Women's Basketball Head Coach Pam Smith Speaks With the Local Media About the Upcoming Season.

NCAC Media Day Release - pdf file

SPRINGFIELD, Ohio - The Wittenberg University men's and women's basketball teams both were picked to finish second in preseason voting by coaches and media after the North Coast Athletic Conference's 20th annual basketball media day, which was held today via teleconference.

Ohio Wesleyan edged out Wittenberg and Allegheny in the women's balloting with 16 first-place votes, 11 of 24 from the media and five of nine from the coaches. The defending champion Tigers were second in both polls, receiving five first-place nods from the media and two first-place NCAC coaches. Both groups selected Allegheny a close third, followed by Earlham in fourth; each received first-place votes in both polls.

Defending NCAC champion Wooster took 27 first-place votes in the men's balloting, 20 of 24 from the media and seven of 10 from league coaches, to outdistance Wittenberg and Ohio Wesleyan. Both the coaches and the media predicted the Tigers would finish second and gave them a total of four first-place votes. Ohio Wesleyan picked up a first-place vote in both polls to finishing third behind Wittenberg.

Men's Basketball Head Coach Bill Brown Speaks With the Local Media About the Upcoming Season.

The 2003-04 season opens Friday, Nov. 21, as Wittenberg hosts the Kiwanis-Wittenberg Tip-Off Classic. The NCAC regular season opens with games Saturday, Dec. 7. The NCAC Tournament will be held over the final week of February, with the men's and women's semifinals and finals at the site of the respective high seeds on Feb. 27-28.

Wittenberg's women return nine letterwinners but just one starter after a 24-5 season in 2002-03. The Tigers have won nine NCAC regular season titles and six NCAC tournament titles, including last year as Wittenberg went on to earn a seventh NCAA Division III Tournament berth.

Wittenberg's men return seven letterwinners, including three starters, after a 20-6 overall record in 2002-03. The Tigers are the winningest team in NCAA Division III history with 1,458 victories since the 1911-12 season, and last year's 20-win season was the 47th consecutive non-losing campaign.