IRVING, Texas – On the heels of postseason appearances in their respective 2016-17 campaigns, the Middle Tennessee men’s and women’s basketball programs were deemed the 2017-18 Conference USA preseason favorites, as voted on by the league’s coaches.
 
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The Blue Raider men garnered eight first-place votes and the No. 1 nod as they posted a 31-5 regular season mark and went 17-1 in league play to sweep both titles. Middle Tennessee became the fourth-ever C-USA team to eclipse 30+ wins, reaching the NCAA Tournament’s Round of 32 in its third trip in five seasons.
 
Projected runner-up UAB received four first-place votes and boasted one of the league’s toughest defenses in 2016-17, a force still led by two-time C-USA Defensive Player of the Year William Lee. Louisiana Tech garnered two first-place nods after amassing 23 wins and a second-place finish in C-USA.
 
Middle Tennessee also topped the women’s preseason poll with eight first-place votes, and rosters the 2017-18 C-USA Preseason Player of the Year Alex Johnson. The junior manufactured 32 double-figure scoring clips in 34 games, leading the Lady Raiders to compete in their fifth WNIT.
 
WKU tallied eight first-place nods as the Lady Toppers clinched the 2016-17 C-USA Championship and punched a ticket to the program’s 19^th Big Dance. No. 3 Louisiana Tech overcame a 12^th-place seeding in last season’s poll and finished fourth in C-USA action to earn its second-ever WNIT invite.  
 

2017 C-USA Men’s Basketball Preseason Poll
1. Middle Tennessee (8)
2. UAB (4)
3. Louisiana Tech (2)
4. Old Dominion
5. UTEP
6. WKU
7. Marshall
8. Charlotte
9. UTSA
10. Southern Miss
11. North Texas
12. Florida Atlantic
13. Rice
14. FIU

2017 C-USA Women’s Basketball Preseason Poll
1. Middle Tennessee (6)
2. WKU (8)
3. Louisiana Tech
4. Charlotte
5. Rice
6. Southern Miss
7. UAB
8. North Texas
9. Marshall
10. Old Dominion
11. UTEP
12. UTSA
13. Florida Atlantic
14. FIU