DENVER — NCAA Tournament or bust.
Expectations for the Colorado State men’s basketball program could not be higher. For the first time ever the Rams were tabbed preseason favorites in the Mountain West by various league media members. CSU is also the only team in the conference with more than one preseason all-conference selection, as both David Roddy and Isaiah Stevens were recognized on Wednesday.
“It’s such a credit to the players and the coaches and the administration,” head coach Niko Medved told reporters during Mountain West Media Days.
“You have a vision when you’re doing this and ultimately you get to the point where that’s the position that you want to be in. You’ve earned respect from your peers — you’ve earned it through your hard work — and you see yourself as a program that can contend at the highest level of your league. Now we know we haven’t done anything yet this year but at the same point in time, I’m really proud of the guys for all the work that they’ve put in and you know, they’re right where they want to be. That’s all you can ask for.”
CSU led the media poll with 11 first-place votes and 207 total points, narrowly edging out San Diego State (201) who had seven first-place votes, as well as Nevada (189). Boise State (147), Utah State (127) and Fresno State (119) were tabbed to finish fourth through sixth, respectively. UNLV (109), now led by Kevin Kruger, is projected to finish seventh. Wyoming (79) and New Mexico tied for eighth. Finally, San Jose State (40) and Air Force were picked as the bottom dwellers.
As mentioned above, CSU was the only team in the league to have a pair of players receive preseason all-conference recognition. Roddy and Stevens are coming off of a season in which they each averaged roughly 15.5 points per game, while also serving as the team’s top rebounders and distributors, so it’s unsurprising they are projected to be two of the top players in the Mountain West again. Additionally, Bryce Hamilton (UNLV), Grant Sherfield (Nevada) and Orlando Robinson (Fresno State) made the team as well.
Preseason All-MW
Guard | Isaiah Stevens (Colorado State)
Guard | Grant Sherfield (Nevada)
Guard | Bryce Hamilton (UNLV)
Guard / Forward | David Roddy (Colorado State)
Forward | Orlando Robinson (Fresno State)
Preseason Awards
Player of the Year (Grant Sherfield)
Newcomer of the Year (Matt Bradley)
Freshman of the Year (Kishon Gilbert)
Projected Order of Finish
- Colorado State
- San Diego State
- Nevada
- Boise State
- Utah State
- Fresno State
- UNLV
- Wyoming / UNM
- San Jose State
- Air Force
