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Some UNM men’s basketball players said they have embraced an underdog role for the upcoming season. Media members covering the Mountain West Conference gave them that bulletin board material.
The Lobos are picked to finish third in the MWC Preseason Media Poll, which conference officials released Monday. UNM, the defending MWC regular-season and tournament champion, received 122 points by the 18-person voting panel. The Lobos did not receive any first-place votes.
“When you lose the senior core we lost — Phillip McDonald, A.J. Hardeman and Drew Gordon — you expect things like that,” UNM junior guard Kendall Williams said during the team’s media day, referring to that underdog role.
“With the recruiting class that everybody has brought, I can see how they are getting praise for that,” he continued. “We’ve brought in a really good recruiting class ourselves; we’re excited for the challenge.”
Junior forward Cameron Bairstow echoed Williams’ sentiment.
“We’re a bit of the underdog, which we like,” Bairstow said. “Hopefully we’ll keep continuing to work and get better.”
Media members tabbed San Diego State as the No. 1 MWC team heading into the season with 153 points and 10 first-place votes. UNLV is second in the poll with 151 points and eight first-place votes. In the USA Today/ESPN poll, the Aztecs and Rebels are ranked No. 20 and No. 19 in the nation, respectively.
Behind UNM in the conference poll are Colorado State at No. 4, Nevada at No. 5, Wyoming at No. 6, Fresno State at No. 7, Boise State at No. 8 and Air Force at No. 9.
UNM has been picked to win the conference only once during head coach Steve Alford’s six-year tenure. The Lobos have won four conference titles under Alford and are looking for their fifth.
“We’ve won a lot of championships, and at the end of the year, we want to be cutting down the nets and sizing up rings,” Alford said in a press release on Monday. “We don’t go out there thinking that since we were picked third, we will play for third place.”
Conference media named Williams to the preseason All-MWC team. He is the third straight Lobo to appear on the preseason list.
Williams earned all-Mountain West second-team honors last year.
Williams praised the MWC for its high level of competition.
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“As a college player, as an athlete, you want to compete at the highest level,” he said. “I think we have one of the best leagues in the nation.”
Williams joined Nevada junior guard Deonte Burton, SDSU junior guard Jamaal Franklin, SDSU senior guard Chase Tapley and UNLV junior forward Mike Moser in the lineup.
Franklin received preseason player of the year honors. SDSU sophomore forward Dwayne Polee II and UNLV sophomore guard Bryce Dejean-Jones were the top preseason co-newcomers, while preseason freshman of the year honors went to UNLV forward Anthony Bennett.
In the conference women’s poll also released Monday, UNM is picked to finish sixth with 97 points. The Lobos finished seventh in the conference a year ago after posting a 11-20 overall record and a 3-11 in conference play.
San Diego State is No. 1 in the poll with 198 points and 22 first-place votes, followed by Fresno State, UNLV, Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico, Boise State, Nevada and Air Force. Fresno State had two first-place votes.
“The Mountain West Conference is going to be very competitive this year, especially with the addition of Fresno State,” UNM women’s coach Yvonne Sanchez said in a Monday press release. “Now that we have the polls out of the way, it’s time to keep working hard because the season is right around the corner.”
Senior guard Caroline Durbin made the preseason all-conference team along with Boise State senior forward Lauren Lenhardt, Fresno State junior guard Ki-Ki Moore and San Diego State senior guards Courtney Clements and Chelsea Hopkins.
“It is a very deserved award, but even she will tell you the team’s success is more important,” Sanchez said of Durbin’s honor. “I truly believe Caroline is going to have a very good senior year.”
Clements was named the women’s Preseason Player of the Year. Deajanae Scurry, a forward from SDSU, was the Preseason Freshman of the Year. Wyoming forward Aubry Boehme was named the Preseason Newcomer of the Year.
