KANSAS CITY – The University of South Carolina Aiken men's basketball team picked up its second preseason top 15 ranking on Wednesday, coming in at No. 14 in the NABC/Division II preseason coaches poll.
The 2010-11 Peach Belt Conference favorite Pacers were ranked 11th in the 2010 Division II Bulletin preseason top 25.
In total, this is the third preseason national accolade thus far for the Pacers, who were also tabbed as a possible breakthrough team in NCAA Division II by the 2010-11 Sporting News College Basketball Preview.
"It is an honor and we are blessed to be ranked so highly in all of the preseason polls," noted USC Aiken head coach Vince Alexander. "It is still the preseason and we have a lot of work to do to fulfill these predictions."
The Pacers are one of two Peach Belt Conference teams ranked in the top 25 with Montevallo ranked No. 24. Augusta State received votes, but was not in the top 25.
The USC Aiken men's basketball program has won a school-record 72 games over the last three seasons. The 72 victories over the three-year span are the most in the Palmetto State among all levels of college basketball.
Under the guidance of Alexander, USC Aiken has become a national force in NCAA Division II over the past three seasons.
In addition to the victories, the 2007-08 USC Aiken men's basketball team won the Peach Belt Conference Regular Season Championship and the 2008-09 Pacer men's basketball team advanced farther than any other squad in program history to the NCAA Division II "Sweet Sixteen." The 2009-10 USC Aiken men's basketball team claimed the Peach Belt Conference Tournament Championship.
USC Aiken will open its 2010-11 campaign with an exhibition against Southern Wesleyan at the Convocation Center at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 11. The Pacers will be commencing their first action in a season for the second consecutive season against the Warriors. The Pacers downed Southern Wesleyan, 92-58, in an exhibition on Nov. 5, 2009 at the Convocation Center.
The Pacers will officially begin their 2010-11 regular season the next week against Voorhees at the Convocation Center. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 17. The Pacers and Tigers will be tangling on the hardwood against one another for the 17th time with USC Aiken owning an 11-5 all-time series advantage. The two teams have not played since the 1991-92 season.
NABC/Division II Coaches Poll
(November 3, 2010 – Preseason Poll)
Record* Points Pvs*
1. Cal Poly Pomona (6 first place votes) 28-6 198 NR
2. Indiana, Pa. 33-3 175 2

3. Findlay, Ohio (2 first place votes) 23-7 170 NR
4. Bellarmine, Ky. 23-9 168 19
5. Grand Valley State, Mich. 22-9 148 NR
6. Florida Southern 25-5 143 13
7. Bentley, Mass. 26-7 139 NR
8. St. Cloud State, Minn. 29-6 121 16
9. Winona State, Minn. 20-10 120 NR
10. Seattle Pacific, Wash. 22-6 113 18
11. Tarleton State, Texas 24-8 106 NR
12. West Liberty, W.Va. 29-3 94 10
13. Arkansas Tech 30-2 89 1
14. USC Aiken 20-11 80 NR
15. Metropolitan State, Colo. 23-7 77 21
16. Central Missouri 27-4 74 7
17. Rollins, Fla. 27-6 67 11
18. Central Oklahoma 22-7 62 NR
19. Saint Joseph's, Ind. 20-12 53 NR
20. Midwestern State, Texas 31-3 48 3
21. Alabama-Huntsville 23-7 44 NR
22. Merrimack, Mass. 21-9 39 NR
23. Philadelphia, Pa. 27-8 33 NR
24. Montevallo, Ala. 25-8 25 NR
25. Clark Atlanta, Ga. 24-7 23 22
Others receiving votes: Drury (Mo.) 22, Anderson (S.C.) 21, Fort Hays State (Kan.) 20, BYU-Hawaii 17, Kentucky Wesleyan 17, Lincoln Memorial (Tenn.) 16, Winston-Salem State (N.C.) 15, Virginia Union 14, Mount Olive (N.C.) 9, Minnesota State 8, Augusta State (Ga.) 7, West Virginia State 5, Kutztown (Pa.) 4, Valdosta State (Ga.) 4, Cal State-San Bernardino 3, Augustana (S.D.) 2, Central State (Ohio) 2, Central Washington 2, Adelphi (N.Y.) 1, Nebraska-Omaha 1.
*Records are final from 2009-10 season. Previous ranking was final ranking of last season, released on March 9.
