-7) 3.