Wooster Atop NCAC Preseason Poll

Men’s hoops team favored to win conference for what would be a sixth-straight season

The College of Wooster was picked to defend its North Coast Athletic Conference men’s basketball championship in 2009-10, according to a vote by the league coaches and announced via the NCAC office on Thursday.

The Fighting Scots, who return starters Nathan Balch, Ian Franks, Justin Hallowell, and Bryan Wickliffe as well as five other letterwinners from a group that won the NCAC with a 14-2 record last year, received nine of the 10 first-place votes and totaled 99 of a possible 100 points.

Following Wooster and grouped very closely together in the poll were Ohio Wesleyan University (79), Wabash College (78), and Wittenberg University (74), with Wittenberg collecting the other first-place tally. Hiram College (65) completed the top half of the conference.

Rounding out the NCAC is expected to be Allegheny College (50), Kenyon College (42), Denison University (31), Earlham College (21), and Oberlin College (11).

The Scots, who also come in at No. 9 in D3hoops.com’s preseason national poll for NCAA Div. III, are aiming for an unprecedented sixth consecutive NCAC championship, as their current streak of five equals the Wittenberg teams from 1990-94.

Wooster will host an exhibition game against Div. I Kent State University this Saturday night, Nov. 7, which will benefit the Corey John Cline Fund, and next weekend, the season officially opens when the Scots are at Albion College on Sunday, Nov. 15 at 3 p.m.