EWU men picked second, third in Big Sky preseason polls; Vandals picked last

FARMINGTON, Utah — The Eastern Washington men’s basketball team was picked second and third in the Big Sky Conference preseason media and coaches’ polls, respectively, as announced by the conference on Wednesday.

The Eagles won the Big Sky regular-season championship a season ago after posting a 16-2 league record (23-11 overall), but were upset in the conference tournament. They won at Washington State in the opening round of the NIT, marking the second NIT win in program history.

Idaho, under first-year coach Alex Pribble, was picked to finish last in the 10-team league by the coaches and media.

Weber State earned the top spot in both polls.

2023-24 Men’s Basketball Preseason Coaches’ Poll

(First-place votes in parentheses)

1, Weber State (9) 81 points. 2, Montana (1) 70. 3, Eastern Washington 68. 4, Sacramento State 50. 5, Portland State 48. 6, Idaho State 39. 7, Montana State 35. 8 (tie), Northern Arizona, Northern Colorado 22. 10, Idaho 15.

2023-24 Men’s Basketball Preseason Media Poll

(First-place votes in parentheses)

1, Weber State (33) 347 points. 2, Eastern Washington (2) 301. 3, Montana 279. 4, Montana State 197. 5, Sacramento State 196. 6, Portland State 166. 7, Idaho State 155. 8, Northern Arizona 135. 9, Northern Colorado 90. 10, Idaho 59.

Eastern Washington women, Northern Arizona named preseason favorites

FARMINGTON, Utah — Eastern Washington was selected as preseason favorites to win the Big Sky Conference in the coaches' poll, and Northern Arizona took the top spot in the media poll.

Idaho was picked seventh by the media, eighth by the coaches.

Eastern finished 19-11 last season, 11-7 in the Big Sky, and advanced to the conference semifinals before falling to top-seeded Northern Arizona.

The Lumberjacks lost in the championship game to third-seeded Sacramento State.

The 2023 Big Sky Basketball Tipoff will stream on ESPN+ at 11 a.m. PDT on Tuesday, Oct. 31 where a breakdown of the preseason polls will be aired.

2023-24 Women’s Basketball Coaches’ Poll

(First-place votes in parentheses)

1, Eastern Washington (6) 74 points. 2, Northern Arizona (3) 73. 3, Montana (1) 69. 4, Montana State 59. 5, Portland State 45. 6, Northern Colorado 36. 7, Idaho State 32. 8, Idaho 25. 9, Sacramento State 24. 10, Weber State 13.

2023-24 Women’s Basketball Media Poll

(First-place votes in parentheses)

1, Northern Arizona (12) 259 points. 2, Eastern Washington (12) 255. 3, Montana (2) 217. 4, Montana State (3) 209. 5, Portland State 169. 6, Sacramento State (2) 149. 7, Idaho 104. 8, Idaho State 99. 9, Northern Colorado 92. 10, Weber State 42.