NCAA Basketball: Ranking teams in 2019 Wooden Legacy Tournament

By Joey Loose | Jul 14, 2019

TUCSON, ARIZONA - FEBRUARY 07: Head coach Sean Miller of the Arizona Wildcats talks with Ira Lee #11, Brandon Randolph #5 and Dylan Smith #3 during the second half of the NCAAB game against the Washington Huskies at McKale Center on February 07, 2019 in Tucson, Arizona. The Huskies defeated the Wildcats 67-60. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /

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PORTLAND, OR – MARCH 15: Head coach Dan Monson of the Long Beach State 49ers reacts as he talks to his team during a timeout against New Mexico Lobos in the second round of the 2012 NCAA men’s basketball tournament at Rose Garden Arena on March 15, 2012 in Portland, Oregon. (Photo by Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images) /

8. Long Beach State

Some college basketball fans will remember Long Beach State head coach Dan Monson as the man who got the party started at Gonzaga, leading the Bulldogs to the Elite Eight in 1999 before leaving for Minnesota. Things didn’t work out too well for him in the Big Ten, but he’s found a home in Long Beach. This will be year 13 for Monson, though he hasn’t led his team to the NCAA Tournament since 2012. The 49ers are typically a middle of the pack Big West team, though they did finish third at the Wooden Legacy back in 2014.

This 49ers team will look remarkably different and will likely experiencing growing pains. The team loses six seniors, including leading scorers Deishuan Booker, Bryan Alberts, and Temidayo Yussuf. Fortunately, the 49ers bring in a solid recruiting class, including 3-star big men Romelle Mansel and Joshua Morgan among the group. Last year they limped to a 15-19 mark and it’ll be interesting to see how these new recruits blend with the remaining talent on this roster. Rising junior guards Edon Maxhuni and Jordan Roberts should play a much bigger role this season after both players averaged 7.2 ppg last year.

The Big West hosts the Wooden Legacy, thus Long Beach State’s inclusion makes sense. However, this team will likely be overmatched throughout this event. There’s potential if these six new players (including South Dakota State transfer Michael Carter III) can gel early on, but this is still a middle of the pack Big West team. Expect this team to struggle with Providence in their first round matchup, though anything can happen against a team that’s traveled thousands of miles farther than you.

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