Now that we are into June and things appeared to have died down as rosters are finalized, I thought it would be fun to to rank everyone 1-10 as we head into Summer. It's so hard to predict with all the turnover, but I'm gonna give it my best try.
1. Weber State- As of right now, I'm gong with Weber to be the preseason favorites, but I don't think they'll be the favorites at the end of the year. The front court will be really good, and they loaded up in the backcourt brining in Miguel Tomley from ISU, plus the addition of Nigel Burris from Utah State (formerly Idaho). I just don't have a lot of confidence in Eric Duft as a head coach and I think it's gonna be more of the same with Weber next year.
2. Montana- Gonna be a lot of new faces for the Griz next season, but I think we have the potential to win the league next year if everything goes right. I think the Griz will have the best back court in the league next year with Money Williams, Brandon Whitney, and the addition of Malik Moore. Kai Johnson and Austin Patterson will also be great additions for the Griz. I'm slightly concerned about the front court considering we only brought in one guy (Bradtke) but hopefully that means the staff is very high on him and can be a force. Sawyer is also capable of playing the post as he has shown, but as some on this board have pointed out, he's more suited for the 4 than down low, but he can do it. Biggest thing is long sustained scoring droughts. If they can eliminate those, we could very well do it!
3. Montana State- I would have put the cats ahead of the Griz and possibly even ahead of Weber, but the reason why they are here is because I genuinely have no idea who the cats point guard is now. Ford is gone and he was so huge for them last year, that it will be tough to replace his production. I have seen some cat fans speculate that Bryce Zephir (Juco) will be the starting point guard, but how good is he? I really know nothing about him. The cats however will have the best front court in the league with Brandon Walker and BJ Kolly. Those two will be a force down low. I like Patterson coming back plus the addition of Jabe Mullins from Washington State. These will be the top 3 teams in the league for sure. After this, I expect a major drop off.
4. Northern Colorado- Here's where things really drop off IMO. I think UNC will be competitive, but I'd be very surprised if they're able to contend. They lost a lot with the likes of Thomas, Reeves, etc. I do like the guys they brought in from VMI and Idaho, but I just don't see UNC being a legitimate threat. I do think they'll finish top 5 though.
5. Portland State- I think this is a good spot for PSU. Jace Coburn coaches hard and his guys always play really hard for him. They did lose Kendall Munson, but they'll have a decent team. PSU has a tendency to bring in JC guys so we'll see how that works out for them, but I don't expect them to be in the bottom half of the league standings.
6. Eastern Washington- Gonna be a complete overhaul for Eastern next year. Everybody's gone and mostly followed David Riley to Wazzu. I do like the hire of Dan Monson and that alone should make Eastern competitive, but they won't be any kind of a threat. Their goal for next year is to get a top 6 seed at the tourney and get a bye.
7. Northern Arizona- NAU lost some guys to graduation, but hardly had any transfer portal movement. They were able to hang on to most of their guys and I suppose they could surprise some people, but I've mentioned before that Shane Burcar is just not a very good coach and it's well past time to move on from him.
8. Idaho- This might be a little low for the Vandy's as I really do like Alex Pribble, but it's gonna take baby steps. I could see Idaho getting as high as 5th or 6th, but I think that's a reach. 8th feels like a safe spot for them.
9. Sacramento State- Really tough timing for Sac losing David Patrick so late in the cycle. They lost a lot of their better players too. They're gonna struggle next season.
10. Idaho State- ISU got wiped out by graduation and the portal. They brought in some decent players but that's a lot of new faces that it's hard for me to think they can put it all together next season. We shall see though
1. Weber State- As of right now, I'm gong with Weber to be the preseason favorites, but I don't think they'll be the favorites at the end of the year. The front court will be really good, and they loaded up in the backcourt brining in Miguel Tomley from ISU, plus the addition of Nigel Burris from Utah State (formerly Idaho). I just don't have a lot of confidence in Eric Duft as a head coach and I think it's gonna be more of the same with Weber next year.
2. Montana- Gonna be a lot of new faces for the Griz next season, but I think we have the potential to win the league next year if everything goes right. I think the Griz will have the best back court in the league next year with Money Williams, Brandon Whitney, and the addition of Malik Moore. Kai Johnson and Austin Patterson will also be great additions for the Griz. I'm slightly concerned about the front court considering we only brought in one guy (Bradtke) but hopefully that means the staff is very high on him and can be a force. Sawyer is also capable of playing the post as he has shown, but as some on this board have pointed out, he's more suited for the 4 than down low, but he can do it. Biggest thing is long sustained scoring droughts. If they can eliminate those, we could very well do it!
3. Montana State- I would have put the cats ahead of the Griz and possibly even ahead of Weber, but the reason why they are here is because I genuinely have no idea who the cats point guard is now. Ford is gone and he was so huge for them last year, that it will be tough to replace his production. I have seen some cat fans speculate that Bryce Zephir (Juco) will be the starting point guard, but how good is he? I really know nothing about him. The cats however will have the best front court in the league with Brandon Walker and BJ Kolly. Those two will be a force down low. I like Patterson coming back plus the addition of Jabe Mullins from Washington State. These will be the top 3 teams in the league for sure. After this, I expect a major drop off.
4. Northern Colorado- Here's where things really drop off IMO. I think UNC will be competitive, but I'd be very surprised if they're able to contend. They lost a lot with the likes of Thomas, Reeves, etc. I do like the guys they brought in from VMI and Idaho, but I just don't see UNC being a legitimate threat. I do think they'll finish top 5 though.
5. Portland State- I think this is a good spot for PSU. Jace Coburn coaches hard and his guys always play really hard for him. They did lose Kendall Munson, but they'll have a decent team. PSU has a tendency to bring in JC guys so we'll see how that works out for them, but I don't expect them to be in the bottom half of the league standings.
6. Eastern Washington- Gonna be a complete overhaul for Eastern next year. Everybody's gone and mostly followed David Riley to Wazzu. I do like the hire of Dan Monson and that alone should make Eastern competitive, but they won't be any kind of a threat. Their goal for next year is to get a top 6 seed at the tourney and get a bye.
7. Northern Arizona- NAU lost some guys to graduation, but hardly had any transfer portal movement. They were able to hang on to most of their guys and I suppose they could surprise some people, but I've mentioned before that Shane Burcar is just not a very good coach and it's well past time to move on from him.
8. Idaho- This might be a little low for the Vandy's as I really do like Alex Pribble, but it's gonna take baby steps. I could see Idaho getting as high as 5th or 6th, but I think that's a reach. 8th feels like a safe spot for them.
9. Sacramento State- Really tough timing for Sac losing David Patrick so late in the cycle. They lost a lot of their better players too. They're gonna struggle next season.
10. Idaho State- ISU got wiped out by graduation and the portal. They brought in some decent players but that's a lot of new faces that it's hard for me to think they can put it all together next season. We shall see though
