Another college conference preview today, with the spotlight on the Big West this time. If I were to rank my top conferences to wager on, the Big West would annually rank right near the top. I’ve got good info pipelines throughout the league, and whether or not it’s a marquee conference matters nothing to me. The money spends the same regardless.
1. UC Irvine… The Anteaters made it to the NIT last season, but have a great shot to take the next step this season. This team has no discernible weaknesses aside from free throw shooting. Irvine has loads of size and depth. They should cop a second straight regular season title.
2. UC Santa Barbara… Big Sauce is back for his senior season, and that automatically stamps the Gauchos as contenders in the BW. Alan Williams is the best player in the league. Michael Bryson should flourish with the move to small forward and Zalmico Harmon excels at running the offense. I’m picking UCSB behind Irvine as far as the regular season goes, but they’re actually my choice to get this league’s automatic come conference tournament time.
3. Long Beach State… The 49ers will play the toughest non-conference slate in the league once again, but don’t be misled if their record is so-so prior to the onset of league play. The Caffey/Lamb backcourt is very solid. The frontcourt has some questions, but if transfer Eric McKnight is a fit, Long Beach becomes a dark horse to win the conference.
4. Cal State Northridge… Reggie Theus worked wonders in his first season at the helm of the Matadors, basically missing a trip to the Big Dance on a bad call. Northridge took a hit when Amir Garrett decided to give up hoops to focus full time on his baseball career. But the Matadors are deeper than they were last season and the Maxwell/Hicks combo is strong. I don’t know how long Theus will be on the scene with bigger offers likely to be coming, but this program is on the rise as long as he stays.
5. Hawaii… No questions about Isaac Fotu, who will be a tough matchup for every team he faces. Garrett Nevels improved as the season progressed and he should thrive as the primary shooter on this year’s entry. But Hawaii is shaky beyond that duo with lots of unknown quantities, so it’s tough to see them notching another 20-win season.
6. Cal Poly… Joe Callero’s Mustangs suffered through an injury riddled regular season but put together a stunning conference tourney run that didn’t end till the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Lots of depth here, and Callero’s teams are always a pain in the neck defensively. Getting offensive production could be an issue. Likely no better than middle of the Big West pack, but the Mustangs will never be easy to play.
7. UC Davis… Corey Hawkins should be a Player of the Year candidate in conference. The Aggies will get two key components that were injured last season back, and this team should put up plenty of points. Two big problems still exist, though. I’m not sure this team can guard anyone, and composure was a major issue at times last season. The Aggies had too many games where they blew their focus and gave up monstrous runs. If they shed that tendency, they could move up a step or two.
8. Cal State Fullerton… The Titans had a rough go of it last season, and more growing pains figure to be in store this year. Alex Harris figures as the go-to guy for Fullerton and second year coach Dedrique Taylor is hoping a couple of transfers can have an immediate impact. I would expect incremental improvement this season, but the Titans are still a recruiting class or two away from being any kind of a threat to contend.
9. UC Riverside… Dennis Cutts is now the full time coach at Riverside, and they have a couple of pretty good players in Taylor Johns and transfer Charles Standifer. But the main problems still exist. The Highlanders are small and therefore need to strong on the perimeter, but they can’t shoot. Riverside should compete hard and might pull a few upsets, but avoiding the Big West cellar will be tough.
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