Hoosiers Ranked 21st in Preseason Coaches Poll

10/31/2002 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball

October 31, 2002

Bloomington, IN - Fresh off a share of the 20th Big Ten title and the eighth NCAA Final Four appearance in school history, Indiana is ranked 21st in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Preseason Poll. The Hoosiers, who are picked to finish second in the Big Ten Conference by both the media and the coaches, open the 2002-03 exhibition season Nov. 8 at 7:30 p.m. against Athletes In Action in Assembly Hall. Following a Nov. 16 exhibition contest against Team Nike, IU tips off the regular season against Massachusetts in the EA Sports Maui Invitational Nov. 25 at 5 p.m. EST on ESPN2.

This marks the second-straight year that Indiana is 21st in the preseason coaches poll. The Hoosiers were ranked as high as 20th during the 2001-02 regular season and were 22nd in the March 4 poll. After going 1-1 in the Big Ten Tournament, Indiana enjoyed a magical NCAA Tournament run that included triumphs over top-ranked Duke in the South Regional semifinals and No. 3 Oklahoma in the national semifinals.

The Associated Press Preseason Poll will be released within the next few weeks. Indiana is one of the most storied programs in AP Poll history, ranking among the top six all-time in most poll appearances, most years ranked, most players ranked No. 1 and most players ranked among the Top 10.

Despite losing an All-American (Jared Jeffries) to the NBA early for the second-straight season, not to mention veteran leaders Dane Fife and Jarrad Odle, head coach Mike Davis returns an experienced nucleus and welcomes one of the nation's top recruiting classes. Not only does preseason all-league guard and Wooden Award candidate Tom Coverdale need 188 points to become the 37th member of the Hoosiers' 1,000-career point club, but forward Jeff Newton (70) and center George Leach (48) are the Big Ten's top two returning shot blockers. Senior guard Kyle Hornsby needs 26 more three-pointers to become the fifth player in school history with 150 career treys, and junior A.J. Moye is IU's emotional spark off the bench. McDonald's All-American guard Bracey Wright headlines a recruiting class ranked among the top 10 in the nation.