LA JOLLA, Calif. - The UC San Diego men's basketball team has been tabbed to finish 11th in the 2012-13 California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) regular season standings according to the league's annual preseason coaches poll released Wednesday.

UCSD garnered 28 points in the poll, five points behind 10th-place selection Cal State East Bay and 15 ahead of Cal State Monterey Bay, which was picked to place 12th.

Chico State, the defending CCAA regular season champion, topped the poll with 112 points and seven of the league's 12 coaches picking the Wildcats first. Cal Poly Pomona was second on the list with 106 points and three first-place votes, while Cal State San Bernardino was third with 88 points and one first-place vote.

Just behind the Coyotes were Humboldt State, the 2011-12 CCAA Tournament winner, in fourth (87 points) and Cal State Dominguez Hills in fifth (85 points). Sonoma State, which picked up a first-place vote, was chosen to finish sixth (81 points) with Cal State L.A. in seventh (62 points), San Francisco State in eighth (61 points) and Cal State Stanislaus in ninth (37 points).

Sixth-year UCSD head coach Chris Carlson returns three full-time starters and two others that shared time in the starting lineup last season. Senior guard Tyler McGrath led the CCAA in free throw percentage (.833) while junior guard James McCann averaged 3.9 assists per game, third-best in the conference. Justin Brue, a senior forward, was fourth among CCAA players in blocks, averaging 1.2 per game.

UCSD began its 2011-12 season with a 5-1 record, the team's best start in 10 years, and ended up finishing with a 10-17 overall mark. The Tritons placed 11th in the conference with a 6-16 record.

UCSD opens its 2012-13 campaign with an exhibition at San Diego State on Monday, Nov. 5 at 7 p.m. The Division I Aztecs are ranked 20th nationally in both the Associated Press and USA Today preseason polls. The game will be broadcast live by ESPN Radio 1700 in San Diego.

The regular season kicks off Nov. 9 and 10 as the Tritons travel to St. George, Utah, to compete in the Dixie State Classic. UCSD will take on the host Red Storm as well as Fresno Pacific.

For a complete season schedule, click here.

2012-13 CCAA Men's Basketball Preseason Coaches Poll
1. Chico State (7), 112 points
2. Cal Poly Pomona (3), 106 points
3. Cal State San Bernardino (1), 88 points
4. Humboldt State, 87 points
5. Cal State Dominguez Hills, 85 points
6. Sonoma State (1), 81 points
7. Cal State L.A., 62 points
8. San Francisco State, 61 points
9. Cal State Stanislaus, 37 points
10. Cal State East Bay, 33 points
11. UC San Diego, 28 points
12. Cal State Monterey Bay, 13 points

(first place votes)

-- UCSDtritons.com --