Big West Basketball: Preseason power rankings for 2019-20 season

By Connor Hope | Nov 5, 2019

SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 22: Evan Leonard #14 of the UC Irvine Anteaters celebrates a three-point shot with Max Hazzard #2 in the second half against the Kansas State Wildcats during the first round of the 2019 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at SAP Center on March 22, 2019 in San Jose, California. (Photo by Yong Teck Lim/Getty Images) /

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FULLERTON, CA – NOVEMBER 23: William Jackson II #0 of the Georgia Bulldogs guards Jackson Rowe #34 of the Cal State Fullerton Titans in the second half of the game at the Titan Gym on November 23, 2017 in Fullerton, California. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images) /

6) UC Davis Aggies

The UC Davis Aggies are the best team of what I will call the non-competitors in the Big West: the teams that I feel are a clear step behind the top half in the conference. Losing your two best players is never easy, especially for a bottom-three team, and that is exactly the situation the program finds itself in.

Despite losing TJ Shorts, the Aggies return a semi-competitive redshirt senior core in Stefan Gonzalez, Joe Mooney, Rogers Printup, and Matt Neufield. You read that right, four of UC Davis’ projected starters are redshirt senior, while just two other players have any DI college experience.

This season does not look promising, with no clear star to replace what they Aggies lost on offense. With that said, the experience in the starting lineup should help the incoming freshman to develop early in the year and prepare for a competitive season near the middle of the Big West.

5) Cal State Fullerton Titans

After three consecutive seasons with a 10-6 record in the Big West, it looks like Dedrique Taylor’s Titans are about to regress somewhat. Brandon Kamga may be coming in to join Jackson Rowe as the teams two proven scoring talents, but the losses of Kyle Allman and Khalil Ahmad will likely be felt heavily on the offensive end of the floor.

The Cal State Fullerton defense should be enough to force tight games in the conference, but the lack of their two high-octane threats on the other end will force former role players to step up. Austen Awosika, Davon Clare and Johnny Wang will likely need to take two to three steps up in order for the Titans to compete with the upper echelon of the Big West.

For now, Fullerton looks like it exists in a sort of no man’s land between the top and the bottom of the Big West. There are no clear options to take over for Allman’s and Ahmad’s production, but the talent on the roster is too good to expect a huge fall from grace.