The Washington University women and University of Chicago men are favored to capture UAA basketball titles in 2014-15, according to the preseason coaches’ poll. The Bear women enter the season ranked 10^th in the D3hoops.com preseason poll.

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Washington returns three starters and its top three scorers from last year’s team that finished 24-3 and advanced to the NCAA Division III Women’s Basketball Championship Second Round for the 16^th year in a row. The Bears won the 20^th UAA title in program history in 2013-14. The Bears received seven first-place votes, while NYU received the other first-place vote. The Violets and University of Chicago tied for second place in the coaches’ poll, the same way they finished last season. NYU is ranked 15^th in the D3hoops.com preseason poll and returns all five starters from a 20-6 team that returned to the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2008-09. The Maroons, who received votes in the D3hoops.com preseason rankings, hit a school-record 201 three-pointers a year ago. A new-look University of Rochester team is the coaches’ choice to finish fourth this season. Brandeis University, off an ECAC tournament bid, is picked to finish fifth in 2014-15. Carnegie Mellon University, 2012-13 UAA champion Emory University, and Case Western Reserve University round out the preseason rankings in the sixth through eighth spots, respectively.

The Chicago men received three first-place votes in very balanced voting in the preseason coaches’ poll. The Maroons, seeking their first UAA title since 2008 and receiving votes in the D3hoops.com preseason poll, return two All-UAA players from its third-place squad of a year ago. NYU, the coaches’ pick to finish second, also received three first-place votes and received votes in the D3hoops.com poll. The Violets return four starters from last season’s 16-10 team. Washington University, which has won or shared five of the last six UAA titles, returns two starters from a 24-3 team that went undefeated in UAA play and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Division III Men’s Basketball Championship for the third consecutive year.  Emory University, which received the other first-place vote and is the coaches’ selection to place fourth, return three starters from a team that advanced to the Round of Eight of the NCAA tournament. The Eagles enter the season ranked 15^th in the D3hoops.com preseason rankings. Six players with starting experience lead University of Rochester, picked by the coaches to finish fifth this season. Case Western Reserve University, Brandeis University, and Carnegie Mellon University are the coaches’ choices to finish in the sixth through eighth spots, respectively.