June 17, 2010
SAN DIEGO - The San Diego State men's basketball team finds itself at No. 23 in Dick Vitale's preseason top 40 on ESPN.com. The Aztecs are the top-rated Mountain West Conference school on the list and the only squad representing the state of California.
"Steve Fisher has done a great job running the Aztecs," Vitale wrote. "San Diego State should be the team to beat in the competitive Mountain West."
The Aztecs are coming off a 25-win season after finishing the year with a 25-9 record. San Diego State, which won its third MWC tournament title en route to earning the league's automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament last year, is also fresh off its fifth consecutive 20-win season and postseason appearance.
SDSU, which finished 30th in the final Associated Press poll, is scheduled to return all five starters and eight of its 10 top scorers from last year, including MWC tournament MVP Kawhi Leonard and seniors D.J. Gay, Malcolm Thomas and Billy White. What is expected to return for San Diego State has caught the eyes of the national media as ESPN.com's Andy Katz and Pat Forde have placed the Aztecs in their preseason top 25, and Fox Sports' Jeff Goodman has listed San Diego State among the nation's top teams for the upcoming campaign.