Picked second
UNM women tabbed to finish runner-up to Boise State in Mountain West basketball
Mountain West women’s basketball coaches (with some help from the media) have placed this season’s bull’s-eye squarely on the Boise State Broncos.
Winners of two straight regular-season titles and three consecutive MWC tournaments, the Broncos were picked as overwhelming favorites to repeat according to the league’s annual preseason poll released Thursday. Boise State received 25 of 29 first-place votes in a poll of head coaches and media members.
New Mexico coach Mike Bradbury wouldn’t have it any other way.
“It would be virtually impossible not to go 18-0 with that team,” Bradbury said, tongue firmly in cheek. “(BSU coach Gordy Presnell) has the three best players in the league and he should easily run the table. I’ll be sure to tell him that when I see him.”
Bradbury was among the majority voting the Broncos into the top spot. New Mexico received three of the remaining four first-place votes and landed second in the preseason poll. Boise State amassed 305 points to UNM’s 280, with Fresno State (228) a distant third.
The top three teams in the poll dominated the Mountain West’s preseason individual honors.
Boise State’s Braydey Hodgins was named Preseason Player of the Year, teammate and Oregon transfer Mallory McGwire was picked as newcomer of the year, while UNM’s Corina Carter and Fresno State’s Haley Cavinder shared freshman of the year honors.
The five-player all-conference team was composed of Hodgins, Boise State’s Riley Lupfer, UNM’s Jayla Everett and Aisia Robertson, and Fresno State’s Maddi Utti.
“A lot of those things are based on last year,” Bradbury said. “Corina’s working hard and we think highly of her, but it’s all guesswork right now. Postseason honors obviously count a lot more.”
Some of the MWC’s preseason voters may not have been particularly well-informed. UNM’s Robertson, an All-Mountain West selection and the league’s top newcomer last season, is recovering from ACL surgery and is unlikely to return until at least midseason. Still, Robertson finished second only to Hodgins in preseason allconference voting.
Even harder to fathom was a random first-place vote given to San Jose State. The Spartans went 6-24 last season and were picked to finish last in this year’s preseason poll.
Asked if he cast SJSU’s firstplace vote, Bradbury responded, “I did not. I’m told it was a media member but that’s all I know.”
Bradbury also felt that UNM’s second-place total might be a bit optimistic. He pointed out that the Lobos will be without three of last season’s top players (MWC Player of the Year Jaisa Nunn, Nike McClure and Robertson) to start the season, and seven newcomers will have to mesh quickly if New Mexico is to contend for a league title.
“I picked Fresno State and maybe two or three others ahead of us,” Bradbury said, “but I think after Boise State it’s a tough call. Teams two through six in the poll could probably finish in any order. We all have a lot of new faces. We’ll see who does the best job putting things together.”