Mountain West Basketball: Preseason rankings for 2019-20 season

Fresno State finds a way to not only be competitive but land and develop talented players year after year, after year. Even in the face of a sudden coaching change, the Bulldogs posted a 23-9 overall record and finished third in the Mountain West’s final standings.

So what are they doing here? This roster is strung with talent, but its losses cannot be ignored. Deshon Taylor, Braxton Huggins, and Sam Bittner are all gone – Lost to graduation. The loss of Taylor and Huggins alone would cripple any team, regardless of depth.

So what does Justin Hutson do to replicate an impressive first season at the helm? Imagine this for a moment – A rotation of Noah Blackwell, Nu Williams, Aguir Agua, Nate Grimes, and the highly-anticipated redshirt freshman Assane Diouf – Isn’t that a thought that would send shivers down any Mountain West team’s proverbial back? It certainly should be.

Fresno State has done a great job on the recuiting trail in recent years, especially on the transfer market. It’s also no secret that Justin Hutson was a great recruiter in his time at league-rival San Diego State. Again, this roster has talent. But how will it click? Who will step into the shoes of Huggins and Taylor?

The Bulldogs will compete. Nobody ever expects anything less of this consistent program. That being said, the questions are there, and growing pains will likely accompany them heading into 2020. However, the fact that they are ranked here speaks more to the depth of the Mountain West this year, than it does to the ability of this team.