Less than one week after being ranked No. 10 in the Associated Press Poll, Butler earns the top spot in the preseason Mid-Major Top 25.
The Bulldogs, who finished last season with a 26-6 record and a No. 4 ranking in the final Mid-Major poll of the season, received 28 of the 31 first place votes. No. 2 ranked Gonzaga received two first place votes and No. 3 ranked Siena received the other. Rounding out the top five are Northern Iowa and Western Kentucky.
Old Dominion, which won the inaugural CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament, headlines the next five, followed by Creighton, Akron, Wright State and Niagara.
The Horizon League, Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference and Missouri Valley Conference each boast two teams among the top 10, while the Colonial Athletic Association leads all conferences with four teams ranked in the first Top 25 of the season.
The MAAC, Missouri Valley and West Coast Conference have three teams in the rankings.
"I'm excited to be a part of the top 25 panel and want to ensure that all the deserving teams are recognized as the season unfolds," says Santa Clara coach Kerry Keating. "With a number of teams already considered among the country's best heading in, this promises to be a great year for teams across the country."
Keating has been named as the chairman of the voting panel, which includes eight new voters. Rick Byrd (Belmont), Anthony Evans (Norfolk State), Mike Gillian (Longwood), Dick Hunsaker (Utah Valley), Eddie Jackson (American), Rick Scruggs (Gardner-Webb), Wayne Tinkle (Montana) and Ernie Zeigler (Central Michigan) will each cast a weekly vote during the 2009-10 season.
Teams considered for the Mid-Major Top 25 come from 23 conferences or leagues including the Great West Conference and the Independents.
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Record |
Points |
Previous |
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| 1. | Butler (28) | 0-0 | 770 | - | |
| 2. | Gonzaga (2) | 0-0 | 699 | - | |
| 3. | Siena (1) | 0-0 | 699 | - | |
| 4. | Northern Iowa | 0-0 | 612 | - | |
| 5. | Western Kentucky | 0-0 | 585 | - | |
| 6. | Old Dominion | 0-0 | 580 | - | |
| 7. | Creighton | 0-0 | 568 | - | |
| 8. | Akron | 0-0 | 444 | - | |
| 9. | Wright State | 0-0 | 377 | - | |
| 10. | Niagara | 0-0 | 366 | - | |
| 11. | VCU | 0-0 | 313 | - | |
| 12. | George Mason | 0-0 | 304 | - | |
| 13. | Northeastern | 0-0 | 298 | - | |
| 14. | Oakland | 0-0 | 288 | - | |
| 15. | Portland | 0-0 | 285 | - | |
| 16. | Illinois State | 0-0 | 236 | - | |
| 17. | College of Charleston | 0-0 | 230 | - | |
| 18. | Cornell | 0-0 | 215 | - | |
| 19. | Rider | 0-0 | 190 | - | |
| 20. | Long Beach State | 0-0 | 171 | - | |
| 21. | South Alabama | 0-0 | 166 | - | |
| 22. | Boston University | 0-0 | 114 | - | |
| 23. | St. Mary's | 0-0 | 105 | - | |
| 24. | Davidson | 0-0 | 102 | - | |
| 25. | Radford | 0-0 | 99 | - |
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