Cowboys tied for eighth in preseason Mountain West poll
Oct. 20—The University of Wyoming men's basketball team has been picked to finish where it ended up last season.
The Cowboys were tied with New Mexico for eighth in the Mountain West preseason poll, which was voted on by conference media members and unveiled Wednesday morning ahead of the league's virtual media days.
Colorado State has been predicted to claim the 2021-22 MW title, getting 11 of 20 first-place votes. This is the first time the Rams have sat atop the preseason poll.
San Diego State came in at No. 2 with seven first-place votes, while Nevada earned the other two first-place votes and was slated to finish third. Boise State and Utah State rounded out the top five, with Fresno State and UNLV also being picked to finish ahead of the Cowboys.
UW was ranked above San Jose State and Air Force, which claimed the final two spots in the poll.
The Pokes are coming off a 2020-21 campaign in which they finished eighth in the conference and posted a five-win turnaround, despite playing an abbreviated schedule. UW went 14-11 in head coach Jeff Linder's first year at the helm after going 9-24 the previous season.
UW returns nine letterwinners and three starters from last year's group, which led the conference in scoring with 76.6 points per game and ranked 12th nationally with 10 made 3-pointers per contest.
The MW also released its preseason all-conference team and awards Wednesday morning.
Nevada junior Grant Sherfield was selected preseason player of the year, while San Diego State senior Matt Bradley was named preseason newcomer of the year, and UNLV rookie Keshon Gilbert took preseason freshman of the year honors.
The 2020-21 MW newcomer of the year, Sherfield led the Wolf Pack with 18.6 points, 6.1 assists and 1.6 steals per game. He also averaged 3.7 rebounds per contest and led the MW in scoring (18.2) and assists (6.6) during league play.
Bradley is set to play his first season at San Diego State after spending the past three seasons at Cal, where he was a two-time All-Pac-12 honoree. Bradley started 19 of 22 games as a junior, averaging 18 points and 4.6 rebounds per game. He also recorded 37 assists, eight steals and four blocks.
Gilbert joins the Runnin' Rebels as a true freshman this season. Gilbert helped lead Vashon High in St. Louis to a state title as a senior, averaging 13.2 points per game while shooting 55.5% from the field.
Joining Sherfield on the preseason All-MW team is Colorado State's David Roddy and Isaiah Stevens, Fresno State's Orlando Robinson and UNLV's Bryce Hamilton.
A 2020-21 All-MW selection, Roddy started 27 of the Rams' 28 games last season and was the conference's second-leading rebounder. He led the team in scoring (15.9) and rebounding (9.4), while registering 12 double-doubles. Stevens started all 28 games for CSU as a sophomore, ranking second on the team in scoring (15.3), while leading the Rams and ranking second in the MW in assists (5.4).
Robinson, another 2020-21 All-MW selection, initially declared for the 2021 NBA Draft, but withdrew his name and has returned to Fresno State for his junior year. Last season, Robinson averaged 14.6 points and 9.2 rebounds per game, while shooting 44.3% from the floor and finishing third in the conference in rebounding.
Hamilton also initially declared for the 2021 NBA Draft, but will return for one more season at UNLV. An All-MW honoree, Hamilton ranked third in the conference with 17.9 points per game, while also finishing in the top-10 with six rebounds per contest.
