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RICHARDSON, Texas—Defending East Division champion Mississippi College and West Division challenger University of Mary Hardin-Baylor have been voted as favorites in the 2005-06 American Southwest Conference men’s basketball race. Voting was conducted among the ASC head coaches, sports information directors and media representatives.

Mississippi College listed first on 19 of 22 ballots cast in the ASC East Division to total 173 points and easily outdistance second-place pick East Texas Baptist University (138 points). Mary Hardin-Baylor earned first-place votes on eight of 20 ballots cast in the ASC West Division, slipping past defending Division tri-champion Sul Ross State University by six points (121 pts.).

Voters also selected East Texas Baptist senior guard Cedric Isom (Newton, Texas and pictured at lett) as Preseason ASC East Player of the Year and Sul Ross State senior guard Sidney Hooper (Andrews, Texas/AHS and pictured at right) as Preseason ASC West Player of the Year. Named ASC East Player of the Year as both a sophomore and junior, Isom led ASC scoring (24.1 ppg) and ranked third in rebounding (9.1 rpg) last season. He is a two-time All-Conference and three-time All-East Division pick. Hooper finished the 2004-05 season as the conference's second-leading scorer (22.2 ppg) while netting a conference-best 88 three-point field goals. Hooper was named All-Conference and All-ASC West First Team a year ago.

In the ASC East Division, Mississippi College and East Texas Baptist were followed by the University of Texas at Tyler (125 pts.), defending ASC champion University of Texas at Dallas (113 pts.) and University of the Ozarks (85 pts.) in third, fourth and fifth, respectively. Louisiana College (79), Austin College (45) and LeTourneau University (34) complete the ASC East predictions.

Eight points separates the top four teams in the ASC West Division. Top picks Mary Hardin-Baylor and Sul Ross State are followed by defending tri-champions McMurry University (120) and Hardin-Simmons University (119) in the upper half of the Division. Howard Payne University (73), Texas Lutheran University (58), Concordia University at Austin (48) and Schreiner University (36) complete the ASC West picks.

ASC MEN’S BASKETBALL PRESEASON NOTABLES

• The ASC Men’s Basketball Championship Tournament is scheduled February 24-26 at the site of the ASC West Division No. 1 seeded team. The top four seeded teams in each division advance to the conference postseason party with the champion claiming the Conference title and an automatic berth in the NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Championship.
• Mississippi College advanced to the Sweet 16 of last season’s NCAA Division III Championship, and turned that success into a No. 2 preseason ranking by Street & Smith’s.
• Three ASC players garnered Street & Smith's Preseason All-America notice, led by First Team selection Tyler Winford (Madison, Miss.), s sophomore forward from Mississippi College. Winford was last season's ASC East Freshman of the Year, All-East Division and NABC All-South Region pick. Guard Cedric Isom of East Texas Baptist is listed on the magazine's Preseason All-America Second-Team. Sophomore post player Travis Tennison (San Antonio, Texas/Converse-Judson HS) of McMurry is among the Honorable Mention Preseason All-American honorees.
• There has been just one head coaching change in the ASC over the off-season. Bob Davis takes over at LeTourneau University from Bernie Balikian, inheriting a squad that finished 5-20 overall a year ago. Davis spent the last three seasons as associate coach at NCAA Division I Liberty University.

ASC 2005-06 MEN'S BASKETBALL PRESEASON POLL, AWARDS