Shaw’s women have been picked to win the CIAA’s Southern Division basketball championship this season, while the Bears men are the preseason pick to finish second in the division. The Bears’ Sequoyah Griffin, a senior guard from Columbus, Ga., was also named the preseason all-conference women’s team.

St. Augustine’s women were the preseason choice to finish fourth in the Southern Division. Johnson C. Smith, which lost to Shaw in the championship game of last season’s CIAA tournament, was picked second, with Winston-Salem State fourth, Fayetteville State fifth and Livingstone sixth.

Virginia Union is the pick to win the Northern Division’s women’s title, followed by Virginia State, Bowie State, Elizabeth City State, Chowan and Lincoln.

In the men’s poll, Shaw was picked to finish second in the South behind Winston-Salem State, with St. Augustine’s predicted to finish sixth. Falcons forward Joel Kindred, who played at Raleigh’s Word of God Academy, made the preseason all-league team.

Bowie State was picked to win the Northern Division men’s championship, followed by Elizabeth City State, Virginia Union, Virginia State, Lincoln and Chowan.

Kindred is joined on the men’s all-conference team by Johnson C. Smith guard Trevin Parks, Bowie State forward Byron Westmoreland and guard/forward Demetrick Scott, Chowan forward Quinton McDuffie, Elizabeth City State forward Angelo Sharpless, Fayetteville State forward Tyrrel Tate, Virginia State center/forward Kenny Mitchell and forward Damion Harris and Winston-Salem State forward WyKevin Bazemore, guard Marcus Wells and guard Justin Glover.

The women’s all-conference team includes: Griffin, Chowan forward Talaya Lynch, Bowie State guard Brooke Miles, Elizabeth City State forward Stephanie Harper and guard Shatara Jackson, Fayetteville State guard Akysia Resper, Livingstone guard Denyse Moore, Virginia State forward LaMesha Deal and guard Brianna Holt and Winston-Salem State guard Taylor Wells and Alisha Hardley.

The 2013 CIAA tournament is scheduled for Feb. 26-March 2 in Charlotte’s Time Warner Cable Arena.

Scott: 704-358-5889