FRISCO, Texas – The McNeese State Cowgirls have been selected as the preseason favorites to win the Southland Conference by a vote of the league's coaches and sports information directors, the conference office announced Wednesday.

McNeese State, the two-time defending conference tournament champion, received seven first-place votes and 78 points in the coaches’ poll and six first-place votes and 77 points in the SID poll, ranking the Cowgirls first in both polls.  The Cowgirls return six letterwinners and two starters to a team that made its second consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament.

McNeese State welcomes back its top-two scores from last season’s squad in twins Ashlyn and Caitlyn Baggett. Ashlyn led the Cowgirls last season with 15.4 points per game while earning first team all-conference honors for the second time. Caitlyn, the 2012 Southland Conference Tournament MVP, averaged 13.4 points per contest and led the team with 71 assists and an 87.1 (74 of 85)  shooting percentage from the free throw line.

After the first-place pick, the coaches’ and SIDs polls differ in the rankings for the next three slots. Stephen F. Austin received the remaining three first-place nods in the coaches’ poll and placed second with 69 total points. Central Arkansas followed in third with 59 points and Oral Roberts in fourth with 56 points. In the SID poll, Central Arkansas was picked second with 74 points and one first-place vote. Oral Roberts earned two first-place votes and 63 total points to come in third followed by Stephen F. Austin in fourth with 55 points.

Sam Houston State finished fifth in both polls followed by Lamar and Nicholls State, respectively. The Bearkats received the final first place vote in the SID poll and garnered 52 points while receiving 54 points from the coaches. In the coaches’ poll, Lamar had 46 points while Nicholls had 33, and in the SID poll, the Lady Cardinals earned 43 points to the Colonels 34.

Texas A&M-Corpus Christi is slated for eighth in the coaches poll with 21 points and ninth in the SID poll with 18 points. Southeastern Louisiana earned 19 points from the coaches and was picked ninth and 20 points from the SIDs and was tabbed eighth. Northwestern State rounds out both polls with 15 points from the coaches and 14 points from SIDs.

The top eight teams in based on conference winning percentage earn berths to the 2013 Southland Conference Basketball Tournament March 13-16, at the Merrell Center in Katy, Texas.

2012-13 Women’s Basketball Preseason Polls

Coaches’ Poll

SID Poll