Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell Men's Basketball Picked Second in Patriot League Preseason Poll; Muscala, Ayers Named to Preseason All-PL Team
10/24/2012 8:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Oct. 24, 2012
BETHLEHEM, Pa. - Defending Patriot League regular-season champion Bucknell and defending Patriot League Tournament champion Lehigh will once again battle it out for the 2013 title, according to a preseason poll of the league's head coaches and sports information directors. The poll, announced at Wednesday's Patriot League Media Day at the Arts Quest Center at SteelStacks, has Lehigh at the top with 96 points and 12 first-place votes, and the Bison a close second with 88 points and the remaining four first-place votes.
Behind Bucknell and Lehigh, American was selected third with 66 points, followed by Holy Cross and American with 55 points each, then Army with 47, Colgate with 26 and Navy with 15.
In addition to the preseason poll, the Patriot League announced its Preseason All-League Team on Wednesday. Bucknell senior center Mike Muscala and junior guard Cameron Ayers grabbed two of the five spots. They were joined by Army senior Ella Ellis and Lehigh seniors C.J. McCollum and Gabe Knutson. McCollum was named Preseason Player of the Year.
Muscala has earned All-Patriot League honors in each of his first three seasons and was the Patriot League Player of the Year in 2010-11. One of the nation's top-returning centers this season, Muscala enters his senior year ranked ninth in school history in career points (1,399), 10th in rebounds (715) and second in blocked shots (191). Last year he averaged 17.0 points and a league-high 9.1 rebounds per game, and he tied a school record with 16 double-doubles.
 Preseason All-PL Selection Cameron Ayers  |
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Ayers was a Second Team All-Patriot League selection last year as a sophomore. The versatile guard led the Patriot League in 3-point accuracy (.468) last season, when he averaged a career-best 11.1 points per game. Ayers began the season as the team's point guard before moving out to the wing, and in 35 starts he committed only 35 turnovers while leading the Bison in minutes played.
Bucknell returns four starters from last year's squad that posted a 25-10 record, including a 12-2 mark in the Patriot League. The Bison won the Patriot League title for the second year in a row, but Lehigh pulled out a close win in the Patriot League championship game at Sojka Pavilion. Bucknell went on to defeat top-seeded Arizona in the first round of the NIT, while Lehigh upset Duke in the NCAA Tournament.
The Bison and Mountain Hawks meet twice this season in the regular season, Jan. 23 at Bucknell and Feb. 18 at Lehigh. Both games will be televised on the CBS Sports Network.
Bucknell opens the season on Nov. 9 at Purdue as part of the 2K Sports Classic benefitting Wounded Warrior Project. The home opener is set for Nov. 13 against George Mason at 7 p.m.
