Pre-season polls put Memorial hoops teams on playoff fringe

Both Memorial University’s varsity basketball teams made it to the 2017 Atlantic University Sport championship tournaments, but the results of a pre-season poll of AUS coaches suggests only one Sea-hawk entry might make it to the 2018 playoffs.

This marks the third year for the AUS pre-season poll, which is voted on by the league’s eight head coaches, who rank the other seven squads and are not permitted to vote for their own teams The women’s poll predicts Memorial will repeat its sixthplace finish from 2016-17, giving it the final playoff berth in the eight-team conference.

Last season, the Lady Hawks finished with an 11-9 record and faced the Cape Breton Capers in the quarter-final round, losing to the eventual champion Capers by just two points.

The Memorial men finished fourth at 12-8 last season and also were bounced in the quarter-finals, but according to the coaches poll, will finish seventh this season, However, it should be noted the 14 points given the Sea-hawks’ in the balloting has them only a point behind Cape Breton, sixth in the voting.

Reigning men’s champion Dalhousie topped the men’s poll.

Both Sea-hawks teams begin their 2017-18 AUS regular seasons this weekend in Wolfville, N.S., where they will face Acadia. This could be a particular test for the Memorial women since the Axewomen finished first in the coaches’ poll.