Lady Hawks picked 3rd, Huntingdon men 9th in USA South basketball polls

FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. – The Huntingdon women's basketball team received one first-place vote and is ranked third in the USA South women's basketball preseason poll. The Huntingdon men are ranked ninth.

The conference preseason polls were released on Wednesday.

Coming off the best season in program history, the Huntingdon women are ranked behind preseason favorite Ferrum and preseason No. 2 Maryville. Ferrum received nine first-place votes and a total of 141 points. Maryville earned three-first-place votes and 132 points. Huntingdon finished with one first-place vote and 113 points.

The Lady Hawks return four starters from last season's squad that won 19 games, reached the NCAA tournament for the first time and defeated Ferrum in the first round of the tournament.

With the addition of Huntingdon and Covenant to the conference this season, this is the first time the USA South has split into divisions for women's basketball. In the South Division poll, Maryville received three of a possible five first-place votes and 15 points. Huntingdon was second with two-first-place votes and 14 points. Ferrum (seven first-place votes and 49 points) and North Carolina Wesleyan (one first-place vote and 40 points) are No. 1 and No. 2 in the North Division.

At the end of the regular season, the top five teams in the North and the top three teams in the South will qualify for the USA South Conference tournament. The head-to-head regular-season winner between the top divisional seeds will host the conference tournament.

On the men's side, Huntingdon was voted ninth and earned 28 points. Maryville was voted No. 1 with six first-place votes and 93 points. Ferrum (two first-place votes and 85 points) is No. 2 and LaGrange (two first-place votes and 78 points) is No. 3.

With the addition of Covenant and Huntingdon to the conference and William Peace adding men's basketball, the USA South will have 11 men's basketball teams competing this season. Unlike the women, the men will not be divided into North and South Divisions. The top eight teams at the end of the regular season will advance to the conference tournament, hosted by the No. 1 seed.

The complete polls are listed below.

USA South Women's Basketball Preseason Poll (Overall Poll)

1. Ferrum (9 first-place votes), 141 points                                                             

2. Maryville (3), 132 points

3. Huntingdon (1), 113 points

4. N.C. Wesleyan, 105 points

5. Greensboro, 87 points

6. Methodist, 84 points

7. Piedmont, 80 points

8. Averett, 67 points

9, Meredith, 61 points

10. Covenant, 53 points

11. LaGrange, 49 points

12. William Peace, 30 points

13. Mary Baldwin, 12 points.

USA South Women's Basketball Preseason Poll (South Division)

1. Maryville (3 first-place votes), 15 points                                                            

2. Huntingdon (2), 14 points

3. Piedmont, 10 points

4. LaGrange, 6 points

5. Covenant, 5 points

USA South Women's Basketball Preseason Poll (North Division)

1. Ferrum (7 first-place votes), 49 points

2. N.C. Wesleyan (1), 40 points

T3. Greensboro, 33 points

T3. Methodist, 33 points

T5. Averett, 24 points                                                                                                     

T5. Meredith, 24 points

7. William Peace, 14 points

8. Mary Baldwin, 7 points

USA South Men's Basketball Preseason Poll (Overall Poll) 

1. Maryville (6 first-place votes), 93 points

2. Ferrum (2), 85 points

3. LaGrange (2), 78 points

4. Greensboro, 73 points

5. Methodist, 68 points

6. N.C. Wesleyan (1), 67 points

T7. Averett, 37 points

T7, Covenant, 37 points

9. Huntingdon, 28 points

10. William Peace, 25 points

11. Piedmont, 14 points