Casper Ware drives against Pacific last season. Photo by Andrew Veis

2:45pm | The Long Beach State 49ers have been selected to finish second in the annual Big West Conference media poll this week, just behind defending champion UC Santa Barbara. Two 49ers were named to the preseason All-Conference Team as Dan Monson’s squad has a very promising season ahead.

It’s a safe bet to predict Long Beach State finishing second to UC Santa Barbara – as I did in the poll I submitted – because both teams return the bulk of their scoring after a season in which the two battled for the Conference Championship. UC Santa Barbara emerged victorious in that game and returns all five of their starters, so by default they almost have to be the preseason favorite. Long Beach State returns four starters and 79% of their scoring, so it is not a stretch to predict these two squaring off again for this year’s title. In the media poll, Long Beach State finished with 180 points to UC Santa Barbara’s 204.

That said, I don’t think many people would be surprised if the 49ers ended up on top of the conference this year. Both teams are pretty evenly matched, and the rest of the conference drops off sharply after that. So, barring injuries or unforeseen circumstances, it will more than likely come down to the 49ers and Gauchos.

The general consensus around Media Day at the ESPNZone in Anaheim a few weeks ago was that the 49ers are the most talented team in the Big West, but the Gauchos are older, deeper and already have a title under their belt. Having the reigning Big West Player of the Year in senior guard Orlando Johnson doesn’t hurt much, either (though CollegeInsider.com named 49er sophomore Casper Ware the conference’s POY).

Both teams had two players named to the preseason All Conference Team (Long Beach State with Ware and T.J. Robinson, UCSB with Johnson and James Nunnally). Robinson made the All-First Team last season by averaging a double-double with 15.4 points and 10.1 rebounds, while Ware made the All-Second Team with 11.9 points and 4.8 assists. Rounding out the six-player list were UC Irvine forward Eric Wise and UC Davis forward Joe Harden. I voted for UC Davis guard Mark Payne over Harden, otherwise my list was the same. You can check out my conference predictions at this article on RushTheCourt.net.

There will be a lot of pressure on the shoulders of 49er junior Larry Anderson to mature into a leadership role this season. As perhaps one of the conference’s Top 3 talents, he was plagued by nagging injuries last year and played passively until the Conference Tournament. Long Beach will need the 6’6″ guard to attack. They’ll also need greater help off the bench, and Monson hopes to get it from players like Tristan Wilson and Edis Dervisevic.

The season kicks off with Homecoming against #25 San Diego State on November 13.

Media Poll Results (My personal choices, if different)
1. UC Santa Barbara
2. Long Beach State
3. Pacific (UC Davis)
4. UC Davis (Cal Poly)
5. Cal Poly (Pacific)
6. UC Irvine
7. Cal State Fullerton
8. Cal State Northridge (UC Riverside)
9. UC Riverside (Fullerton)

Preseason All-Conference Team (My personal choices, if different)
Orlando Johnson – UCSB
James Nunnally – UCSB
T.J. Robinson – LBSU
Casper Ware – LBSU
Eric Wise – UCI
Joe Harden – UC Davis (Mark Payne – UC Davis)