WAC Basketball: 2018-19 Preseason power rankings

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SAN DIEGO, CA – MARCH 16: Keyon Jones #0 and Eli Chuha #22 of the New Mexico State Aggies react to their 68-79 loss to the Clemson Tigers in the first round of the 2018 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at Viejas Arena on March 16, 2018 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images) /

Will New Mexico State once again rule WAC Basketball? Or can another team steal the crown from the Aggies?

The 2018-19 NCAA Men’s Basketball season is less than a week away, and the Western Athletic Conference appears to be one of the most intriguing mid-major conferences in the country.

Last season, the WAC was dominated by the New Mexico State Aggies, who were a popular 12-seed heading into the NCAA Tournament. In addition to the Aggies, Utah Valley earned a lot of respect for their willingness to play a tough 24 hour slate against Kentucky and Duke. Grand Canyon also had a lot of media attention, opening the season as the conference favorites, before falling off offensively and finishing third.

This season should be even more competitive, with the gap between New Mexico State and the rest of the conference closing. While the Aggies are still the overwhelming favorite to win the conference, there are three or four legitimate threats to create some havoc at the top.

While the race for the WAC Regular Season Championship will obviously be the biggest story heading into the season, the addition of Cal Baptist to Division I basketball and dysfunction at Chicago State will provide intriguing stories at the bottom of the standings as well.

With only two schools sharing a state, the WAC has unfortunately become a conference of misfit teams and no true rivalries. This, however, does not take away from the excitement provided by the competition at the top.

So who will find themselves at the top of the WAC standings and who will slide to the bottom?