JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – The Carson-Newman Lady Eagles basketball team was tabbed for a seventh place finish in the South Atlantic League by the league's coaches in the annual preseason poll.

The Lady Eagles received 39 votes, while Wingate picked up 78 votes to lead the poll, including seven votes for first place.

"I really wasn't shocked by the ranking," said Carson-Newman head coach Mike Mincey. "We lost four of five starters from last year, two-thirds of our scoring. I don't think we're the seventh-best team in the league, I think we're better than that."

Carson-Newman did not receive a first place vote, and no Lady Eagles were named to the preseason All-SAC team.

"I do think we're more athletic this year than we were last year," said Mincey. "Whether that turns into more wins or not, only time will tell. We're trying to be a little more aggressive on offense, we're doing a little dribble-drive trying to get away from play-calling as much but letting our athletes get to the rim."

The Lady Eagles began preseason practice on Monday Oct. 15, as Carson-Newman features seven new players from the 2012 signing class.

"It's been kind of challenging for them to get our verbiage and terms of what we run," said Mincey. "Yesterday was our third practice and I felt a lot better about our progress. They are picking up what we want to do and to some degree I feel ahead of schedule than where we were last year as far as putting in our baseline out of bounds plays and half-court offense."

Carson-Newman will begin its exhibition schedule on Oct. 28 against North Carolina in Chapel Hill, N.C., where the Lady Eagles will face 1974 C-N alumnus and Tar Heel head coach Sylvia Hatchell.

Carson-Newman will also face the Tennessee Lady Volunteers in Knoxville on Nov. 1, and East Tennessee State in Johnson City on Nov. 3.

The regular season will begin with a trip to Harrogate for the SAC-Conference of the Carolinas Challenge, where the Lady Eagles will face Coker and Erskine from Nov. 9-10.

2012-13 SAC Women's Basketball Preseason Coaches' Poll

Team                                  Points (1^st-place votes)

1. Wingate                          78 (7)

2. Lenoir-Rhyne                  66 (1)

3. Newberry                       58 (1)

4. Tusculum                        54

5. Catawba                        51 (1)

6. Lincoln Memorial            40

7. Carson-Newman            39

8. Anderson                       37

9. Mars Hill                         15

10. Brevard                        11