Pacers Chosen to Finish Third in Peach Belt Conference
AUGUSTA, Ga. - The USC Aiken men's basketball team was picked to finish third in the 2009-10 Peach Belt Conference preseason poll.
The poll of the league's head coaches was released by the conference office on Wednesday afternoon.
Augusta State was selected to claim the 2009-10 PBC championship, while Clayton State was tabbed to finish one spot higher than the Pacers in second.
The Pacers may have been picked to finish third in the league in 2009-10, but nevertheless under the guidance of head coach Vince Alexander the USC Aiken men's basketball program has become a national force over the past couple of campaigns. The Pacers have won a school-record 52 contests over the last two seasons. They have also acquired a Peach Belt Conference regular season championship (2007-08) and advanced farther than any other team in school history to the NCAA Division II Tournament "Sweet Sixteen" (2008-09).
Some are looking for the Pacers to drop off a bit in the 2009-10 season with the departure of two-time consensus All-America selection and two-time Peach Belt Conference Player of the Year Chris Commons, but a strong returning nucleus that includes 10 players and a stout incoming class give Alexander all the pieces to remain at the top of the Division II basketball ladder.
Two years ago, Alexander welcomed an incoming recruiting class that would change the fortunes of the once downtrodden USC Aiken men's basketball program. Then in his third year in charge of the Pacer men's basketball program, Alexander alerted everyone that things were about to change. Things did truly change and now Alexander wants everyone to know that things are going to remain strong despite the fact that the Pacers do not return one starter from last season.
The Pacers have not been ranked in any of the preseason national polls, but they have received votes in all of the major polls.
Augusta State won a school-record 30 games and the Jaguars were ranked in the top five the last three weeks of the 2008-09 season.
Clayton State led the PBC in scoring defense for the sixth straight season in 2008-09. Head coach Gordon Gibbons became the first head coach in the history of Clayton State men's basketball to achieve 150 career victories. In addition, Gibbons also recorded his 400th victory as a Division II head coach.
The Peach Belt Conference will undergo several changes for the 2009-10 season, the foremost of which is a return to division play. With the additions of Flagler College and the University of Montevallo, the PBC will be split into east and west divisions. In the east will be Augusta State, USC Aiken, Lander, Flagler, Armstrong Atlantic, Francis Marion and UNC Pembroke. The west will feature Montevallo, Columbus State, Georgia Southwestern, GCSU, Clayton State and North Georgia.
The PBC regular season begins Nov. 15 and continues through the 2010 PBC Tournament. The tournament format has changed with only the top four teams in each division advancing to a first-round game on the campus of the higher seed. The final four will then convene at the Convocation Center in Aiken, S.C. on March 6-7, 2010.
USC Aiken opens its exhibition schedule at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 5 against Southern Wesleyan at the Convocation Center. Two days later, USC Aiken will play an exhibition game against the College of Charleston at 5 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 7 from Carolina First Arena.
USC Aiken's regular season will commence 11 days later at the Convocation Center against NAIA powerhouse Life University at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 18. The contest will mark the first ever meeting between the two programs.
2009-10 PBC Men's Basketball Preseason Poll
1. Augusta State 142
2. Clayton State 123
3. USC Aiken 118
4. GCSU 114
5. Lander 89
6. Francis Marion 83
7. Montevallo 80
8. North Georgia 74
9. Armstrong Atlantic St. 57
10. Columbus State 48
11 Georgia Southwestern 47
12. UNC Pembroke 22
13. Flagler 17
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