M. Basketball Picked Seventh in Skyline Coaches Preseason Poll

Press Release from the Skyline Conference

NEW YORK, N.Y. – By the slimmest of margins, Purchase has been tabbed to defend its Skyline men's basketball title in voting conducted by the league's ten head coaches. 

The Panthers captured their third Skyline Championship in four seasons while compiling a 22-6 overall record in 2012-13.  Purchase welcomes back three starters, including senior guard Andre Nixon (13.7 ppg.), a second-team All-Conference selection a year ago.  PC earned four first-places votes and 72 overall points.   

Last year's regular season and ECAC champion Old Westbury finished second in the voting with 71 points and a pair of first-place votes.  The Panthers won a program-best 25 games in 2012-13 and will be led by All-American guard/forward Tyrik Tucker, who ranked among the top five of the conference in scoring (20.1 ppg.), rebounding (8.5 rpg.) and steals (2.88 spg.). 

With the return of senior All-Conference selections Donte Howell (13.5 ppg.) and Joe Henain (11.6 ppg.), Mount Saint Mary garnered three first-place votes and 69 total points.  Under the direction of first-year head coach Brendan Twomey, Farmingdale State received one first-place vote and placed fourth with 63 total points.     

Sage is fifth with 43 points, followed by Yeshiva (39), St. Joseph's-L.I. (34), Mount Saint Vincent (32), Maritime (17) and NYU-Poly (10).

The first round of the six-team 2014 Skyline Men's Basketball Championship will be held on Tuesday, Feb. 25, with the semifinals and finals scheduled for Feb. 27 and Mar. 1, respectively.

2013-14 Skyline Preseason Coaches Poll 
1. Purchase - 72 [4]
2. Old Westbury - 71 [2]
3. Mount Saint Mary - 69 [3]
4. Farmingdale State - 63 [1]
5. Sage - 43
6. Yeshiva - 39
7. St. Joseph's-L.I. - 34
8. Mount Saint Vincent - 32
9. Maritime - 17
10. NYU-Poly - 10

First-place votes in parentheses