LAS VEGAS – The San Diego State men's and women's basketball teams have been afforded plenty of preseason respect – the women like never before – by Mountain West Conference coaches and media.
Next comes the tough part, living up to or exceeding in the upcoming season the projections announced during the conferencewide media day here yesterday at the Renaissance Hotel.
The SDSU men were picked third, behind two-time defending MWC Tournament champion UNLV and BYU. UNLV received 16 of 24 votes cast by selected league media and BYU, like UNLV coming off back-to-back NCAA Tournament seasons, received five.
SDSU was tops on three ballots.
The Aztecs women were tabbed for second behind Utah in a poll of league coaches and selected media. Utah got 16 of 26 votes cast, SDSU six. It was the highest, by four places, SDSU had been picked in the conference's 10 years of existence. The sixth-place projections were before the 1999-2000 and 2003-04 seasons.
“Because of who we are and from whence we came, it's an honor,” said coach Beth Burns, entering the fourth year of her second stint at SDSU and 12th overall at the school. “It's a great pat on the back for the staff and players who have worked and fought our way back into being considered a contender.”
The SDSU men are coming off a 20-13 season. It included a fourth-place MWC regular-season finish and advancement to the conference tournament semifinal before ending with a loss at Florida in the first round of the National Invitation Tournament.
The women went 18-13 last year, the first winning season and largest victory total in 11 years, that ended one win short of an NCAA berth with a loss to New Mexico in the MWC Tournament championship game.
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Preseason polls
MEN
1. UNLV (16) 206 points
2. BYU (5) 181
3. SDSU (3) 170
4. Utah 148
5. New Mexico 132
6. Wyoming 75
7. Air Force 66
8. Colorado State 53
9. TCU 49
WOMEN
1. Utah (16) 206 points
2. SDSU (6) 184
3. TCU (2) 161
4. New Mexico 148
5. BYU 117
6. Wyoming 113
7. UNLV 80
8. Colorado St. 44
9. Air Force 36
(First-place votes in parenthesis)
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Both teams return all five starters and have rosters bolstered by players returning from injury or coming off red-shirt seasons.
Veteran coach Steve Fisher, in his 10th season at SDSU, doesn't put much stock in preseason rankings. Fisher said his feelings aren't any different from the same time last year when the Aztecs were picked in a tie for fourth.
“I'm ever the optimist,” Fisher said. “Always thinking the glass is half full. Always thinking we're going to find a way to have a good season.
“We've got experience, coupled with success over an extended period (three consecutive 20-win seasons), and six seniors who have 'been there, done that.'So we're expecting to be good. How good, I don't know.”
Thirty-nine of 45 starters return for the nine MWC schools and the potential balance of the league was reflected in the fact that five different schools placed representatives, all of them seniors, on the preseason All-MWC team.
UNLV guard Wink Adams and BYU guard Lee Cummard were named preseason co-Players of the Year and were joined on the team by SDSU forward Lorrenzo Wade, Utah center Luke Nevill and Wyoming guard Brandon Ewing.
On the women's side, Utah senior guard Morgan Warburton was voted preseason Player of the Year and was joined by teammate Kalee Whipple, a junior forward. SDSU got equal representation to the Utes with sophomore center Paris Johnson and junior guard Jene Morris making the team. TCU sophomore forward Helena Sverrisdottir completed the lineup.
Hank Wesch: (619) 293-1853; hank.wesch@uniontrib.com
