OC Sweeps 2005 Coaches' Polls
Oklahoma Christian University’s Eagles and Lady Eagles basketball teams are the preseason favorites in both the men’s and women’s preseason coaches’ poll released Oct. 19.
For the first time since the 1998-99 poll, the preseason No. 1 team for men and women come from the same school. In that season, Southern Nazarene was the preseason pick for both men and women. That season, the SNU women won the league and the men finished fifth in what was then an eight-team conference.
Also for the first time in the history of the women’s preseason coaches’ poll, a team other than Southern Nazarene or Oklahoma City is the preseason favorite. Those two schools have won 10 of the last 12 NAIA titles, with one of the two being in the finals in each of the last 12 seasons.
The Oklahoma Christian men won the regular season title in 2005. The Eagles were one of four teams to garner at least one first-place vote in the poll. They had four first-place votes and finished with 68 poll points, which are awarded in descending order from 9 points for a first-place vote. Coaches are not permitted to rank their own team.
Defending NAIA champion John Brown collected three first-place votes and finishes with 66 points, making for the narrowest margin between the top two teams since the 1999-2000 poll, which had OC and Oklahoma Baptist tied at No. 1.
Oklahoma City University has three first-place votes 64 poll points. Oklahoma Baptist received the remaining first place vote and is fourth with 60 points. Wayland Baptist rounds out the top half of the poll with 53 points.
Northwestern Oklahoma State is ranked sixth with 37 points, followed by Southern Nazarene (35), Lubbock Christian (32), USAO (26) and St. Gregory’s (9).
On the women’s side, Oklahoma Christian and Oklahoma City both received four first-place votes with Southern Nazarene snagging the other two top votes.
The Lady Eagles has 68 poll points, followed by Oklahoma City at 65, SNU at 62 and John Brown at 48. Lubbock Christian and Oklahoma Baptist are tied for fifth, each with 43 points.
Wayland Baptist is the No. 7 team with 31 points, followed by USAO with 20, St. Gregory’s with 13 and Northwestern with 12.
The first games of the season are Nov. 1 with St. Gregory’s playing a doubleheader at Oklahoma Wesleyan while the Oklahoma City men host Mid-America Christian.
The SAC will hold its annual Media Day for Oklahoma and Arkansas schools at 10:30 a.m., Wednesday, Oct. 26 at Bricktown. The Texas Media Day will be Oct. 25 at Lubbock Christian University.
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