GRAND FORKS, N.D.--The Fighting Sioux men's basketball team has been picked fifth in the 2007-08 North Central Conference men's basketball media poll, released earlier today by the league office.
UND garnered 57 total points, including one second-place vote and a pair of third-place votes.
South Dakota was a near-unanimous choice to win the league title, claiming 18 of 19 first-place votes and 132 total points, 33 points more than second-place pick Minnesota State. USD returns five starters from last year's team that went 28-7 overall and 10-2 in the NCC and claimed a share of the conference title.
MSU received the only other first-place vote.
The Sioux went 11-17 overall last year under first-year head coach Brian Jones, tying for fifth place in the NCC with a 3-9 league mark. Ten of UND's 18 losses last season came by a margin of five points or fewer.
UND returns five players who started at least eight games last season, including senior forward and 2006-07 All-NCC selection Emmanuel Little (Chicago, Ill.), who averaged a team-leading 14.1 points per game and a league-high 8.1 rebounds per game.
Other returnees with starting experience including senior guards Ervin Youmans (Hobbs, N.M.) and Josh Doyle (Bettendorf, Iowa), senior center Tyler Koenig (Fargo, N.D.) and sophomore guard Travis Bledsoe (Minneapolis, Minn.).
UND opens the 2007-08 season on Friday and Saturday at Adams State's Grizzly Tip-Off Classic in Alamosa, Colo.
Click on the PDF link at the top of the page to view the complete NCC men's basketball preseason media poll.
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