Big Sky Conference Men's Basketball preseason polls

[Tube Socks]

Ouch, this is not looking good... I thought with Lillard's involvement and with additional NIL support that things were supposed to get better. Has anyone heard of any donation amounts or higher level players looking at WSU for next year?

2025-26 Big Sky Men’s Basketball Preseason Coaches’ Poll

1: Montana (6) – 78
2: Portland State (3) – 72
3: Northern Colorado – 63
4: Idaho (1) – 59
T5: Eastern Washington – 40
T5: Montana State – 40
7: Sacramento State – 35
8: Idaho State – 31
9: Weber State – 22
10: Northern Arizona – 10

() – Denotes First-Place Votes

2025-26 Big Sky Men’s Basketball Preseason Media Poll

1: Montana (21) – 323
2: Portland State (9) – 302
3: Northern Colorado (2) – 245
4: Idaho (2) – 231
5: Idaho State – 202
6: Montana State – 165
7: Sacramento State (1) – 143
8: Eastern Washington – 136
9: Weber State – 113
10: Northern Arizona – 61

() – Denotes First-Place Votes

 

[BigWaldO]

Preseason polls are primarily based on last years finishing. I’ve seen these guys a few times. I don’t believe they will finish 9th but I don’t see them finishing any better than 4th. I don’t believe they compete for the conference title but it’s a long season.

As for donations. Lillard donated $10 million over 5 years so they should have plenty of money

 

[oldrunner]

Yes, it is a long season and anything can happen. I also don't see us in the bottom half. However, there does not seem to be a dominant team, on paper, and most teams had significant turnover. Whoever wins this thing will have to get a little lucky a time or two. Nobody will get out of league play without at least four losses. What our finnish will be, I don't know, but from what I've seen so far, we should be a lot of fun to watch.

How it all works out, with Dame's support, only time will tell. One thing that it is doing right away is allowing us to carry more quality players than the 13 grant limit might otherwise do. It also might get us in the door on some higher quality players. It's more than an overnight fix to get back to where we all want to be, but we should start seeing some results fairly soon.