Updated Big West Conference men’s basketball preview and power rankings

All of college basketball is starting conference play over the next week or so. In the Big West, that means that it’s time to re-evaluate and update predictions on the season’s outcomes. Here are a few updated notes about the Big West

Updated Power Rankings

1)UCSB

2)Hawai’i

3) UC Irvine

4) Long Beach State

5) Cal State Northridge

6) Cal Poly

7) UC Davis

8) Cal State Fullerton

9) UC Riverside

Stock Rising

UCSB – With a win over Cal at the Thunderdome, UCSB showed why they are still a favorite. With the retirement of Bob Thomason, the Gauchos have the longest tenured coach in the conference (Bob Williams), and the frontrunner for conference player of the year (Alan Williams). During a pretty impressive preseason, UCSB knocked off Cal at home and beat UNLV, Utah State, and Seattle on the road (among others) during a 9-4 preseason. They walked the line between scheduling tough (playing 3 Pac 12 teams) and getting solid Division 1 wins (the above teams plus San Diego, Western Illinios and Troy). If they can stay healthy, UCSB gives me no reason to think they won’t remain a contender during the conference season.

Hawai’i – Hawai’i may have had the most impressive preseason of anyone in the conference. They go into conference play with a Big West-best 11-3 record. They have very skilled players, including Player of the Year contender Christian Standhardinger and forward Isaac Fotu. The Warriors have only played one true road game in the preseason, beating Northern Arizona in Flagstaff. Look for Hawai’i to defend the Stan Sherriff Center well this season and also to win more conference road games. In their second season in the Big West, Hawai’i will also know what to expect in Anaheim come March.

Dan Monson’s addition of transfer Tyler Lamb makes Long Beach State a viable candidate for the Big West Championship despite a tough 4-10 preseason. By Owen Main

Something to Prove

Cal Poly – Cal Poly scheduled tough this season, and paid the price in terms of their record, losing four games to (1) Arizona, Stanford, Washington, and Pitt. Both Washington and Pitt got votes in the latest AP top-25 poll. The big disappointment in the Mustangs season came in blowout losses at Fresno State, at Delaware and at Loyola Marymount. They also lost winnable games against Pacific at a neutral site and blew a late lead at home against Nevada. Maybe head coach Joe Callero and the Mustangs will find a lineup that can play more consistently on both ends of the floor, but as long as they remain 289th out of 351 teams in the country in fouls per game (committing over 21 as a team), they’ll probably not see much success in the conference. It doesn’t help that they’ve shot 29 percent from 3-point range and have only shot about 2/3 as many free throws as their opponent. This is still a team with a lot to prove, and they have accordingly moved down the above power rankings. They’ll have the chance to move quickly, too, with a home game against Hawai’i and a Saturday night matchup vs. UCSB at the Thunderdome during the opening week of conference play.

Long Beach State – The 49ers were my preseason pick to win the conference, and since they added Tyler Lamb, we have seen why. In the four games Lamb has played, the Long Beach State has gone 3-1, including a win at USC. That record is all the more remarkable considering that the 49ers didn’t have a Division 1 win before the junior transfer from UCLA was able to play. That’s understandable considering their powerhouse preseason schedule, which has included Arizona, Missouri, Washington, Michigan, VCU, Kansas State, Creighton, and North Carolina State. Lamb is averaging 20.8 points per game and gives the 49ers the focal point they need to make a run in conference play. While they only have three Division 1 wins, look for Long Beach to quickly move back up the charts.

By many rankings, Long Beach State has either had the toughest strength of schedule in the country or is in the top-five. Cal Poly has had somewhere between the 8th and 22nd toughest schedule, and UCSB is well in the top-25. It will be very interesting to see how and whether the tough schedules many Big West coaches have created pay-off once conference play begins this week.

Big West January schedule

Big West Preseason Media poll

Pomeroy Strength of Schedule Rankings