SPARTANBURG, S.C. - The Southern Conference announced the coaches' and media preseason polls for the 2018-19 season with UNC Greensboro favored to win the conference once again. In the coaches' poll, the Spartans received 78 total votes and six first-place votes. In the media poll, the Spartans received 231 total votes and 16 first-place votes.
This is the first year that UNCG has been picked to win the conference outright since the SoCon went away from divisional play five years ago. The Spartans previously were picked to win the North Division five times: 2001-02, 2002-03, 2006-07, 2007-08 and 2012-13.
Additionally, senior guard Francis Alonso and junior forward James Dickey have been named to the Preseason All-SoCon Team.
UNCG is coming off a program-record 27 victories last season en route to an appearance in the NCAA Tournament where the Spartans nearly knocked off Gonzaga. During the regular season, the Spartans also set new program records for home (16) and SoCon (15) victories before claiming a conference regular season title for the second-straight year. In the SoCon Tournament, the Spartans defeated The Citadel in the quarterfinals and Wofford in the semifinals before scoring a 15-point victory over ETSU in the Championship Game
Alonso and Dickey are two of 11 players on the Preseason All-SoCon Team. Alonso was a first-team All-SoCon selection last year, as the Malaga, Spain, native averaged a career-high 15.6 points per game in 34 starts. Entering his senior season, Alonso ranks second in program history in three-pointers made (297) and third in three-point percentage (42.1) and scoring average (14.5).
Dickey, meanwhile, was named SoCon Defensive Player of the Year for his efforts during the 2017-18 season, as he led the conference in total rebounds (8.1), defensive rebounds (5.5) and blocks per game. His 2.2 blocks per game ranked 33rd in the nation. Last week, the Raleigh, N.C., native was named to the preseason watch list for the 2019 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award, an annual honor given to the top center in men's college basketball.
UNCG begins its 2018-19 campaign on Tuesday, Nov. 6 against North Carolina A&T at the Corbett Sports Center before traveling to Baton Rouge, La., to take on LSU. The Tigers rank No. 23 in the country in the preseason AP Poll. The game will be one of two against a ranked SEC opponent, as the Spartans will also face No. 2 Kentucky on Dec. 1 in Lexington, Ky.
The Spartans will open up SoCon play against Samford on Saturday, Dec. 22, in Birmingham, Ala.
The 2019 Ingles SoCon Men's Basketball Championship presented by General Shale will be held March 8-11 at the U.S. Cellular Center in Asheville, N.C.
Season Tickets
Season tickets for the 2018-19 season are still available starting as low as $139. Click here or call 336-334-3250 to purchase.
2018-19 Preseason Southern Conference Coaches' Poll
Team (first-place votes) Total
UNCG (6) 78
Wofford (4) 74
ETSU 67
Furman 57
Mercer 48
The Citadel 38
Chattanooga 30
Samford 26
Western Carolina 20
VMI 12
2018-19 Preseason Player of the Year
Fletcher Magee, Sr., G, Wofford
2018-19 Preseason All-Southern Conference Team
Zane Najdawi, Sr., F, The Citadel
Tray Boyd III, Jr., G, ETSU
Bo Hodges, So., G/F, ETSU
Jeromy Rodriguez, R-Jr., F, ETSU
Matt Rafferty, Sr., F, Furman
Ross Cummings, Jr., G, Mercer
Francis Alonso, Sr., G, UNCG
James Dickey, Jr., F, UNCG
Bubba Parham, So., G, VMI
Cameron Jackson, Sr., F, Wofford
Fletcher Magee, Sr., G, Wofford
2018-19 Preseason Southern Conference Media Poll
Team (first-place votes) Total
UNCG (16) 231
Wofford (6) 214
ETSU (2) 198
Furman 169
Mercer 136
Chattanooga 103
The Citadel 96
Samford 69
Western Carolina 59
VMI 45
-- UNCG –
