Both the coaches and the Big West Media pick the Aggie men's team to finish fourth. The top four are all UC schools (Is this a trend?). UCSB, UCI, UCR, UCD in that order, then Hawaii, CSU Bakersfield, CSU Fullerton, The Beach, Cal Poly and CSUN by the coaches. The media differs in the middle: CSU Bakersfield, Hawaii, The Beach, and CSU Fullerton. UCSD was not chosen since they're still transitioning from D2.
Anywhere from 3rd to 6th feels about right for the Ags. I could see us challenging for the top spots if either 1) underclassmen McGill, Murphy, or Bora really help out Angiwe in the paint on defense and rebounding, or 2) the perimeter play is so good it overcomes interior deficiencies (or a combination). First game is next Tuesday at Utah State (6:30 pacific time).
I watched the Big West Men's Basketball Preview on ESPN+. They did very brief thumbnails on each team from bottom to top of the coaches poll, plus UCSD. They focused on the battle at the top where the coaches separated UCI and UCSB by only one vote. Had an interview with Amadou Sow. Why does it seem like he's been around forever? I guess he puts getting his degree over a shot at the NBA.