Las Vegas, Nevada - San Diego State has been picked second in the annual Mountain West preseason media poll, the league announced via its Facebook Live channel Tuesday morning ahead of the start of the MW Media Summit in Las Vegas.
The preseason favorite, according to the media that regularly cover the conference, is Nevada, which won the 2017-18 regular-season title. The Wolf Pack earned 207 points and 18 first-place votes to finish in front of SDSU, the reigning Mountain West champions, and its 188 points and one first-place tally.
The Aztecs won the MW tournament crown a season ago when they beat New Mexico in the final. The Lobos’ run to the championship game set them up for a third-place finish in this year’s preseason poll. UNM picked up 153 points to finish ahead of fourth-place Boise State (139 points) and fifth-place Fresno State (138).
UNLV (6th; 122 points), Wyoming (7th; 88) and Colorado State (8th; 80) were the next three teams to fall in line behind the Bulldogs with Utah State (9th; 78), Air Force (10th; 42) and San José State (11th; 19) rounding out the poll.
SDSU has finished either first or second in the Mountain West preseason poll and received at least one first-place vote in each of the last five years. It is also the 10th time in 20 seasons the Aztecs have been picked first or second in the poll. All 10 times, additionally, have occurred in the last 14 years.
Despite being considered the second-best team in the league, San Diego State did not have a player voted to the preseason all-conference team or as one of the of-the-year award winners (player, freshman, newcomer).
The Aztecs are set to return three of their top four scorers from last season (Devin Watson, Matt Mitchell, Jalen McDaniels) and four of their top six (Watson, Mitchell, McDaniels, Jeremy Hemsley) off a 2017-18 team that went 22-11, won their Mountain West-high 11th conference title and advanced to the NCAA tournament for the seventh time in the last nine years.
A limited amount of season tickets are available for the 2018-19 campaign. Fans interested in purchasing season seats can do so at GoAztecs.com using the promocode “SDSU”, by calling the Aztec Ticket Office at (619) 283-7378 or by visiting the Aztec Ticket Office at Window E at SDCCU Stadium.
2018-19 Mountain West Preseason Predicted Order of Finish
Pl. Team – Points (1st-place votes)
1. Nevada – 207 (18)
2. San Diego State – 188 (1)
3. New Mexico – 153
4. Boise State – 139
5. Fresno State – 138
6. UNLV – 122
7. Wyoming – 88
8. Colorado State – 80
9. Utah State – 78
10. Air Force – 42
11. San José State – 19
2018-19 Preseason All-Conference Team
Jordan Caroline, Nevada
Deshon Taylor, Fresno State
Caleb Martin, Nevada
Justin James, Wyoming
Cody Martin, Nevada
2018-19 Preseason Player of the Year
Caleb Martin, Nevada
2018-19 Preseason Freshman of the Year
Jordan Brown, Nevada
2018-19 Preseason Newcomer of the Year
Vance Jackson, New Mexico