IRVING, Texas – The DePaul men’s basketball team was picked to finish sixth in Conference USA in the annual preseason coaches poll the league announced today.
The Blue Demons are coming off a 22-10 season in which they won a share of the C-USA crown and reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
Louisville is the coaches’ preseason favorite for the second straight year to win the crown.
Memphis and Cincinnati ranked second and third, respectively, in the coaches poll. Charlotte came in fourth, followed by UAB and DePaul. Marquette and Saint Louis, who both earned postseason bids to the NIT, rated seventh and eighth. TCU was selected ninth, Southern Miss 10th, followed by East Carolina, Tulane, Houston and USF.
Francisco Garcia, Louisville’s 2003-04 C-USA All-Conference First Team selection and the 2002-03 C-USA Freshman of the Year, was selected as the preseason Player of the Year.
Garcia makes his second consecutive appearance on the preseason squad, along with senior guard Travis Diener of Marquette, Memphis sophomore Sean Banks, Charlotte junior Curtis Withers and Cincinnati’s Jason Maxiell.
2004-05 CONFERENCE USA COACHES PRESEASON POLL
1. Louisville (11) 192
2. Memphis (2) 172
3. Cincinnati (1) 171
4. Charlotte 148
5. UAB 136
6. DePaul 122
7. Marquette 120
8. Saint Louis 93
9. TCU 88
10. Southern Miss 65
11. East Carolina 55
12. Tulane 41
13. Houston 29
14. USF 25
(#) designates first place votes
PRESEASON ALL-LEAGUE TEAM
*Francisco Garcia, Louisville, F, 6-7, Jr., Bronx, N.Y.
Sean Banks, Memphis, F, 6-8, So., Oradell, N.J.
Travis Diener, Marquette, G, 6-1, Sr., Fond du Lac, Wis.
Jason Maxiell, Cincinnati, F, 6-7, Sr., Carrollton, Texas
Curtis Withers, Charlotte, F, 6-8, Jr., Charlotte, N.C.
* - Preseason Player of the Year
