SAN DIEGO - San Diego State, the No. 19-ranked team in the preseason AP Top 25 Poll, has been picked to be crowned the 2022-23 Mountain West (MW) Conference champion in the annual league preseason media poll, the conference announced Wednesday morning ahead of the start of the MW men's basketball two-day virtual media event. In addition to the predicted order of finish, the league released its preseason awards with senior guards Matt Bradley and Darrion Trammell garnering All-Mountain West and Newcomer of the Year honors, respectively.
Voted on by media members who cover Mountain West men's basketball on a regular basis, SDSU, which finished the 2021-22 campaign with 23-9 record and earned a No. 8-seed in the 2022 NCAA tournament, is predicted to earn its conference-record 15th conference crown (regular season and tournament) following the 2022-23 league season.
SDSU is one of just five schools nationally to win at least 19 games each of the last 17 seasons, and since 2006 trails only Gonzaga among most conference championship game appearances in Division I: the Aztecs have 13, tied with New Mexico State, to the 'Zags 17. In addition, San Diego State has won a conference-record 14 Mountain West championships (regular-season and tournament) and is one of 15 schools to play in nine of the last 12 NCAA Tournaments.
The Aztecs garnered 16 of a possible 20 first-place votes and a total of 216 points to finish in front of Wyoming, which received the other four first-place votes and totaled 204 points.
Reigning Mountain West regular-season and tournament champion Boise State has been predicted to finish in third place in this year's preseason poll. The Broncos picked up 166 points to finish ahead of fourth-place Colorado State (156 points) and fifth-place New Mexico (136 points).
UNLV (6th; 110 points), Fresno State (7th; 101 points) and Utah State (8th; 96 points) were the next three teams to fall in line behind the Lobos. Nevada (9th; 73 points), San Jose State (10th; 35 points) and Air Force (11th; 27 points) round out the poll.
SDSU has been predicted to finish either first or second in the Mountain West preseason media poll in each of the last nine years. It is also the 14th time in the 24 seasons the Mountain West has been in existence that San Diego State has been picked first or second in the preseason poll. Additionally, those 14 times have occurred in the last 18 years. The Aztecs have garnered at least one first-place vote in the preseason poll in eight of the last nine years.
Bradley, a senior out of San Bernardino, Calif., transferred to The Mesa from the University of California prior to the 2021-22 season and led the Aztecs in points per game (16.9), 3-pointers (57), free throws (113) and minutes (1,007). In addition, he ranked second on the squad in rebounds (174), assists (85), and was third in steals (33). His 542 points are the 15th most in a season in program history.
Bradley returns in 2022-23 as the No. 4 scorer and the No. 5 rebounder in the Mountain West. He reached double-figure scoring 26 times last year and in those games the team was 20-6. He enjoyed 19 games of 15 or more points, 12 games of 20 or more, and a career-high 30-point game in a 73-66 victory at Wyoming, the only home loss the Cowboys suffered last season. At the conclusion of the year, he was named a second-team NABC All-District 17 performer, the Mountain West Newcomer of the Year, first-team All-Mountain West, and was included on the Mountain West All-Tournament Team.
Trammell is in his first season at San Diego State after two years at Seattle U. As a Redhawk, he was twice named a first team NABC All-District 6, garnered two first-team All-Western Athletic Conference (WAC) and two WAC All-Tournament Team honors to go along with inclusion on the 2020-21 WAC All-Newcomer and 2021-22 All-Defensive Teams.
While competing in Seattle, he averaged 18.7 points, 5.1 assists, 3.8 rebounds, 3.8 steals in just under 35 minutes per game. He shot 40.6 percent from the floor (309-of-761), 34.6 percent from the bonus distance (101-of-292), and 84.0 percent from the line (289-of-344). In addition, he reached double figure scoring in 49-of-54 career games and scored at least 20 points in 22 of those contests and 30 or more in five, including a career-best 39 in his final game for the Redhawks in the WAC tournament. It was also in that 39-point game that he surpassed the 1,000-career point plateau.
Last year, he was the fifth most productive pick and roll scorer in the nation (6.9 points per game) according to Synergy Sports. In addition, the Marin City, Calif., native was one of four players in Division I who totaled at least 539 points, dished out at least 157 assists and had a 1.73:1 assist-to-turnover ratio last season. If you add his 5-10 height to the mix, he is the only player to accomplish those statistics in 2021-22.
After an exhibition game against San Diego Christian on Tuesday, Nov. 1 at Steve Fisher Court at Viejas Arena, San Diego State opens the 2022-23 regular-season on Monday, Nov. 7 in a matchup against 2022 NCAA tournament team Cal State Fullerton in Viejas. Four days later, on Friday, Nov. 11, the Aztecs host Brigham Young, which reached the quarterfinal round of last season's NIT.
2022-23 Mountain West Preseason Predicted Order of Finish
Pl. Team – Points (1st-place votes)
1. San Diego State – 216 (16)
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
2022-23 Preseason All-Conference Team
Matt Bradley, Sr., G, San Diego State
Isaiah Stevens, Sr., G, Colorado State
Jamal Mashburn Jr., Jr., G, New Mexico
Graham Ike, Jr., F, Wyoming
Hunter Maldonado, Sr., G, Wyoming
2022-23 Preseason Player of the Year
Graham Ike, Jr., F, Wyoming
2022-23 Preseason Newcomer of the Year
Darrion Trammell, Sr., G, San Diego State
2022-23 Preseason Freshman of the Year
Joseph Hunter, G, Fresno State
No. 19 MBB Picked to Win MW; Bradley & Trammell Honored
