CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Longwood men's and women's basketball were both picked to finish in the top five of the Big South Preseason Poll on Tuesday, the Big South Conference announced at the annual media day for the league.
 
The women's No. 4 prediction by the coaches is their second-highest preseason ranking since joining the league. The men were selected No. 5 by coaches and select media members, and they were just two points from being in the top four.
 
In addition, Adriana Shipp-Davis and Anne-Hamilton were named to the Big South Women's Basketball Preseason All-Conference Team. Shipp-Davis was selected to the first team, with LeRoy garnering a second team selection by the coaches.
 
The two teams closed last season strong, and, along with the stunning and elegant Joan Perry Brock Center that will be their new home, carry a new vibrance and life into 2023-24 that has the campus community and the surrounding area buzzing with excitement for basketball season.
 
On the court, the men are coming off back-to-back 20-win campaigns for the first time in program history. The team finished second in the Big South, and it has posted 46 wins over the past two seasons, good for the second-most in a two-year span in team history.
 
The men won five of their final seven games to close the regular season to earn a first round bye for a fourth straight year.
 
The women won three of their final four games to also snag a first round bye as they played their best basketball in crunch time. It was the team's third straight season with a bye.
 
Both Shipp-Davis and LeRoy led the charge and earned Second Team All-Big South postseason honors, and the duo finished in the top 10 in the Big South in scoring a season ago. During the season, LeRoy scored her 1,000^th career point, and Shipp-Davis is on track to surpass that mark as well in her fourth season for the Lancers.
 
Both teams will play their home openers during Homecoming Weekend at Longwood. The men will host St. Mary's College on Saturday, November 11 at 2:30 p.m., and the women take on Chowan the following day on Sunday, November 12 at noon. All home basketball games will be at the Joan Perry Brock Center, which is located in the heart of the Longwood campus in downtown Farmville.
 
Single game tickets will go on sale to the general public on Thursday, October 26.
 
2023-24 Men's Basketball Preseason Poll (First place votes)
 
1. UNC Asheville (16)          166
2. Radford (1)                        132
3. Winthrop (1)                     130
4. Gardner-Webb                 111
5. Longwood                        109
6. USC Upstate                     73
7. High Point (1)                   67
8. Charleston Southern       35
9. Presbyterian                      32
 
2023-24 Women's Basketball Preseason Poll
 
1. High Point (8)                   80
T2. Presbyterian (1)             61
T2. Radford                           61
4. Longwood                        56
5. UNC Asheville                   53
6. USC Upstate                     33
7. Winthrop                           28
8. Charleston Southern       18
9. Gardner-Webb                 15
 
2023 Big South Women's Basketball Preseason All-Conference Team
 
First Team
Lauren Bevis, High Point
Ashlyn Traylor-Walker, Radford
Bryanna Brady, Presbyterian
McKinley Brooks-Sumpter, UNC Asheville
Adriana Shipp-Davis, Longwood
 
Second Team
Anne-Hamilton LeRoy, Longwood
Nakyah Terrell, High Point
Trinity Johnson, USC Upstate
Tilda Sjökvist, Presbyterian
Jada Ryce, Winthrop
 
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