Lumberjacks Sit On Top Of Sky Hoops Poll

Defending regular-season champion Northern Arizona is the team to beat in the Big Sky Conference men’s basketball race, according to a poll of coaches and media released Thursday.

In the coaches poll, the Lumberjacks received eight of the nine first-place votes and 64 total points. Coaches were not allowed to vote for their own team.

Montana State, the 1996 Big Sky champion, was second with 49 points. Cal State Northridge, which made it to the 1997 title game as the sixth seed in the Big Sky Conference tournament, is close behind with 48 points and received the other first-place nod.

Montana, the defending Big Sky tournament champion, is picked to finish fourth with 45 points, while Weber State is at No. 5 with 41 points.

The final four spots went to Portland State, Idaho State, Eastern Washington and Sacramento State.

Northern Arizona also was favored in the media poll, with 15 first-place votes and 224 points to second-place Montana State’s six votes and 196 points.

Montana was third in the media poll with two first-place votes and 176 points. Weber State had one first-place vote and was in fourth with 159 points, followed closely by Cal State Northridge with 158 points and two first-place nods.