Utah State hoops picked 8th in Mountain West preseason poll

LOGAN — There is plenty of uncertainty surrounding the Utah State men's basketball team leading into the 2022-23 season.

Coming off an 18-16 season and NIT at-large appearance, the Aggies graduated all-conference players in Justin Bean and Brandon Horvath, but return three starters, and nabbed three players in the transfer portal expected to contribute.

Will it be enough to supplement the loss of two double-digit scoring big men in Year 2 of the Ryan Odom era?

Twenty media members around the conference suggest it won't be.

The Mountain West announced its men's basketball preseason poll on Wednesday, and Utah State was picked to finish eighth — its lowest ranking since the 2018-19 season.

Rounding out the top four are the teams that earned automatic bids to the NCAA Tournament last season. San Diego State, the lone MW school ranked in the preseason Associated Press Top 25, tops the poll with 16 first-place votes, Wyoming is second with four first-place votes, Boise State is third and Colorado State is fourth.

The Aggies missed out on the preseason All-Conference team, with honors going to Wyoming's Graham Ike and Hunter Maldanodo, San Diego State's Matt Bradley, New Mexico's Jamal Mashburn Jr., and Colorado State's Isaiah Stevens.

Utah State, which finished sixth in the conference last season, has defied preseason odds in recent history.

Entering Craig Smith's first year as Aggies coach four year ago, Utah State was picked ninth in the conference, then won a share of the regular season title and won the tournament championship.

If the Aggies are to do something similar this season, it will require strong production from its returning guards.

The Aggies return the majority of last season's backcourt, including senior Sean Bairstow (9.5 points per game last year), junior Steven Ashworth (8.7 ppg), senior RJ Eytle-Rock (7.8 ppg), senior Rylan Jones (6.5 ppg), and junior Max Shulga (4.4 ppg).

In the frontcourt, the Aggies return three contributors, senior center Trevin Dorius (2.7 ppg), sophomore forward Zee Hamonda (2.6 ppg), junior center Szymond Zapala (1.5 ppg). They also add St Joseph's graduate transfer forward Taylor Funk (13.3 ppg), former UMBC forward and senior Cal Baptist transfer Dan Akin (10.8 ppg), and sophomore Oregon transfer center Isaac Johnson (2.4 ppg).

Utah State opens the season at home against Utah Valley on Nov. 7.

2022-23 Mountain West men's basketball preseason poll:

• 1 - San Diego State, 216 points (16 first-place votes)
• 2 - Wyoming, 204 (4)
• 3 - Boise State, 166
• 4 - Colorado State, 156
• 5 - New Mexico, 136
• 6 - UNLV, 110
• 7 - Fresno State, 101
• 8 - Utah State, 96
• 9 - Nevada, 73
• 10 - San Jose State, 35
• 11 - Air Force, 27

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