CLICK HERE for all of Hoops HD’s Continued and Extensive Preseason Content
MEDIA DAY PRESEASON POLL
- San Diego State
- Boise State
- Utah State
- UNLV
- Colorado State
- Nevada
- New Mexico
- Fresno State
- Wyoming
- Air Force
- San Jose State
MEDIA DAY PRESEASON ALL CONFERENCE
-Derrick Alston – SR, G – Boise State
-Isaiah Stevens – SO, G – Colorado State
-Matt Mitchell – SR, F – San Diego State
-Bryce Hamilton, JR, G – UNLV
-Neemias Queta – JR, C – Utah State
COMMENTS FROM DAVID
-San Diego State was one of the great stories in college basketball last season playing their way into the top-five, and then looking like they would be at least a #2-seed in the NCAA Tournament with a real chance of going to the Final Four. I do not think we will see the Aztecs finish in the top-five again, but they do have a good core group of players coming back and should be a top 25 caliber team.
-Utah State won the Mountain West Tournament last year, which capped off a 26-win season, and although three starters are back Sam Merrill is not one of them. Some new players will have to step up if Utah State wants to go dancing again this year.
-Boise State is getting quite a bit of media day love. This is a team that I always seem to pick as a dark horse every year, so it is a little strange that I am not as big on them as some others seem to be heading in to this year. They do have one of the better players in the conference in Derrick Alston, and they will have several players available that had to sit out a year ago, so it is not totally unreasonable to think this is a team that could go dancing.
-I kind of like this Colorado State team. Four starters back from a team that won 20 games a year ago gives them the experience they need to take another step forward this year. And, it is worth saying, we at HoopsHD love the Front Range!
-We all keep waiting for UNLV to be good. They do have a lot of young players and it seems to me that they still got a lot to figure out before we start talking about them as a league frontrunner.
-Nevada has just one regular starter back and looks to be in complete rebuilding mode. I do think that over time they will get back to being one of the better teams in the conference, and I actually have a fair amount of confidence in Coach Steve Alford. While many are quick to criticize him, he has done well everywhere he has been including taking Missouri State to a Sweet Sixteen, earning a protected seed and winning multiple Big Ten Championships at Iowa, earning multiple protected seeds at New Mexico, and having some big years at UCLA. I do not get the lack of love for this guy!
-Not a whole lot to say about everyone else. New Mexico looks to be in rebuilding mode with just one starter back, the same with Fresno State who probably has even more rebuilding to do than New Mexico does, and San Jose State has won 15 games (which is respectable) but it has taken them three years to do it (which is NOT respectable). As for Wyoming and Air Force…well, we at HoopsHD love the Front Range!!