Trojans tabbed as SBC West preseason favorites

LITTLE ROCK - Coming off a regular season Sun Belt Conference championship in 2019-20, Little Rock has been tabbed the favorites in the West Division for 2020-21 in the preseason coaches poll, announced recently by the league office.

Little Rock picked up nine of the possible 12 first-place votes from the league’s head coaches, finishing with 140 total points, the most of any Sun Belt team. The Trojans are followed in the preseason divisional standings by Louisiana (106) and UT Arlington (87), both of which garnered a first-place vote. Arkansas State (49), Texas State (47) and ULM (35) round out the west division predicted finish.

Georgia State was tabbed as the preseason favorites in the East Division with 131 total points and a first place vote, followed by South Alabama, Coastal Carolina and Appalachian State.

Due to concerns with the coronavirus pandemic, the league announced earlier this fall the 2020-21 Sun Belt schedule would be by division-only, prompting the change to the traditional preseason poll. Little Rock will face Texas State, UT Arlington, Louisiana and ULM four times in league play, two each at each venue, while facing rival Arkansas State once each both in Jonesboro and the Jack Stephens Center.

Little Rock’s 2020-21 schedule begins in less than two weeks, playing five games in 10 days at the Louisville preseason event beginning Nov. 25. The remainder of the Trojans’ nonconference schedule will be announced in the coming days.