The arrival of several new players and a new coaching staff appear to have injected an expectation of improvement this season for the struggling University of Maine men’s basketball program. Coming off a 6-26 season that included a 3-13 league record and an eighth-place finish in the nine-team America East Conference, the Black Bears have been picked to finish in a tie for seventh in the preseason coaches poll released on Wednesday. UMaine picked up 19 points to tie with New Hampshire, while UMass Lowell brings up the rear with 12 points.