The Allegany College Trojans lost, in overtime, in the NJCAA National Charr pionship last March in Hutchinson, Kansas, but they gained a lot of respect which has carried over to this season.

Allegany and Sullivan College of Louisville, Kentucky, staged an exciting NJCAA champion game last season as Sullivan came from behind, trailing by four points, with just 45 seconds left in regulation, to tie the game, then beat Allegany 104-98 in overtime.

According to the NJCAA preseason Division I poll released in late October, Allegany College is ranked number one in the country and Sullivan is ranked number two.

The preseason poll which ranks the top 30 teams, is compiled by theNJCAA National Office through a coaches survey taken within each conference. The regular season NJCAA poll begins on December 3.

Allegany's Coach Bob Kirk feels that it's exciting for the program and for the College. He thinks it is great that the people who put together the poll have that kind of respect for the program. Being ranked preseason number one will put added pressure on this year's Trojan squad.

The number one ranking is the first ever for Allegany in any sport. The Trojans entered the National Tournament in Hutchinson, Kansas, ranked 15th last year after being ranked as high as third during the season.

Seven of the top 10 teams in the preseason poll were in the NationalTournament last yeas. Third ranked Butler (Kansas) was upset by Sullivan in the semifinals, and fourth-ranked Tyler (Texas) fell to Allegany in the second round.

Allegany has also recieved preseason recognition in several publications. Lindy's Basketball Annual has the Trojans ranked fourth with Sullivan as its number one team. Street and Smith's Magazine has the Trojans number five and Tyler number one.

The Final Four appearance in last season's NJCAA Tournament was the first for Allegany in seven Trips. The Trojans finished fifth in the 1985 tournament and that was followed by back-to-back seventh-place finishes in 1986 and 1987.