SPOKANE, WASHINGTON – MARCH 22: Head coach Brian Dutcher of the San Diego State Aztecs looks on during the first half against the UAB Blazers in the first round of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena on March 22, 2024 in Spokane, Washington. (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
San Diego State's men's basketball program is the class of the Mountain West Conference. The Aztecs have won three of the last five regular season championships, appeared the the final of the conference tournament each of the last seven years, and has made two straight runs to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament, losing only to the back-to-back national champions from Connecticut.
With a resume like that and a proven ability to put together a talented roster year in and year out you'd figure, by now, people would have put a little respect on this program's name.
Apparently some folks in the media haven't learned the lesson yet.
The MWC Basketball preseason poll was released on Thursday and SDSU, despite receiving two 1st place votes, was slotted to finish 4th by media members who allegedly cover the conference on a consistent basis.
Get top local stories in San Diego delivered to you every morning. Sign up for NBC San Diego's News Headlines newsletter.
Boise State is the odds-on favorite to win the conference title, followed by New Mexico and Nevada, who each received one fewer 1st place nod than the Aztecs did. The full poll looks like this:
Rank Team (First-Place Votes) Total Points
- Boise State (19) 276
- New Mexico (1) 233
- Nevada (1) 219
- San Diego State (2) 213
- UNLV (2) 178
- Utah State (1) 169
- Colorado State 160
- San José State 88
- Wyoming 67
- Fresno State 62
- Air Force 51
SDSU lost several of their top players from last year's team, including All-American forward Jaedon LeDee (graduation) and MWC Defensive Player of the Year Lamont Butler (transfer to Kentucky). But, head coach Brian Dutcher has a history of refilling the talent pool quickly.
Local
Aztecs freshman forward Pharaoh Compton was voted the preseason MWC Freshman of the Year. The consensus 4-star recruit from Las Vegas chose San Diego State despite having offers from four SEC schools and Houston, the #4-ranked team in the country.
San Diego State hosts an exhibition game against CSU-San Marcos on October 30 before opening the regular season at Viejas Arena against U.C. San Diego on November 6.
