GSC WOMEN'S PRESEASON ALL-GSC
GSC MEN'S PRESEASON ALL-GSC
 
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The UWF men's and women's basketball programs were each picked to finish in the top five of the Gulf South Conference this season in preseason voting by the league coaches that was announced on Thursday.
 
The women's team was voted third in the league, picking up 118 poll points. Lee was picked first and received nine first place votes and 140 points, followed by Union with four votes and 134 points. Delta State was just behind the Argonauts with 115 points. Valdosta State, West Georgia and Alabama Huntsville came in at fifth, sixth and seventh, respectively. The bottom five featured, in order, West Alabama, Auburn Montgomery, Mississippi College, Christian Brothers and Shorter.
 
Head coach Stephanie Lawrence Yelton's team went 17-3 in league play last year to finish in second place. UWF was 24-6 overall and made its fourth NCAA Tournament appearance in the past six seasons. They return eight letterwinners and one starter from 2018-19. 
 
On the men's side, head coach Jeff Burkhamer's team was chosen fifth in what appears to be a very wide-open race. Alabama Huntsville earned the top spot with four first place votes, followed by West Alabama with five, Valdosta State with two and Union with one, just ahead of UWF. The Argos received 88 poll points, with West Georgia at 82, Delta State – who received the remaining first place vote – and Lee at 74 and Montevallo at 70. CBU, MC, AUM and Shorter round out the ranking in the bottom four.
 
UWF welcomes back reigning GSC Freshman of the Year Jon Brown who averaged 14.6 points and 5.3 rebounds while shooting 44 percent from the floor. They also added eight newcomers to the roster this year, along with redshirt post players Conor Flanagan and Chinedu Okonkwo. A year after winning the GSC Tournament and making the program's first NCAA Tournament in 2017-18, the Argos were hit hard by injuries and finished 2018-19 with a 12-16 record and 8-12 in league action.
 
The UWF men will face Fort Stewart in an exhibition game on Sunday, Nov. 3. Tipoff at the UWF Field House is set for 3 p.m.
 
Both programs will open the regular-season on Nov. 8 in Valdosta, Georgia at the GSC-SIAC Crossover. UWF will play both the men's and women's programs from Albany State on Nov. 8 and Fort Valley State a day later.
 
The eight-team GSC Men's and Women's Tournaments begins with first round games March 3 at the campus sites of the four higher seeds. The semifinals and finals will be held at Samford University in Birmingham, Ala. March 7-8.
 
2019-20 GSC WOMEN'S BASKETBALL PRESEASON POLL
School (First Place Votes) – Total Points
1. Lee (9) – 140
2. Union (4) – 134
3. West Florida – 118
4. Delta State – 115
5. Valdosta State – 87
6. West Georgia – 85
7. Alabama Huntsville – 83
8. West Alabama – 69
9. Montevallo – 65
10. Auburn Montgomery – 39
11. Mississippi College – 33
12. Christian Brothers – 32
13. Shorter – 14
 
NOTES: The head coaches voted in the poll. Teams received 12 points for a first-place vote, 11 for a second place vote, etc. The head coaches were not allowed to vote for their own teams. Number of first place votes in parenthesis.
 
2019-20 GSC MEN'S BASKETBALL PRESEASON POLL
School (First Place Votes) – Total Points
1. Alabama Huntsville (4) – 134
2. West Alabama (5) – 128
3. Valdosta State (2) – 126
4. Union (1) – 103
5. West Florida – 88
6. West Georgia – 82
t7. Delta State (1) – 74
t7. Lee – 74
9. Montevallo – 70
10. Christian Brothers – 56
11. Mississippi College – 37
12. Auburn Montgomery – 30
13. Shorter – 12
 
NOTES: The head coaches voted in the poll. Teams received 12 points for a first-place vote, 11 for a second place vote, etc. The head coaches were not allowed to vote for their own teams. Number of first place votes in parenthesis.