Media, Coaches Make Nevada Las Vegas PCAA Choice

The University of Nevada Las Vegas will enter its fifth Pacific Coast Athletic Assn. basketball season the same way it began its first four--as the preseason conference favorite.

Jerry Tarkanian’s Runnin’ Rebels, winners of the past four PCAA championships, were picked to repeat again by the media and conference coaches Wednesday. In the media poll, Las Vegas received 57 of 58 first-place votes and 589 points overall, outdistancing second-place San Jose State (469 points). In the coaches poll, Las Vegas earned nine of 10 first-place votes and 99 points overall.

The Rebels return three starters and nine lettermen from last season’s 33-5 team and have been ranked No. 1 in at least one preseason national poll.

Cal State Fullerton, with eight returning lettermen, was voted second in the coaches poll, receiving one first-place vote, and third in the media poll. UC Irvine, hurt by the graduation of scoring leaders Tod Murphy and Johnny Rogers, was picked eighth by both the coaches and the media.

In the women’s poll, Long Beach State was a unanimous choice for first place, receiving all 10 first-place votes. Irvine was ranked fifth and Fullerton sixth.

PCAA Poll

MEDIA

1. Nevada Las Vegas 589 (57) 2. San Jose St. 469 3. CS Fullerton 460 4. New Mexico St. 402 (1) 5. Fresno St. 368 6. Pacific 245 7. Utah State 205 8. UC Irvine 192 9. CS Long Beach 167 10. UC Santa Barbara 112

1. Nevada Las Vegas 99 (9) 2. CS Fullerton 86 (1) 3. San Jose St. 79 4. New Mexico St. 67 5. Fresno St. 61 6. CS Long Beach 47 7. Pacific 42 8. UC Irvine 26 9. UC Santa Barbara 24 10. Utah State 19

PCAA Women’s Poll

COACHES

1. CS Long Beach 100 (10) 2. Nevada Las Vegas 89 3. San Diego State 78 4. Fresno St. 66 5. UC Irvine 54 6. CS Fullerton 50 7. Hawaii 46 8. Pacific 31 9. UC Santa Barbara 20 10. San Jose St. 12