CLICK HERE for all of Hoops HD’s Continued and Extensive Preseason Content
PRESEASON MEDIA POLL
- Houston
- Memphis
- SMU
- Cincinnati
- South Florida
- Tulsa
- Wichita State
- UCF
- East Carolina
- Temple
- Tulane
PRESEASON MEDIA ALL CONFERENCE 1ST TEAM
Keith Williams – G – Cincinnati
Jayden Gardner – F – ECU
Caleb Mills – G – Houston
Kendric Davis – G – SMU
Brandon Rachal – G – Tulsa
PRESEASON MEDIA ALL CONFERENCE 2ND TEAM
Chris Vogt – C – Cincinnati
DJ Jeffries – F – Memphis
Landers Nolley – G – Memphis
Alexis Yetna – F – South Florida
Tyson Jolly – G – SMU
NOTES FROM DAVID
-It seems like every year I criticize the media and pollsters for not giving Houston more love in the preseason. I cannot say that this year since they are picked at the top of the league and are being ranked in several top-25 preseason polls. They have some decent depth, a strong backcourt led by Caleb Mills, and a solid frontcourt as well.
-You cannot think of Memphis without thinking of the James Wiseman soap opera from a season ago, and how they fell way short of expectations after he left the program. They had seven different guys that saw significant minutes last year, and four of them are back. they look to be solid in the frontcourt, but this is also a team that did kind of sputter down the stretch and probably was not inside the bubble when the season ended. A lot of people will like Memphis more than I do. I still have more questions than answers.
-SMU also has four starters back from a 19-win team so the expectations will be high for them as well…but they also kind of sputtered down the stretch. They should once again have a very strong backcourt and will be fun to watch.
-The preseason polls are not all that big on Cincinnati. They do lose quite a bit from last year’s team despite having three starters back, and they will probably be in a bit of a rebuilding year.
Kind of a big drop-off after that.
-Let us start with Wichita State, who up until about a month ago we would have expected to finish at or near the top of the league and most likely inside the bubble. But off-court issues, most of which are revolving around Coach Gregg Marshall and his treatment of players, rocked the program. There has been a big exodus and I think that this season is going to have more bad times than good.
-Tulsa has three starters back from a 21-win team, but the rest of the roster had quite a bit of overhaul and with so many new players it is just hard to tell
-South Florida has three starters back after a sub-par season. Alexis Yetna is a strong player but they will need more than just him.
-It does not seem like that long ago when UCF was a solid tournament team that nearly knocked off Duke in the Round of 32 in 2019, but it may be a while before we see them put together a team like that again. With just two starters back from a subpar season a year ago they could be in for another long year.
-East Carolina, Temple, and Tulane…well…they all have work to do.
NOTE FROM CHAD
– I am keeping an eye on South Florida as a potential darkhorse this season. They were supposed to be one last season as well, but their hopes were dashed when Alexis Yetna was lost for the season to injury. The former AAC Rookie of the Year is back, as is leading scorer David Collins. Freshman point guard Caleb Murphy is the highest rated recruit ever at USF. The biggest question is going to be depth — especially with key 6th man Zack Dawson announcing in mid-October that he is opting out this season due to COVID concerns.