East Carolina has been picked to finish seventh out of 11 teams in the American Athletic Conference’s preseason basketball poll, taken among the league’s coaches Monday at the AAC’s annual media day in Philadelphia. The Pirates picked up 37 points in the balloting to finish ahead of Central Florida, Tulsa, South Florida and Tulane. Coach Jeff Lebo’s team finished ninth in 2015-16 with a 4-14 record (12-20 overall). Cincinnati, with six first place votes and 95 points, is the preseason pick to win the conference, edging out UConn, which got five first place votes and 94 points. ECU returns three of its top four scorers from last season, including second-team preseason All-AAC selection B.J. Tyson — who is one of only three players in school history to score more than 800 points in his first two seasons. Tyson is the fourth-leading returning scorer in the AAC after having averaged 14.6 points per game last season. Senior Caleb White (12.5 ppg) and 2016 AAC All-Rookie team selection Kentrell Barkley (10.1 ppg) are the other returning starters. The Pirates have seven new players on their roster, including fifth-year graduate transfer Andre Washington, a 7-foot center who played his first three seasons at Wake Forest.PRESEASON COACHES’ POLLRank Team (First-Place Votes) Pts.1. Cincinnati (6) 952.UConn (5)943.SMU764.Houston755.Memphis636.Temple567.East Carolina398.UCF379.Tulsa3410.USF2511.Tulane11
