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MEDIA DAY PRESEASON POLL
- Houston
- Memphis
- SMU
- Wichita State
- UCF
- Cincinnati
- Tulsa
- Temple
- South Florida
- Tulane (tied 9th)
- East Carolina
MEDIA DAY PRESEASON ALL CONFERENCE 1ST TEAM:
-Marcus Sasser – JR, G – Houston
-Jalen Duren – FR, C – Memphis (Preseason Rookie of the Year)
-Landers Nolley II – JR, G – Memphis
-Kendric Davis – SR, G – SMU
-Tyson Etienne – SO, G – Wichita State (Preseason Player of the Year)
MEDIA DAY PRESEASON ALL CONFERENCE 2ND TEAM:
-Brandon Mahan – SR, G – UCF
-Emoni Bates – FR, F – Memphis
-Deandre Williams – SR, F – Memphis
-Jeremiah Davenport – JR, G – Cincinnati
-Jaylen Forbes – SO, G – Tulane
COMMENTS FROM DAVID:
-This is the last year we will see the conference in this format with UCF, Houston, and Cincinnati all departing (largely because of football interests).
-Once again, Memphis looks to be stacked with talent. The question is whether or not that talent can productively mesh, which in the past it hasn’t always done. In recent years it’s almost fair to say that it has NEVER done that. The Tigers did end on a high note by winning last year’s NIT: they do have a lot of good pieces back and some good looking newcomers as well. They certainly have all the pieces to be a top-25 caliber team.
-Only one starter is back for Houston from last year’s Final Four team, but they add some impressive looking transfers as well as some players from last year that can step into key roles this year. That is a good mix. For the last four years this Houston team has exceeded any and all preseason expectations by quite a bit. I’m not saying that I think they’ll return to the Final Four, but I do expect them to once again be a top-25 caliber program and be well-positioned come March.
-I seem to say this every year but I really like this Wichita State team. They were on fire down the stretch last year, they made the NCAA Tournament (albeit just the First Four), and they have a lot of good players back. They don’t seem to be getting a ton of love, at least not by top-25 standards, but I think the Shockers could once again have a hell of a year.
-Kendrick Davis is back at SMU, who averaged over 19 ppg a year ago, as well as two other starters. Coach Tim Jankovich appears to have this program headed in the right direction. That, and with the addition of some key transfers, they should be in the hunt for an NCAA bid come March.
-UCF had a rather unspectacular season last year but they were definitely better down the stretch than they were out of the gate, and with all five starters back they could make some noise this year. They have a pretty well-balanced team and some really good outside shooters.
-Cincinnati had a sub-par season a year ago, and followed that up with a rather tumultuous offseason that resulted in a coaching change. The good news is they landed Wes Miller (formerly of UNC Greensboro), who I think is a great coach. The bad news is they still have some rebuilding to do before they get back to the level we were used to seeing them at before. But, there starters are back, and they appear to have some depth, so there are a few reasons for optimism.
-Tulsa is coached by Frank Haith. Should I go on? Okay, so we like to pick on Frank! They were mediocre for much of the year last year but did have some notable wins against the top of the league, including a Houston team who went on to make the Final Four. Only two starters are back, but they do seem to be adding some key transfers so don’t write them off entirely just yet.
-Temple seems to be pretty far removed from being the consistent NCAA Tournament-caliber program that they used to be. They were just 4-10 in league play a year ago, and while they do appear to have a a decent backcourt this year they’ve still got a ways to go.
-I keep waiting for Tulane to take some big steps forward. I feel they have a really good coach in Ron Hunter who will be able to make improvements there over time. I don’t know if this will be the year but they do return some key pieces and will hopefully be fun to keep an eye on.
-South Florida and East Carolina could be in for long seasons. USF is hoping to get some help from some of their transfers, while East Carolina returns four starters and should be more experienced.