KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Augustana is ranked 16th in the 2011-12 National Association of Basketball Coaches Division II Preseason Poll released Tuesday. The Vikings received 69 points in the poll voted on by members of the NABC.
Defending national champion Bellarmine (Ky.) enters the 2011-12 season as the nation's top-ranked team. The Knights earned 200 points and eight first-place votes.
Augustana is the lone program from the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference ranked in the top 25.
Last week, the Vikings were picked to win the league in the NSIC Preseason Coaches' Poll.
Cody Schilling was also tabbed the conference's preseason player of the year.
Schilling, a senior guard from Ellsworth, Minn., was also selected as a preseason All-American by Division II Bulletin.
Augustana is also ranked No. 8 by the Sporting News in its preseason national poll. The publication also cited Schilling (second team) and junior guard
Cameron McCaffrey (honorable mention) as preseason All-Americans.
Four starters return for Augustana in 2011-12. Both Schilling and McCaffrey were All-NSIC first-team performers a year ago.
The Vikings finished the 2010-11 season 18-9 overall and 15-7 in the NSIC. Augustana was third in the final conference standings.
Augustana will play the University of Minnesota on Nov. 7 in an exhibition game before opening the regular season against the University of Sioux Falls on Nov. 15 at the Sioux Falls Arena.
NABC/Division II Coaches Poll (Nov. 1, 2011 – Preseason Poll)
Record Points Pvs
1. Bellarmine (Ky.) (8 first place votes) 33-2 200 2
2. Alabama-Huntsville 29-5 187 7
3. BYU-Hawaii 22-9 179 NR
4. Missouri Southern 26-5 166 9
5. Lincoln Memorial (Tenn.) 27-3 153 10
6. West Liberty ( W.Va.) 33-1 142 1
7. Findlay 24-4 130 NR
8. Tarleton State 24-6 124 17
9. Bowie State (Md.) 23-6 121 19
10. Metro State 22-8 118 NR
11. Central Oklahoma 30-4 112 4
12. Southern Indiana 24-6 105 12
13. Benedict (S.C.) 21-8 100 24
14. Humboldt State (Calif.) 26-4 73 6
15. Kentucky Wesleyan 19-10 72 NR
16. Augustana 18-9 69 NR
17. Alaska-Anchorage 24-10 68 NR
18. Colorado School of Mines 25-6 61 20
19. Indiana (Pa.) 26-6 57 21
20. Saint Rose (N.Y.) 22-9 50 NR
21. Georgia Southwestern 20-9 48 NR
22. Seattle Pacific (Wash.) 20-10 40 NR
23. Massachusetts-Lowell 20-10 28 NR
24. Arkansas Tech 25-6 22 14
25. Queens (N.C.) 21-8 20 NR
Others receiving votes: Winona State 18, LIU-C.W. Post (N.Y.) 17, Limestone (S.C.) 15, Hillsdale (Mich.) 11, Central Missouri 10, Montevallo (Ala.) 10, Rollins (Fla.) 10, Christian Brothers (Tenn.) 8, Bentley (Mass.) 7, Cal Poly Pomona 7, Grand Valley State (Mich.) 7, West Texas A&M 7, Clayton State (Ga.), Florida Southern 5, Northern Kentucky 5, Drury (Mo.) 4, Harding (Ark.) 4, Fort Hays State (Kan.) 3, Bloomfield (N.J.) 2.
